By law, passenger trains have priority in the US. This was part of the deal when the current freight railroads were established: remember that the US railroads

By law, passenger trains have priority in the US. This was part of the deal when the current freight railroads were established: remember that the US railroads as they exist today are largely the outcome of a series of Federal actions in the 80s and 90s. There hasn’t been enforcement of that rule, but it remains on the books.