Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 234 / Tuesday, December 5, 2000 / Notices 76003

1On November 20, 2000, a petition to stay the

effective date of the exemption was filed by Joseph

C. Szabo, on behalf of United Transportation UnionIllinois Legislative Board. The petition for stay was

denied in The Central Illinois Railroad Company—

Lease and Operation Exemption—Lines of The

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway

Company at Chicago, Cook County, IL, STB Finance

Docket No. 33960 (STB served Nov. 22, 2000).

1The petition is related to two abandonment

applications simultaneously filed by Conrail under

section 308 of the Regional Rail Reorganization Act

of 1973 (3–R Act), 45 U.S.C. 748, a provision added

to the 3–R Act by the Northeast Rail Service Act of

1981 (Pub. L. No. 97–35). See Conrail—

Abandonment of the Weehawken Branch—in

Hudson County, NJ, STB Docket No. AB–167 (SubNo. 766N); and Conrail—Abandonment of the River

Line—in Hudson County, NJ, STB Docket No. AB–

167 (Sub-No. 1067N). Conrail has requested that the

applications be considered together because the

Weehawken Branch and the River Line are operated

as a single line due to changes made to track

alignment and operations. Where appropriate, the

two lines will be referenced as the River Line.

Notices of Insufficient Revenues were timely filed

on October 31, 1983, and October 31, 1985,

respectively. The Board must grant the applications

within 90 days after their filing date (i.e., by

February 12, 2001) unless offers of financial

assistance (OFA) are filed within the 90-day period.

See sections 308(c) and (d).

2The 3.84-mile segment extends from the point

of switch in Jersey City (approximately MP 0.00),

to the southerly R.O.W. line of Baldwin Avenue, in

Weehawken (approximately MP 2.84), and includes

the former DL&W Railroad Lead to the Hoboken

Freight Yard in Jersey City.

3The 6.95-mile segment is divided into two parts:

(1) from the connection to the Passaic and Harismus

Branch at CP ‘‘Waldo’’ in Jersey City (approximately

MP 0.00) to the south side of Clifton Road in

Weehawken (approximately MP 4.7), including the

River Yard; and (2) from (a) the south side of Clifton

Road in Weehawken (approximately MP 0.00) to the

northwest side of Tonnelle Avenue (excluding the

portion of line, associated track, and underlying

right-of-way necessary to retain access and continue

service to Durkee Foods) in North Bergen

(approximately MP 1.53); (b) the National Docks

Secondary in Jersey City from its connection with

the River Line at CP ‘‘Nave’’ to the east side of

Newark Avenue (approximately 1,350 feet); and (c)

the Weehawken Branch (Chicken Yard) in

Weehawken, from its connection with the River

Line on the east side of Willow Avenue to the end

of the track (approximately 2,450 feet).

4CSX Transportation, Inc., also acquired the same

rights with respect to the River Line and filed a

similar petition for exemption on November 20,

2000. See CSX Transportation, Inc.—

Discontinuance Exemption—in Hudson County, NJ,

STB Docket No. AB–55 (Sub-No. 584X).

5Two shippers, Cognis Chemical Company and

Dykes Lumber Company, are being served.

6The River Line’s real estate and track was

transferred to NJT on or about October 24, 1995,

pursuant to the Freight Relocation and River Line

Acquisition Agreement that Conrail and NJT

entered into on June 8, 1989. Conrail retained a free

and exclusive easement for the operation and

maintenance of rail freight service.

NJT will reconstruct the River Line and dedicate

it to light rail commuter passenger service. The

River Line’s freight operations will be transferred to

Conrail’s Northern Branch, which will be

reconstructed to accommodate through train service

and to remove ‘‘at-grade’’ highway and street

crossings. Conrail will not terminate freight

operations or consummate the abandonment of the

River Line, and NS will not exercise the

discontinuance authority, until the Northern

Branch has been reconstructed.

7NS has requested that its petition for exemption

be granted with an effective date of February 12,

2001, to coincide with the anticipated effectiveness

of the two related Conrail abandonment

applications. This request will be considered by the

Board when the petition for exemption is

addressed.

Comments or questions concerning this

proposed action and the EIS should be

directed to the FHWA or MDOT at the

addresses provided above.

Andrew H. Hughes,

Division Administrator, Jackson, Mississippi.

[FR Doc. 00–30839 Filed 12–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33960]

The Central Illinois Railroad

Company—Lease and Operation

Exemption—Lines of The Burlington

Northern and Santa Fe Railway

Company at Chicago, Cook County, IL

The Central Illinois Railroad

Company, a noncarrier, has filed a

verified notice of exemption under 49

CFR 1150.31 to lease from The

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe

Railway Company (BNSF)

approximately 5.9 miles of main line

track and approximately 12.47 miles of

sidetrack, collectively referred to as the

Lumber District and Illinois Northern

lines or portions thereof, in the vicinity

of BNSF’s Western Avenue Yard in

Chicago, Cook County, IL.1

The transaction was scheduled to be

consummated no earlier than November

23, 2000, the effective date of the

exemption (7 days after the exemption

was filed).

If the verified notice contains false or

misleading information, the exemption

is void ab initio. Petitions to reopen the

proceeding 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. 33960, must be filed with

the Surface Transportation Board, Office

of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925

K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each

pleading must be served on Thomas F.

McFarland, Jr., Esq., McFarland &

Herman, 20 North Wacker Drive, Suite

1330, Chicago, IL 60606–2902.

Board decisions and notices are

available on our website at http://

www.stb.dot.gov.

Decided: November 27, 2000.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–30655 Filed 12–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB–290 (Sub–No. 212X)]

Norfolk Southern Railway Company—

Discontinuance Exemption—in

Hudson County, NJ 1

On November 14, 2000, Norfolk

Southern Railway Company (NS) filed

with the Surface Transportation Board

(Board) a petition under 49 U.S.C. 10502

for exemption from 49 U.S.C. 10903 to

discontinue service over approximately

3.84 miles of the Weehawken Branch 2

and approximately 6.95 miles of the

River Line 3 in Hudson County, NJ. The

lines traverse U.S. Postal Zip Codes

07302, 07303, 07306, 07407, and 07087.

NS acquired the right to operate over

these lines under the North Jersey

Shared Assets Areas Operating

Agreement approved by the Board in

CSX Corp.—Control and Operating

Leases/Agreements—Conrail Inc., STB

Finance Docket No. 33388 (Decision No.

89) (STB served July 23, 1998), clarified

and modified (Decision No. 96) (STB

served Oct. 19, 1998), petitions for

review pending sub nom. Erie Niagara

Rail Steering Committee v. STB, Nos.

98–4285, et al. (2d Cir. filed July 31,

1998).4 Pursuant to that agreement, NS

does not conduct freight operations over

the River Line. NS publishes rates and

maintains stations for the River Line’s

shippers,5 and Conrail conducts the

actual train operations in NS’s name.

The lines do not contain federally

granted rights-of-way. A large part of the

real estate and track is owned by the

New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJT),

and the remainder is owned by Conrail.6

Any documentation in NS’s possession

will be made available promptly to

those requesting it.

The interest of railroad employees

will be protected by the conditions set

forth in Oregon Short Line R. Co.—

Abandonment—Goshen, 360 I.C.C. 91

(1979).

By issuing this notice, the Board is

instituting an exemption proceeding

pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(b). A final

decision will be issued by March 3,

2001.7