[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 230 (Monday, December 1, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63602-63603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-31384]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board
[STB Finance Docket No. 33512]


Penn Eastern Rail Lines, Inc.; Acquisition and Operation 
Exemption; Lines of Lancaster Northern Railway, Inc., Chester Valley 
Railway, Inc., East Penn Railways, Inc., and Bristol Industrial 
Terminal Railway, Inc.

    Penn Eastern Rail Lines, Inc. (PERL), a noncarrier, has filed a 
verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire (by 
purchase of certain rail lines and assignment of certain leases on 
other rail lines) and operate approximately 45.24 <SUP>1</SUP> miles of 
rail lines (the Subject Lines) of Lancaster Northern Railway, Inc. 
(LANO), Chester Valley Railway, Inc. (CVR), East Penn Railways, Inc. 
(EPRY), and Bristol Industrial Terminal Railway, Inc. (Bristol). PERL 
will become a Class III rail carrier.<SUP>2</SUP>
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    \1\ In the verified notice of exemption, PERL states that the 
total miles of rail line to be acquired and operated totals 
approximately 44 route miles, but other references in the notice, 
which identify the mileposts and the route miles for each specific 
segment of rail line, total approximately 45.24 route miles.
    \2\ This proceeding is related to STB Finance Docket No. 33511, 
wherein Emons Transportation Group, Inc., a noncarrier, has filed a 
notice of exemption to continue in control of PERL upon PERL's 
becoming a Class III rail carrier.
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    PERL, LANO, CVR, EPRY and Bristol have entered into an agreement 
providing for PERL's acquisition of all the rights, title and interests 
in the Subject Lines. PERL intends to consummate the purchase agreement 
and begin operations on or soon after November 20, 1997, the effective 
date of the exemption.
    CVR owns and operates the Bridgeport Industrial Track, between the 
connection with the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) at 
approximately milepost 0.0 and milepost 2.14 at Henderson Road. This 
2.14-mile rail line is located entirely within Bridgeport, Montgomery 
County, PA.
    LANO owns and operates the Akron Secondary Track, between 
approximately milepost 0.05 at Sinking Spring, Berks County, PA, and 
the end of the track at Stevens, approximately milepost 12.94, in 
Lancaster County, PA.
    EPRY operates four rail lines as follows: (1) The Perkiomen Branch, 
USRA Line No. 906, between milepost 22.38 at Pennsburg, PA, and 
milepost 38.23 at Emmaus Jct., Emmaus, PA, a distance of 15.85 miles, 
in Berks, Lehigh, and Montgomery Counties, PA; (2) the Colebrookdale 
Industrial Track (Boyertown Branch), USRA Line No. 909, between 
milepost 0.00 at Colebrookdale Jct. (Pottstown), PA and milepost 8.60 
at Boyertown, PA, a distance of 8.60 miles, in Berks and Montgomery 
Counties, PA; (3) the Kutztown Branch, USRA line No. 910, between 
milepost 0.17 at Topton, PA, and milepost 4.29 at Kutztown, PA, a 
distance of 4.12 miles, in Berks County, PA; and (4) the Mt. Hope 
Industrial Branch, USRA Line No. 916, between milepost 0.36 and 
milepost 1.0, a distance of .64 miles, in Manheim, Lancaster County, 
PA. The lines were acquired by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1982 
and were formerly operated by Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad 
Company.<SUP>3</SUP> They connect with Conrail at Emmaus, Pottstown, 
Topton and Manheim, PA.
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    \3\ See Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad Company--Modified 
Rail Certificate, Finance Docket No. 30305 (Sub-No. 1) (ICC served 
June 13, 1990).
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    Bristol leases and operates approximately 1 mile of rail line

[[Page 63603]]

extending between a connection at Grundy and a point within the Bristol 
Industrial Park, in Bristol Township, Bucks County, PA.
    If the notice contains false or misleading information, the 
exemption is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the exemption under 49 
U.S.C. 10502(d) may be filed at any time. The filing of a petition to 
revoke will not automatically stay the transaction.
    An original and 10 copies of all pleadings, referring to STB 
Finance Docket No. 33512, must be filed with the Surface Transportation 
Board, Office of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925 K Street, N.W., 
Washington, DC 20423-0001. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be 
served on: Kevin M. Sheys, Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, 1020 
Nineteenth Street, N.W., Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036.

    Decided: November 21, 1997.

    By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-31384 Filed 11-28-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-00-P