[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 194 (Tuesday, October 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52373-52374]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26579]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board
[STB Ex Parte No. 573]
Rail Service in the Western United States
AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.
ACTION: Notice of proceeding and public hearing.
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SUMMARY: The Surface Transportation Board (Board) is instituting a
proceeding and will hold a public hearing on October 27, 1997, at its
offices in Washington, DC, to provide interested persons the
opportunity to report on the status of rail service in the western
United States and to review proposals for solving the service problems
that exist.
DATES: Persons wishing to appear at the hearing and make a statement
must submit their request to speak at the hearing, and their requested
time allotment, by October 9, 1997. The Board will issue a schedule for
the hearing, along with a list of speakers
[[Page 52374]]
and their allotted times, by October 16, 1997. Speakers' written
statements must be filed with the Board by October 23, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Send requests to speak and requested time allotments (an
original and 10 copies) referring to STB Ex Parte No. 573 to: Surface
Transportation Board, Office of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925
K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20423-0001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph H. Dettmar (202) 565-1600. [TDD
for the hearing impaired: (202) 565-1695.]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Surface Transportation Board (Board) is
instituting a proceeding on its own motion and will hold a public
hearing beginning at 10:00 a.m., on October 27, 1997, at its offices at
1925 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC, to provide an opportunity for
interested persons, including carriers, shippers, and employees, to
report on the status of rail service in the western United States and
to review proposals for solving service problems. The Board has been
made aware of railroad service problems in this area of the country
[recently involving the Union Pacific Railroad Company/Southern Pacific
Transportation Company (UP/SP)] through formal filings and public
accounts, and, more recently, through informal communications between
affected persons and the Board's Office of Compliance and Enforcement
(OCE) about specific UP/SP service problems, which OCE has worked with
UP/SP to resolve. Based on this information, we believe it is
appropriate to hold a public hearing on the issue of rail service in
the western part of the country, problems in the delivery of that
service, and solutions, both governmental and non-governmental, that
have been offered or might be offered to remedy these service problems.
The focus of this proceeding is on the immediate resolution of existing
problems.
This proceeding and this public hearing are being conducted
separate and apart from the ongoing oversight proceeding in Union
Pacific Corporation, Union Pacific Railroad Company, and Missouri
Pacific Railroad Company--Control and Merger-- Southern Pacific Rail
Corporation, Southern Pacific Transportation Company, St. Louis
Southwestern Railway Company, SPCSL Corp., and The Denver and Rio
Grande Western Railroad Company, STB Finance Docket No. 32760 (Sub-No.
21). There, the focus is on whether the conditions we imposed in
approving the application in Finance Docket No. 32760 have been
successful in resolving the competitive problems that we found would
exist as a result of our approval of the UP/SP control transaction in
the absence of those conditions. Parties to the oversight proceeding
have, however, commented on service problems on the UP/SP system, and
both UP/SP and The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company, in
their most recent quarterly reports, filed October 1, 1997, in the
oversight proceeding, have separately put forth proposals that, in
their view, would lead to a resolution of the existing service
problems. Given the immediacy of these service problems and the
national, as well as regional, interest in their resolution, we are
instituting this proceeding to focus specifically on the rail service
problems that have arisen in the western part of the country.
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\1\ To ensure that all parties to the oversight proceeding are
aware of the proceeding we are instituting by this notice, we will
serve a copy of this notice on all parties on the service list in
the oversight proceeding.
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We encourage interested persons to coordinate the presentation of
their points of view by selecting of a single individual to appear at
the hearing on behalf of their common interests so that the opportunity
for input at the hearing can be maximized. Persons wishing to appear
and make a statement at the hearing should submit a request for time to
speak on or before October 9, 1997. The Board notes that, in the
interest of a focused hearing, it must necessarily limit the number of
persons allowed to speak. At this hearing, we intend to concentrate
more on operational, resource, and customer service matters than on
legal issues, and it would be helpful if speakers are individuals who
are able to address such matters. The Board will issue a schedule for
the October 27, 1997 hearing, along with a list of speakers and their
allotted times, by October 16, 1997. Speakers' written statements of
their presentations must be filed with the Board by October 23, 1997.
Notice of the October 27, 1997 hearing will be published in the
Federal Register.
Decided: October 2, 1997.
By the Board, Chairman Morgan and Vice Chairman Owen.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-26579 Filed 10-6-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-00-U
