Search Results for keywords:"Surface Transportation Board"

The Surface Transportation Board received a request from Thompson Hine and Escalation Consultants, representing the American Chemistry Council, to access certain data from the Board’s 2023 unmasked Carload Waybill Samples. This data contains sensitive information about railroads and shippers. If anyone objects to this data being released, they need to submit their objections within 14 days from the notice date. The rules for releasing this waybill 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.

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.

Armstrong Hospitality Group and related companies, known collectively as Armstrong Group, filed a notice to gain control over American Rocky Mountaineer LLC when it becomes a rail carrier. American Rocky Mountaineer is seeking an exemption to run passenger rail services between Moab, Utah, and Denver, Colorado, on Union Pacific lines. The Surface Transportation Board has set March 5, 2021, as the effective date for the exemption. This transaction doesn't involve any Class I carriers, and Armstrong Group assures there will be no rail line connections with Great Canadian Railtour, which it also owns.

Dover and Delaware River Railroad, LLC (DDRR), a small railway company, plans to amend its lease agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway Company. This change will not turn DDRR into a larger rail carrier and will involve an interchange commitment. The transaction is set to take effect on January 16, 2025, and people can contest it by filing petitions before that date. The project is exempt from environmental and historical reviews, according to federal regulations.

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.

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.

The Federal Register Office has reinstated Chapter XL of Title 5 in the Code of Federal Regulations. This chapter includes Parts 5000 to 5099 and was previously removed due to the disbandment of the Interstate Commerce Commission. However, a legal provision allows these regulations to remain effective under the Surface Transportation Board. Therefore, the removal of these regulations was recognized as a mistake, and they have been restored.