Source: https://www.stb.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/9855c1fb354da09b85257f1f000b5f79/fd2613a2c26933568525819900570802?OpenDocument
Timestamp: 2018-10-23 10:36:18
Document Index: 354275797

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1105', '§ 1105', '§ 1105', '§ 1152', '§ 1152', '§ 1152', '§ 1152', '§ 1152']

46013 - Decision
AB_55_772_X
CSX TRANSPORTATION, INC.--ABANDONMENT EXEMPTION--IN GREENBRIER AND NICHOLAS COUNTIES, W.VA.
PROVIDED NOTICE THAT CSX TRANSPORTATION, INC. HAS FILED A NOTICE OF EXEMPTION TO ABANDON AN APPROXIMATELY 14.4-MILE RAIL LINE IN GREENBRIER AND NICHOLAS COUNTIES, W. VA.
46013 SERVICE DATE – SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
[Docket No. AB 55 (Sub-No. 772X)]
CSX Transportation, Inc.—Abandonment Exemption—in Greenbrier and Nicholas Counties, W. Va.
CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT) has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 C.F.R. pt. 1152 subpart F–Exempt Abandonments to abandon an approximately 14.4‑mile rail line, known as the G&E Subdivision, in the Southern Region, Florence Division, between milepost CAJ 0.0 at the switch to the Sewell Valley Subdivision mainline track in Rainelle, and the end of the line at milepost CAJ 14.43 about two miles northeast of Green Valley, in Greenbrier and Nicholas Counties, W. Va. (the Line).[1] The Line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Codes 25962, 25981, and 26676 and includes the Quinwood station (FSAC 83070/SPLC 278129), the Bellburn station (FSAC 83062/SPLC 278121), and the Rainelle Jct. station (FSAC 83044/SPLC 278176). CSXT states that these stations can be closed.
CSXT has certified that: (1) no local freight traffic has moved over the Line for at least two years; (2) because the Line is not a through route, no overhead traffic has operated; and, therefore, none needs to be rerouted over other lines; (3) no formal complaint filed by a user of rail service on the Line (or by a state or local government entity acting on behalf of such user) regarding cessation of service over the Line either is pending with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) or with any U.S. District Court or has been decided in favor of complainant within the two-year period; and (4) the requirements at 49 C.F.R. § 1105.7(c) (environmental report), 49 C.F.R. § 1105.11 (transmittal letter), 49 C.F.R. § 1105.12 (newspaper publication), and 49 C.F.R. § 1152.50(d)(1) (notice to governmental agencies) have been met.
Provided no formal expression of intent to file an offer of financial assistance (OFA) has been received, this exemption will be effective on October 17, 2017, unless stayed pending reconsideration. Petitions to stay that do not involve environmental issues,[2] formal expressions of intent to file an OFA under 49 C.F.R. § 1152.27(c)(2),[3] and interim trail use/rail banking requests under 49 C.F.R. § 1152.29 must be filed by September 25, 2017. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use conditions under 49 C.F.R. § 1152.28 must be filed by October 5, 2017, with the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20423-0001.
A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to Louis E. Gitomer, Law Offices of Louis E. Gitomer, LLC, 600 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 301, Towson, MD 21204.
CSXT has filed a combined environmental and historic report that addresses the effects, if any, of the abandonment on the environment and historic resources. OEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) by September 22, 2017. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA by writing to OEA (Room 1100, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, DC 20423-0001) or by calling OEA at (202) 245-0305. Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay Service at (800) 877‑8339. Comments on environmental and historic preservation matters must be filed within 15 days after the EA becomes available to the public.
Pursuant to the provisions of 49 C.F.R. § 1152.29(e)(2), CSXT shall file a notice of consummation with the Board to signify that it has exercised the authority granted and fully abandoned the Line. If consummation has not been effected by CSXT’s filing of a notice of consummation by September 15, 2018, and there are no legal or regulatory barriers to consummation, the authority to abandon will automatically expire.
Decided: September 12, 2017.
[1] In the verified notice, CSXT states that, following abandonment, it plans to consummate the abandonment, reclassify the Line as a spur track, and lease it to a customer who plans to redevelop the site and use the track to reach its facility.
[3] Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which is currently set at $1,800. See Regulations Governing Fees for Servs. Performed in Connection with Licensing & Related Servs.—2017 Update, EP 542 (Sub-No. 25), slip op. App. C at 20 (STB served July 28, 2017).