Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 1874/Article 17
Article XVII: Roads and Canals
Section 1: Railroads and canals, public highways. May be constructed. Shall have connections and use of connecting roads.
All railroads and canals shall be public highways, and all railroad and canal companies shall be common carriers. Any association or corporation organized for the purpose shall have the right to construct and operate a railroad between any points within this State, and to connect at the State line with railroads of other States. Every railroad company shall have the right with its road to intersect, connect with or cross any other railroad; and shall receive and transport each other's passengers, tonnage and cars loaded or empty, without delay or discrimination.
Section 2: Railroad and canal companies to keep offices in the State.
Every railroad and canal corporation organized in this State shall maintain an office therein where transfers of its stock shall be made, and where its books shall be kept for inspection by any stockholder or creditor of such corpo-ration, in which shall be recorded the amount of capital stock subscribed or paid in, and by whom, the names of the owners of its stock and the amounts owned by them, respectively, the transfers of aid stock, and the names and places of residence of its officers.
Section 3: Discrimination in charges for freight and passengers prohibited.
All individuals, associations and corporations shall have equal right to have persons and property transported over railroads and canals, and no undue or unreasonable discrimination shall be made in charges for, or in facilities for, transportation of freight or passengers within the State or coming from or going to any other State. Persons and property transported over any railroad shall be delivered at any station at charges not exceeding the charges for transportation of persons and property of the same class in the same direction to any more distant station; but excursion and commutation tickets may be issued at special rates.
Section 4: Consolidation with competing companies prohibited. Officers of companies not to be officers of competing companies.
No railroad, canal or other corporation, or the lessees, purchasers or managers of any railroad or canal corporation, shall consolidate the stock, property or franchises of such corporation with, or lease, or purchase the works or franchises of, or in any way control any other railroad or canal corporation owning or having under its control a parallel or competing line; nor shall any officer of such railroad or canal corporation act as an officer of any other railroad or canal corporation owning or having the control of a parallel or competing line; and the question whether railroads or canals are parallel or competing lines shall, when demanded by the party complainant, be decided by a jury as in other civil issues.
Section 5: Common carrier corporations not to engage in mining, manufacturing, &c. Exception.
No incorporated company doing the business of a common carrier shall, directly or indirectly, prosecute or engage in mining or manufacturing articles for transportation over its works; nor shall such company, directly or indirectly, engage in any other business than that of common carriers, or hold or acquire lands, freehold or leasehold, directly or indirectly, except such as shall be necessary for carrying on its business; but any mining or manufacturing company may carry the products of its mines and manufactories on its railroad or canal not exceeding fifty miles in length.
Section 6: Officers, &c., of companies not to engage in transportation business.
No president, director, officer, agent or employee of any railroad or canal company shall be interested, directly or indirectly, in the furnishing of material or supplies to such company, or in the business of transportation as a common carrier of freight or passengers over the works owned, leased, controlled or worked by such company.
Section 7: No discrimination in charges to transporters.
No discrimination in charges or facilities for transportation shall be made between transportation companies and individuals, or in favor of either, by abatement, drawback or otherwise, and no railroad or canal company, or any lessee, manager or employee thereof, shall make any preferences in furnishing cars or motive power.
Section 8: Free passes on railroads prohibited.
Section 8. No railroad, railway or other transportation company shall grant free passes, or passes at a discount, to any person except officers or employees of the company.
Section 9: Passenger railroads not be constructed without consent of municipal authorities.
No street passenger railway shall be constructed within the limits of any city, borough or township, without the consent of its local authorities.
Section 10: Acceptance of this article by corporations.
No railroad, canal or other transportation company, in existence at the time of the adoption of this article, shall have the benefit of any future legislation by general or special laws, except on condition of complete acceptance of all the provisions of this article.
Section 11: Duties of Auditor General as to companies transferred to Secretary of Internal Affairs.
The existing powers and duties of the Auditor General in regard to railroads, canals and other transportation companies, except as to their accounts, are hereby transferred to the Secretary of Internal Affairs, who shall have a general supervision over them, subject to such regulations and alterations as shall be provided by law; and, in addition to the annual reports now required to be made, said Secretary may require special reports at any time upon any subject relating to the business of said companies from any officer or officers thereof.
Section 12
The General Assembly shall enforce by appropriate legislation the provisions of this article.