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SRC Railway LLC, a noncarrier company, has announced its plan to lease and operate a 4.25-mile stretch of rail line called the Strasburg Line in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, from the Strasburg Rail Road Company. This action is part of a related notice that allows SRC to continue to control SRC Railway LLC once it starts functioning as a Class III rail carrier. The company assures that its annual revenue from this operation will not exceed $5 million, keeping it from advancing to a Class I or II rail carrier status. Any challenges to this lease exemption must be submitted by January 12, 2021, with the exemption's effective date being January 20, 2021.

San Joaquin Valley Railroad Co. (SJVR) has filed for an exemption to continue leasing and operating 101.5 miles of rail lines from Union Pacific Railroad Company. This lease, initially established in 1994 and most recently renewed in 2020, has been extended by a Lease Amendment signed in January 2025, allowing operations to continue for another five years. SJVR's notice also requests a waiver for a 60-day advance notice to labor unions, which will be decided separately. Moreover, SJVR confirms that its projected revenues will not exceed the limit set for a Class III carrier, despite current revenues being over $5 million.

Land Rush Rail Corporation (LRRC), a non-carrier company, filed for an exemption to lease and operate a 37.26-mile rail line in Kansas and Oklahoma, previously under Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad's control. This transition follows a Federal Railroad Administration emergency order that stopped BNGR's operations, granting a temporary license to Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad to manage the line. LRRC's annual revenue from this transaction is projected not to exceed $5 million, and the transaction may proceed on or after March 20, 2025, unless revoked. The exemption is categorized as environmentally and historically negligible, exempting it from broader regulatory reviews.

Arkansas Southern Railroad, L.L.C. (ARS) has filed for an exemption to extend and amend its lease agreements with The Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCS) for two railroad lines. The amendments, agreed upon in July 2020, will extend the lease until November 30, 2034, and include a commitment related to train interchange. ARS confirms this transaction won't increase their annual revenues beyond $5 million or change their carrier classification. Petitions to challenge the exemption can be submitted, with the earliest transaction effective date being March 14, 2021.

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART), a Class III rail carrier, has filed for an exemption to acquire and operate an 87.65-mile rail line from North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) in California. The transaction allows SMART to be the freight operator using a noncarrier contract operator and is expected to be completed on or after March 4, 2021. SMART assures that its annual revenues from the deal will not exceed $5 million and that there are no agreements limiting future connections with other carriers. This transaction is mostly exempt from environmental and historic preservation reviews.

American Services Rail, LLC (ASR), a noncarrier, has submitted a notice to lease and operate a small rail line in Mississippi currently operated by Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, LLC (CRIP). The arrangement allows ASR to function as a common carrier on a specific section and as a contract carrier on additional tracks. ASR affirms that no interchange commitments are involved and that the transaction will not lead to it becoming a larger rail carrier. The transaction is set to take effect on April 9, 2025, with legal precautions in place if any misleading information is found.

East Chicago Rail Terminal, LLC (ECRT) is planning to acquire and operate a small section of railroad track from Chrome, LLC at East Chicago, Indiana. This track is 467 feet long and connects to the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad. ECRT has agreed to this purchase and plans to use the track to provide common carrier rail service to Tri-Star DEF LLC without affecting any future agreements with other carriers. The acquisition is expected to be completed on or after February 26, 2021, and is exempt from environmental and historic reporting requirements.

The Surface Transportation Board has issued a final rule to adjust civil monetary penalties for inflation, as mandated by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. This rule is effective from January 14, 2021, and the adjustments are based on changes in the Consumer Price Index. The decision to implement this without a public comment period is due to the lack of discretion allowed by Congress in setting penalty levels, which are determined by a statutory formula. The rule does not impose any new information collection requirements.

Louisiana Southern Railroad, L.L.C. (LAS), a small rail company, has filed a notice to continue leasing and operating about 165.8 miles of rail lines from the Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCS). The lease agreements have been in place since 2005 and were recently amended to extend until November 2034. LAS must meet certain conditions, such as informing employees and unions about the transaction, because their annual revenues exceed $5 million. However, LAS has requested a waiver for the 60-day advance notice requirement, which will be decided separately. The document mentions the possibility of legal challenges but notes that LA's operations are exempt from environmental and historic preservation reporting.

San Joaquin Valley Railroad Co. (SJVR) has filed a notice to continue leasing and operating 101.5 miles of rail lines from Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP). This new lease replaces a previous one from 1994 and includes an interchange commitment. SJVR ensures its revenue won’t exceed the limit for a Class III carrier but admits it currently surpasses $5 million, for which it seeks a waiver on the 60-day labor notice period. This request will be reviewed separately by the Surface Transportation Board, which will set the exemption's effective date.