[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 170 (Thursday, September 2, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 53769]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-20035]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board


Indexing the Annual Operating Revenues of Railroads

    This Notice sets forth the annual inflation adjusting index numbers 
which are used to adjust gross annual operating revenues of railroads 
for classification purposes. This indexing methodology will insure that 
regulated carriers are classified based on real business expansion and 
not from the effects of inflation. Classification is important because 
it determines the extent of reporting for each carrier.
    The railroad's inflation factors are based on the annual average 
Railroad's Freight Price Index. This index is developed by the Bureau 
of Labor Statistics (BLS). This index will be used to deflate revenues 
for comparison with established revenue thresholds.
    The base year for railroads is 1991. The inflation index factors 
are presented as follows:

                         Railroad Freight Index
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Deflator
                     Year                          Index       percent
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991..........................................       409.50   \1\ 100.00
1992..........................................       411.80        99.45
1993..........................................       415.50        98.55
1994..........................................       418.80        97.70
1995..........................................       418.17        97.85
1996..........................................       417.46        98.02
1997..........................................       419.67        97.50
1998..........................................       424.54        96.38
1999..........................................       423.01        96.72
2000..........................................       428.64        95.45
2001..........................................       436.48        93.73
2002..........................................       445.03        91.92
2003..........................................       454.33       90.03
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Ex Parte No. 492, Montana Rail Link, Inc., and Wisconsin Central
  Ltd., Joint Petition For Rulemaking With Respect To 49 CFR 1201, 8
  I.C.C. 2d 625 (1992), raised the revenue classification level for
  Class I railroads from $50 million to $250 million (1991 dollars),
  effective for the reporting year beginning January 1, 1992. The Class
  II threshold was also revised to reflect a rebasing from $10 million
  (1978 dollars) to $20 million (1991 dollars).


EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Decker at (202)-565-1531. 
[Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) for the hearing impaired: 1-
800-877-8339.]

    By the Board, Leland L. Gardner, Director, Office of Economics, 
Environmental Analysis, and Administration.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 04-20035 Filed 9-1-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P