Search Results for agency_names:"Surface Transportation Board"

On January 30, 2024, the Canadian National Railway Company and Grand Trunk Corporation filed an application to take control of Iowa Northern Railway Company. The Surface Transportation Board approved the application, requiring a three-year period of oversight to ensure compliance and effectiveness. During this time, the applicants are obliged to provide regular reports on service, operations, and competition metrics. In response to concerns about confidentiality, the Board adjusted reporting requirements to balance transparency with the protection of sensitive data.

Strasburg Rail Road Company (SRC), a Class III rail carrier, has filed a notice seeking an exemption to maintain control over a new entity, SRC Railway LLC, as it becomes a rail carrier. Railway LLC plans to lease and operate a 4.25-mile rail line in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, owned by SRC. This transaction is exempt from certain approval requirements because it involves only Class III carriers, and there is no connection outside the corporate family. The exemption could take effect as soon as January 20, 2021, unless any petitions to revoke it are filed by January 12, 2021.

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.

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.

Grainbelt Corporation, a smaller railroad company, has applied for an exemption to extend its use of tracks owned by BNSF Railway Company in Oklahoma and Texas. This extension allows Grainbelt to transport trains for BNSF customers and access a specific facility in Oklahoma until March 2026. The Surface Transportation Board notes that employees affected by this change will receive protections, and any challenges to the exemption need to be filed before May 1, 2025. Additionally, this action is environmentally cleared and doesn't require historic preservation reports.

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.

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.

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.

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.