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November 27, 2004Dinner train is still off tracksSanta visits and meals will be held at depotByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - The Grand Traverse Dinner Train is on an unexpected holiday as it continues to battle with the railway company line on which it rides. Dinner train president Ella Cooper said this week the train will not operate excursions until it can reach a settlement over track rights with Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway. "It is a business dispute over which tracks are now being available to our operations," said Cooper. "We disagree with any allegations that they have made in the past, especially about safe operations. "We believe the entire matter could be resolved if we are able to use the tracks we have always been using." The business will have its annual visits with author Jeffery Schatzer, who plays Santa Claus, free at the train station Friday and Saturday mornings and will offer "trackside" dinners at the station. Phillip Maxwell, counsel for Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway, could not be reached for comment. The most recent dispute is not the first between the two companies. In August, Tuscola revoked the dinner train's rights to operate on its tracks, citing safety concerns and thousands in unpaid fees to use the line. On Sept. 3, dinner train lawyers responded, filing suit to use the lines. After three weeks of negotiations, the two companies reached a tentative agreement over safety and money disputes. The dinner train has been in operation since 1996, but Cooper said when it may be up and running is uncertain. "We don't know when or whether we can resolve this matter," she said. "We are working to resolve the best we can."
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