The White House said Thursday it had reached a tentative agreement to avoid a potential railway strike that threatened to shut down a crucial vein of the U.S. economy.

President Biden said the tentative deal “is an important win for our economy and the American people.” He credited the unions and rail companies “for negotiating in good faith and reaching a tentative agreement that will keep our critical rail system working and avoid disruption of our economy.”

The Biden administration had been holding talks with representatives from both sides to avoid transport disruptions that could have snarled supply chains, putting new pressure on prices when inflation has been hovering near four-decade highs.

Ahead of the Friday deadline, passenger-rail provider Amtrak had said it would suspend all long-distance train services starting Thursday to avoid disruptions caused by a potential strike by freight workers. While the negotiations don’t involve Amtrak workers, the company’s long-distance trains operate on freight lines, and Amtrak said it wanted to avoid passenger disruptions in the event of a strike.... Read More: WSJ