Search Results for agency_names:"Surface Transportation Board"

The Surface Transportation Board has announced a vacancy on the Passenger Railroad Advisory Committee (PRAC) for a representative from a state that funds intercity passenger rail. They are seeking nominations from the public to fill this position by February 27, 2025. The PRAC advises the Board on topics like improving passenger rail service and reducing conflicts between passenger and freight railroads. Members of the committee serve in a representative capacity and do not receive salaries, but may receive travel reimbursements in cases of hardship.

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.

The Surface Transportation Board is starting a process to figure out the railway industry's cost of capital for the year 2024. They are looking for comments on several aspects, including the cost of debt, preferred equity, common equity capital, and the overall capital structure of the railroads. People interested in participating need to submit their intent by February 21, 2025, and various statements are due on specific dates in March and April 2025. For more information, contact Pedro Ramirez or visit the Board's website.

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.

Avalon Motor Coaches, LLC, along with its affiliates, is planning to acquire most of the assets and contracts of Rose Chauffeured Transportation, Inc. The Surface Transportation Board has tentatively approved this transaction, stating it aligns with the public interest. Comments on the deal are invited until February 24, 2025; if none are received, the approval will become final on February 25, 2025. Avalon plans to maintain the current workforce of Rose and aims to improve service efficiency by integrating Rose's services with its own.

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.

The Surface Transportation Board has tentatively approved the acquisition of Echo Windy City, LLC, an interstate motor passenger carrier, by TBL Group, Inc., a company that owns several similar carriers. This acquisition will allow Echo Windy to expand its services to include interstate passenger transportation. If no opposing comments are submitted by April 7, 2025, the approval will become final on April 8, 2025. The Board determined that the transaction would benefit the public interest without adversely affecting competition or employees.

The Surface Transportation Board has started a proceeding to assess the railroad industry's cost of capital for the year 2020. They are inviting comments on different aspects, such as the 2020 cost of debt capital, preferred equity capital, common equity capital, and the overall capital structure of the railroad industry based on market value. Interested parties must submit their notices of intent to participate by March 29, 2021, and statements should be submitted by various deadlines in April, May, and June 2021, depending on the specific group. More details, including how to submit comments, are available on the Board's website.

The Surface Transportation Board received a request from the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program to use specific data from the Board's 2018-2019 Masked Carload Waybill Sample. This sample contains confidential data from railroads and shippers. If anyone wants to object to this data usage, they need to file their objections with the Board's Office of Economics within 14 days from the notice date. The rules for releasing this data are detailed in 49 CFR 1244.9.

Farmrail System, Inc. has submitted a notice of exemption to continue controlling Land Rush Rail Corporation (LRRC) once LRRC becomes a Class III railroad. This relates to LRRC's plan to lease and operate a rail line owned by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Blackwell Industrial Authority. The line does not connect with Farmrail's other railroads, which exempts it from certain approval requirements. The transaction involves Class III carriers only, meaning employee labor protections typically required for larger transactions do not apply. If all information is accurate, the earliest the transaction may proceed is March 20, 2025.