Search Results for keywords:"Surface Transportation Board"

Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad, Inc. (CORP) plans to lease and operate a section of railroad line from the Union Pacific Railroad Company, totaling about 27.58 miles in Oregon. This transaction is set to occur after February 8, 2025, following the required notice period and certification. CORP's expected annual revenues from this operation will exceed $5 million, necessitating advance notices to affected employees and labor unions. The agreement includes an interchange commitment, and interested parties can file petitions related to the exemption process.

Saratoga Railroad, LLC filed a notice to abandon a 23.71-mile rail line in Carbon County, Wyoming. No local traffic has used the line for two years, and any overhead traffic can be rerouted. Employees affected by this abandonment are entitled to certain protections. The abandonment will take effect on March 2, 2025, unless there is a stay pending reconsideration or other regulatory actions are taken by specified dates.

Arkansas Louisiana & Mississippi Railroad Co. (ALM) has filed a notice to discontinue rail service on a 9.32-mile line in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana. This decision is due to the line having no local traffic since before 2014, and any other traffic can be rerouted. Employees affected by the discontinuance will be protected under specific conditions, and financial assistance options for continued service are available until February 28, 2025. If there are no objections, the service discontinuance will take effect on March 20, 2025.

The Lake Providence Port Commission (LPPC), a non-carrier entity in Louisiana, applied to acquire a 20-mile rail line from Delta Southern Railroad. On December 11, 2020, the Board conditionally accepted the application despite missing financial details, requiring these by December 28, 2020. LPPC submitted the necessary information, including a lease agreement with North Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad, enabling the Board to proceed with a scheduling plan for reviewing the application and any competing interests. This decision was finalized to be effective immediately, with public notice to follow in the Federal Register.

The Surface Transportation Board received a request from the Association of American Railroads for permission to access data from the Board's 2019 Masked Carload Waybill Sample. This data includes confidential railroad and shipper information, and the Surface Transportation Board is seeking input from those who might object to this request within 14 days from the notice date. The process for releasing this data is governed by federal regulations. Interested parties can contact Alexander Dusenberry for more information.

MSE Holding Company has filed a notice to the Surface Transportation Board seeking permission for a family restructuring that involves controlling two rail carriers, Mississippi Export Railroad Company and Alabama Export Railroad, Inc. These changes will make both companies sister subsidiaries of a newly formed noncarrier holding company, MSE Holding. The reorganization, set to take effect on December 27, 2024, aims to simplify the corporate structure without impacting service levels or competition. The transaction is exempt from certain regulatory approvals, and as these are Class III carriers, no labor protections will be applied.

Paul Didelius, a noncarrier individual, has filed a notice to maintain control over RYAL, LLC once it becomes a Class III rail carrier. This is linked to a separate notice for RYAL to lease and operate a 26-mile rail line in Washington. Didelius confirms that none of the rail systems he controls connect physically and that they are all Class III carriers, which exempts the transaction from certain regulatory approvals. The public can file disputes or petitions related to this exemption, but it won't automatically stop the exemption from taking effect.

Norfolk Southern Corporation and Norfolk Southern Railway Company are asking the Surface Transportation Board for permission to take control of the Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Company. The Board is announcing the suggested schedule for reviewing this proposal and is seeking public feedback on it. The schedule outlines the key deadlines for public comments, application reviews, and final decisions, with the entire process expected to conclude in about 300 days. The Board has also decided that 2023 will be used as the year for evaluating the impact of this acquisition.

On January 22, 2025, Jefferson Partners, L.P., which operates as Jefferson Lines, applied to acquire the assets of Karst Stage, Inc., another passenger bus company. The Surface Transportation Board is tentatively approving this move, allowing Jefferson to continue its operations under a new company, Karst Stage, LLC, while maintaining separate identities but sharing management tasks. The approval is contingent on no opposing comments being filed by April 28, 2025. Jefferson argues this transaction will improve service and efficiency without harming competition or employee interests.

Knoxville & Holston River Railroad Co., Inc. (KXHR), a subsidiary of Gulf & Ohio Railways, is seeking to abandon a 3.8-mile rail line in Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee. KXHR states that the sole shipper, Ergon Terminaling, Inc., has reduced its use of the line, resulting in revenues insufficient to cover operating costs, which exceed revenue by over 90%. The company has been operating at a loss since 2019 and does not expect traffic to increase. They have notified Ergon of their plans and indicated that the line may be converted for public use, such as a trail. The Surface Transportation Board will prepare an environmental assessment and issue a decision by March 31, 2025.