[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 226 (Friday, November 22, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64616-64617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25331]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD

[Docket No. FD 36365]


3i RR Holdings GP LLC, 3i Holdings Partnership L.P., 3i RR LLC, 
Regional Rail Holdings, LLC, and Regional Rail, LLC--Control 
Exemption--Florida Central Railroad Company, Inc., Florida Midland 
Railroad Company, Inc., and Florida Northern Railroad Company, Inc.

    3i RR Holdings GP LLC, 3i Holdings Partnership L.P., 3i RR LLC, and 
Regional Rail Holdings, LLC (collectively, 3i RR), and Regional Rail, 
LLC (Regional Rail), all noncarriers, have filed a verified notice of 
exemption under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2) to acquire from Pinsly Railroad 
Company control of Florida Central Railroad Company, Inc. (Central), 
Florida Midland Railroad Company, Inc. (Midland), and Florida Northern 
Railroad Company, Inc. (Northern) (collectively, the Florida 
Railroads), all Class III rail carriers operating in Florida.\1\ 
According to the verified notice, the proposed transaction will allow 
Regional Rail to acquire direct control, and 3i RR to acquire indirect 
control, of the Florida Railroads.
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    \1\ The verified notice states that Central operates between 
Umatilla and Orlando, with branch lines between Toronto and Winter 
Garden and between Tavares and Sorrento; Midland operates between 
Frostproof and West Lake Wales and between Gordonville and Winter 
Haven; and Northern operates between Red Level Jct. and north of 
Newberry and between Candler and Lowell.
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    The earliest this transaction may be consummated is December 6, 
2019, the effective date of the exemption (30 days after the verified 
notice was filed). The verified notice states that the parties intend 
to consummate the transaction on or after January 3, 2020.\2\
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    \2\ On November 6, 2019, 3i RR and Regional Rail filed a motion 
for protective order under 49 CFR 1104.14(b), which will be 
addressed in a separate decision.
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    According to the verified notice, 3i RR Holdings GP LLC controls 3i 
Holdings Partnership L.P., which controls 3i RR LLC, which controls 
Regional Rail Holdings, LLC, which controls Regional Rail. Regional 
Rail Holdings, LLC, is a holding company that directly controls the 
following three Class III rail carriers: (1) East Penn Railroad, LLC, 
which operates in Delaware and Pennsylvania; (2) Middletown & New 
Jersey Railroad, LLC, which operates in New York; and (3) Tyburn 
Railroad LLC, which operates in Pennsylvania (collectively, the 
Subsidiary Railroads).\3\
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    \3\ In Regional Rail Holdings, LLC--Acquisition of Control 
Exemption--Regional Rail, LLC, FD 35945 (STB served Aug. 7, 2015), 
Regional Rail Holdings, LLC, acquired control of the Subsidiary 
Railroads. In 3i RR Holdings GP LLC--Control Exemption--Regional 
Rail Holdings, LLC, FD 36289 (STB served Apr. 19, 2019), 3i RR 
Holdings GP LLC, 3i Holdings Partnership L.P., and 3i RR LLC, 
acquired direct control of Regional Rail Holdings, LLC, and indirect 
control of the Subsidiary Railroads.
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    The verified notice states that: (1) The Florida Railroads do not 
connect with each other or with the Subsidiary Railroads; (2) the 
acquisition of control of the Florida Railroads is not intended to 
connect them to any other railroads in 3i RR's corporate family; and 
(3) the proposed transaction does not involve a Class I rail carrier. 
The proposed transaction is therefore exempt from the prior approval 
requirements of 49 U.S.C. 11323. See 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2).
    Under 49 U.S.C. 10502(g), the Board may not use its exemption 
authority to relieve a rail carrier of its statutory obligation to 
protect the interests of its employees. However, 49 U.S.C. 11326(c) 
does not provide for labor protection for transactions under 49 U.S.C. 
11324 and 11325 that involve only Class III rail carriers. Because this 
transaction involves Class III rail carriers only, the Board, under the 
statute, may not impose labor protective conditions for this 
transaction.

[[Page 64617]]

    If the verified 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 effectiveness of the 
exemption. Petitions to stay must be filed no later than November 29, 
2019 (at least seven days before the exemption becomes effective).
    All pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 36365, must be filed with 
the Surface Transportation Board either via e-filing or in writing 
addressed to 395 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20423-0001. In addition, 
a copy of each pleading must be served on applicants' representative, 
Louis E. Gitomer, Law Offices of Louis E. Gitomer, LLC, 600 Baltimore 
Ave., Suite 301, Towson, MD 21204.
    According to the verified notice, this action is categorically 
excluded from environmental review under 49 CFR 1105.6(c) and from 
historic preservation reporting requirements under 49 CFR 1105.8(b).
    Board decisions and notices are available at www.stb.gov.

    Decided: November 18, 2019.

    By the Board, Scott M. Zimmerman, Acting Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Eden Besera,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2019-25331 Filed 11-21-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4915-01-P