[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 230 (Monday, December 1, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63602-63603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-31384]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board
[STB Finance Docket No. 33512]
Penn Eastern Rail Lines, Inc.; Acquisition and Operation
Exemption; Lines of Lancaster Northern Railway, Inc., Chester Valley
Railway, Inc., East Penn Railways, Inc., and Bristol Industrial
Terminal Railway, Inc.
Penn Eastern Rail Lines, Inc. (PERL), a noncarrier, has filed a
verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire (by
purchase of certain rail lines and assignment of certain leases on
other rail lines) and operate approximately 45.24 1 miles of
rail lines (the Subject Lines) of Lancaster Northern Railway, Inc.
(LANO), Chester Valley Railway, Inc. (CVR), East Penn Railways, Inc.
(EPRY), and Bristol Industrial Terminal Railway, Inc. (Bristol). PERL
will become a Class III rail carrier.2
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\1\ In the verified notice of exemption, PERL states that the
total miles of rail line to be acquired and operated totals
approximately 44 route miles, but other references in the notice,
which identify the mileposts and the route miles for each specific
segment of rail line, total approximately 45.24 route miles.
\2\ This proceeding is related to STB Finance Docket No. 33511,
wherein Emons Transportation Group, Inc., a noncarrier, has filed a
notice of exemption to continue in control of PERL upon PERL's
becoming a Class III rail carrier.
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PERL, LANO, CVR, EPRY and Bristol have entered into an agreement
providing for PERL's acquisition of all the rights, title and interests
in the Subject Lines. PERL intends to consummate the purchase agreement
and begin operations on or soon after November 20, 1997, the effective
date of the exemption.
CVR owns and operates the Bridgeport Industrial Track, between the
connection with the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) at
approximately milepost 0.0 and milepost 2.14 at Henderson Road. This
2.14-mile rail line is located entirely within Bridgeport, Montgomery
County, PA.
LANO owns and operates the Akron Secondary Track, between
approximately milepost 0.05 at Sinking Spring, Berks County, PA, and
the end of the track at Stevens, approximately milepost 12.94, in
Lancaster County, PA.
EPRY operates four rail lines as follows: (1) The Perkiomen Branch,
USRA Line No. 906, between milepost 22.38 at Pennsburg, PA, and
milepost 38.23 at Emmaus Jct., Emmaus, PA, a distance of 15.85 miles,
in Berks, Lehigh, and Montgomery Counties, PA; (2) the Colebrookdale
Industrial Track (Boyertown Branch), USRA Line No. 909, between
milepost 0.00 at Colebrookdale Jct. (Pottstown), PA and milepost 8.60
at Boyertown, PA, a distance of 8.60 miles, in Berks and Montgomery
Counties, PA; (3) the Kutztown Branch, USRA line No. 910, between
milepost 0.17 at Topton, PA, and milepost 4.29 at Kutztown, PA, a
distance of 4.12 miles, in Berks County, PA; and (4) the Mt. Hope
Industrial Branch, USRA Line No. 916, between milepost 0.36 and
milepost 1.0, a distance of .64 miles, in Manheim, Lancaster County,
PA. The lines were acquired by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1982
and were formerly operated by Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad
Company.3 They connect with Conrail at Emmaus, Pottstown,
Topton and Manheim, PA.
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\3\ See Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad Company--Modified
Rail Certificate, Finance Docket No. 30305 (Sub-No. 1) (ICC served
June 13, 1990).
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Bristol leases and operates approximately 1 mile of rail line
[[Page 63603]]
extending between a connection at Grundy and a point within the Bristol
Industrial Park, in Bristol Township, Bucks County, PA.
If the 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 transaction.
An original and 10 copies of all pleadings, referring to STB
Finance Docket No. 33512, must be filed with the Surface Transportation
Board, Office of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925 K Street, N.W.,
Washington, DC 20423-0001. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be
served on: Kevin M. Sheys, Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, 1020
Nineteenth Street, N.W., Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036.
Decided: November 21, 1997.
By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-31384 Filed 11-28-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-00-P
