Search Results for agency_names:"Surface Transportation Board"

The Surface Transportation Board received a request from the University of Colorado Boulder to use data from their 2005-2010 unmasked Carload Waybill Samples. This data contains confidential information, so if anyone objects to the request, they must file objections with the Director of the Board's Office of Economics within 14 days of this notice. The rules regarding the release of this data are detailed in the regulation 49 CFR 1244.9. Interested parties can find a copy of the request on the Board’s website under docket no. WB24-69.

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.

Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) has reported that it has gained temporary rights to use a section of track owned by BNSF Railway Company. This particular agreement allows UP to transport ballast trains, which are used for maintenance work, over a 51.7-mile stretch of rail in Oklahoma and Texas. The temporary rights will last until the end of 2021, and UP has stated that these actions are exempt from environmental and historical preservation reviews. If anyone believes this notice contains false information, they can petition to revoke the exemption, but such petitions will not delay the exemption's start date unless filed by a certain deadline.

The Surface Transportation Board has approved the Rail Cost Adjustment Factor (RCAF) for the second quarter of 2025. This factor, submitted by the Association of American Railroads, helps to measure the changes in costs for the nation's largest railroads over time. The Board reviewed and adopted three specific RCAF figures: an unadjusted figure of 0.945, an adjusted figure of 0.366, and an RCAF-5 value of 0.347. These decisions are applicable starting April 1, 2025.

The Mohawk, Adirondack & Northern Railroad Corporation (MAN) has applied for permission to abandon parts of a rail line between Lowville and Carthage villages and within Lyons Falls, New York. MAN assures that no freight has used these lines in two years and rerouting is possible for any traffic. Employees affected by this decision will be protected by existing regulations. If no financial aid offers are made, the abandonment will take effect on February 13, 2025, unless delayed by legal actions. Comments on the environmental impact are due soon after a draft assessment is published mid-January 2025.

St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad Company (SLR) is seeking to abandon a 24.23-mile rail line in Cumberland County, Maine. The rail line has not been used for local traffic since 2015, and no complaints about the cessation of service are pending. Certain conditions, like employee protection, must be met, and formal expressions of financial assistance or trail use must be submitted by specific dates. The Surface Transportation Board will issue a Draft Environmental Assessment and is open to comments on environmental and historic preservation issues.

The Surface Transportation Board received a prefiling notification regarding a proposed transaction where Norfolk Southern Corporation and Norfolk Southern Railway Company aim to gain control of Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Company. After reviewing the February 14, 2025 submission, the Board determined the transaction is "significant" rather than "minor," requiring more detailed information and compliance with different procedures. The Board instructed Norfolk Southern to amend their application, submit a revised procedural schedule by March 21, 2025, and to pay the additional filing fee associated with significant transactions. Additionally, the Board noted concerns from CSX Transportation and the Virginia Port Authority about potential anticompetitive effects.

BNSF Railway Company, a major rail carrier, has filed for an exemption to acquire temporary rights to use two rail lines owned by Union Pacific Railroad Company in California. These rights allow BNSF to move trains with ballast materials between locations near Stockton and Keddie. The agreement is set to expire on December 31, 2021, and the transaction can begin after January 27, 2021. BNSF has ensured that its actions meet certain regulatory conditions and has filed a related petition about the temporary nature of these rights.

The Surface Transportation Board has received a request from Iowa State University to use data from their 1992-2018 Unmasked Carload Waybill Sample for research purposes. This data contains confidential information about railroads and shippers. Anyone who objects to the release of this data must submit their objections to the Board's Office of Economics within 14 calendar days from the notice date. The procedures for releasing waybill data are outlined in the federal regulations.

Central New York Railroad Corporation (CNY) is a small railroad company that continues to lease and operate a rail line from Norfolk Southern Railway Company, covering about 123.1 miles between New York and Pennsylvania. This notice states that CNY plans to amend their lease to extend the term and adjust renewal conditions, while keeping all other original terms in place. CNY assures that the transaction will not make it a larger railroad and estimates their earnings won't go beyond $5 million a year. The Surface Transportation Board will allow this change to be effective from April 12, 2025, unless any misleading information is found or if objections are filed in time.