[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 25, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14473-14474]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6923]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket Nos. AB-565 (Sub-No. 14X) and AB-55 (Sub-No. 629X)]


New York Central Lines, LLC--Abandonment Exemption and CSX 
Transportation, Inc.--Discontinuance of Service Exemption--in 
Montgomery and Schenectady Counties, NY

    New York Central Lines, LLC (NYC) and CSX Transportation, Inc. 
(CSXT) have filed a notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F--
Exempt Abandonments and Discontinuance of Service for NYC to abandon 
and CSXT to discontinue service over approximately 6.3 miles of 
railroad from milepost QGW 159.6 to milepost QGW 165.9, between South 
Amsterdam in Montgomery County and Rotterdam Junction in Schenectady 
County, NY. The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Codes 
12010 and 12150.
    NYC and CSXT have certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved 
over the line for at least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead traffic on 
the line; (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 
2-year period; and (4) the requirements at 49 CFR 1105.7 (environmental 
reports), 49 CFR 1105.8 (historic reports), 49 CFR 1105.11 (transmittal 
letter), 49 CFR 1105.12 (newspaper publication), and 49 CFR 
1152.50(d)(1) (notice to governmental agencies) have been met.
    As a condition to this exemption, any employee adversely affected 
by the abandonment or discontinuance shall be protected under Oregon 
Short Line R. Co.--Abandonment--Goshen, 360 I.C.C. 91 (1979). To 
address whether this condition adequately protects affected employees, 
a petition for partial revocation under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) must be 
filed. Provided no formal expression of intent to file an offer of 
financial assistance (OFA) has been received, these exemptions will be 
effective on April 24, 2003, unless

[[Page 14474]]

stayed pending reconsideration. Petitions to stay that do not involve 
environmental issues,\1\ formal expressions of intent to file an OFA 
under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2),\2\ and trail use/rail banking requests 
under 49 CFR 1152.29 must be filed by April 4, 2003. Petitions to 
reopen or requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must 
be filed by April 14, 2003, with: Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K 
Street NW, Washington, DC 20423-0001.
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    \1\ The Board will grant a stay if an informed decision on 
environmental issues (whether raised by a party or by the Board's 
Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) in its independent 
investigation) cannot be made before the exemption's effective date. 
See Exemption of Out-of-Service Rail Lines, 5 I.C.C.2d 377 (1989). 
Any request for a stay should be filed as soon as possible so that 
the Board may take appropriate action before the exemption's 
effective date.
    \2\ Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which 
currently is set at $1,100. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).
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    A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to 
applicants' representative: Natalie S. Rosenberg, CSX Transportation, 
Inc., 500 Water Street J150, Jacksonville, FL 32202.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemptions are void ab initio.
    NYC and CSXT have filed an environmental report which addresses the 
effects, if any, of the abandonment and discontinuance on the 
environment and historic resources. SEA will issue an environmental 
assessment (EA) by March 28, 2003. Interested persons may obtain a copy 
of the EA by writing to SEA (Room 500, Surface Transportation Board, 
Washington, DC 20423-0001) or by calling SEA, at (202) 565-1552. 
[Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.] Comments on 
environmental and historic preservation matters must be filed within 15 
days after the EA becomes available to the public.
    Environmental, historic preservation, public use, or trail use/rail 
banking conditions will be imposed, where appropriate, in a subsequent 
decision.
    Pursuant to the provisions of 49 CFR 1152.29(e)(2), NYC 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 NYC's filing of a notice of 
consummation by March 25, 2004, and there are no legal or regulatory 
barriers to consummation, the authority to abandon will automatically 
expire.
    Board decisions and notices are available on our Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov.

    Decided: March 18, 2003.

    By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-6923 Filed 3-24-03; 8:45 am]
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