The STB is an economic regulatory agency charged with resolving freight railroad rate and service disputes, reviewing proposed rail mergers, rail line purchases, constructions and abandonments. The Board also oversees Amtrak’s on-time performance and has jurisdiction over other matters. For more information click here.
Items of Interest
Commodity Revenue Stratification Report
The STB’s Office of Economics has released an expanded version of its Commodity Revenue Stratification Report—showing revenue, variable costs, tons, and carloads associated with manyfive-digit STCC code/car-type combinations—which may be of interest to shippers attempting to benchmark their rates. To see the report covering statistics from 2008 through 2011, click here.
Final Environmental Assessment issued in CSX proposal to acquire easement over part of Grand Trunk Western’s “Elsdon Line” The Board's Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) has issued a Final Environmental Assessment (Final EA) of CSX Transportation, Inc.’s proposal to acquire from the Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company (GTW) an exclusive, perpetual, non-assignable railroad operating easement over approximately 22 miles of GTW rail line (the Elsdon Line) between Munster, Indiana and Elsdon, Illinois. To view the Final EA in CSX Transportation, Inc.—Acquisition of Operating Easement—Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company, FD 35522, issued January 9, 2013, click here. To see the Board's 2/8/13 decision in FD 35522 granting authority for CSX's easement acquisition over a portion of the Elsdon Line, as well as two related requests for the trackage rights over the line, click here.
Public Version of Appendix Posted in M&G Polymers v. CSX Rate-Complaint Case
In accordance with its September 27, 2012 decision in M&G Polymers USA,
LLC v. CSX
Transportation, Inc., NOR 42123, the Board has made available a public
version of the appendix
initially provided only to the parties’ outside counsel. To view the
updated decision, which includes
the public version of the appendix, click here. To view the notice, which more fully
describes the circumstances surrounding the posting of the updated
decision, click here.
Notice Issued Extending Deadline for Comments on Tongue River Railroad Company Proposal
The Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis has issued a Notice extending the deadline for filing comments on the Draft Scope of Study for the Environmental Impact Statement in Tongue River Railroad Company, Inc.—Rail Construction and Operation—in Custer, Powder River and Rosebud Counties, Mont., FD 30186. Comments are now due by January 11, 2013. To view the Notice, click here.
2011 URCS Data Available
2011 Uniform Railroad Costing System (URCS) information, which applies the Board's 2011 cost-of-capital finding for the rail industry, is now available. To see that information, click here.
Rules Issued for Solid Waste Rail Transfer Facilities
As required by the Clean Railroads Act of 2008, the Surface Transportation Board has adopted
final rules governing land-use-exemption permits for solid waste rail transfer facilities. The rules
governing such facilities are located at part 1155 of title 49, chapter X, of the Code of Federal
Regulations. To view the Board’s decision, click here.
Board Clarifies Its Review of Tongue River Railroad Company Proposal
The Board has issued a decision clarifying that it will review Tongue River Railroad Company
Inc.’s (TRRC) entire 83-mile rail construction proposal, including the new environmental
review of the project as well as the transportation merits supporting construction of the line. The
decision directs TRRC to file supplemental information related to the transportation merits, sets
a new procedural schedule for the parties’ submissions on the transportation merits, and requires
TRRC to publish new newspaper notices consistent with the decision. To view the decision, click here.
Berkshire Hathaway Compliance with Railroad Control Law
The Board has directed Berkshire Hathaway to remedy promptly its noncompliance with railroad control requirements for its 2010 acquisition of BNSF Railway Company. According to Berkshire, its subsidiaries owned two shortline railroads prior to the BNSF acquisition, but it had not sought required Board approval for the BNSF acquisition because, Berkshire states, it was unaware at that time of these holdings. Click here to read Berkshire's notification letter and to read the Board's reply, click here. To read Berkshire's response, click here. Click here to read the STB's process for handling the Berkshire Hathaway
noncompliance matter. To see the STB’s reply to BNSF’s Dec. 18, 2012 letter, click here.
Draft Environmental Assessment Issued
The Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis has issued for public review
and comment its Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) on CSX’s proposed
acquisition of an easement over the “Elsdon Line,” between Munster and
Elsdon, Illinois, southeast of Chicago, to move some of its trains more
quickly and at less expense through the area. The Draft EA analyzes
potential environmental impacts from increased train traffic over a portion
of the Elsdon Line. Comments are due November 9th. To view the Draft EA,
click here.
CN Acquisition Audit Report
The Board released on June 18th a report on a second independent Board-ordered audit of the Canadian National Ry. and Grand Trunk Corp., --Control--EJ&E West Co. (STB Finance Docket No. 35087) transaction. The audit report was prepared by HDR Engineering, Inc. To view the audit report, click here.
Managing Service Demands
Chairman Daniel R. Elliott III wrote a letter to railroads on June 8, 2012 requesting their plans for managing service demands through the end of year. To see the Chairman's letters and the railroads’ responses, click here.
URCS
The STB has made technical improvements to several aspects of the Uniform Railroad Costing System (URCS) Phase III Railroad Cost Program to make it more user-friendly. To learn more, click here.
2010 Public Use Waybill
The 2010 Public Use Waybill Sample is now available. To download that information click here.
Got a Complaint?
Need help from the Board without filing a formal complaint? The Rail Customer and Public Assistance team offers a free, confidential avenue to settle disputes between shippers and railroads. Read more about the program here.