05-12901. Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad, LLC-Abandonment Exemption-in Armstrong and Jefferson Counties, PA

On June 9, 2005, Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad, LLC (PSR LLC), a subsidiary of Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad, Inc. (BPRR),^[1] filed with the Surface Transportation Board a petition under 49 U.S.C. 10502 for exemption from the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 10903 to abandon a line of railroad between milepost 22.0 south of Brookville in Jefferson County, PA, and milepost 62.0 in Mahoning in Armstrong County, PA, a distance of approximately 40.0 miles. The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Codes 15472, 15663, 15770, 15778, 15847, 16232, 16259, 17821, and 17844, and includes the stations of Norman, Knoxdale, East Br., Coulter, Sprankle Mills, Mauk, Dora, Ringgold, Timblin, McWilliams, Putneyville, Oakland, Colwell, Reddco, Reedy, and Mahoning.

The line does not contain federally granted rights-of-way. Any documentation in PSR LLC's possession will be made available promptly to those requesting it.

The interest of railroad employees will be protected by the conditions set forth in Oregon Short Line Railroad Co. —Abandonment—Goshen, 360 I.C.C. 91 (1979).

By issuance of this notice, the Board is instituting an exemption proceeding pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(b). A final decision will be issued by September 27, 2005.

Any offer of financial assistance (OFA) under 49 CFR 1152.27(b)(2) will be due no later than 10 days after service of a decision granting the petition for exemption. Each OFA must be accompanied by a $1,200 filing fee. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).

All interested persons should be aware that, following abandonment of rail service and salvage of the line, the line may be suitable for other public use, including interim trail use. Any request for a public use condition under 49 CFR 1152.28 or for trail use/rail banking under 49 CFR 1152.29 will be due no later than July 19, 2005. Each trail use request must be accompanied by a $200 filing fee. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(27).

All filings in response to this notice must refer to STB Docket No. AB-976X and must be sent to: (1) Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423-0001, and (2) Eric M. Hocky, Four Penn Center, Suite 200, 1600 JFK Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19103. Replies to the PSR LLC petition are due on or before July 19, 2005.

Persons seeking further information concerning abandonment procedures may contact the Board's Office of Public Services at [phone] or refer to the full abandonment or discontinuance regulations at 49 CFR part 1152. Questions concerning environmental issues may be directed to the Board's Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) at [phone]. (Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.)

An environmental assessment (EA) (or environmental impact statement (EIS), if necessary), prepared by SEA, will be served upon all parties of record and upon any agencies or other persons who commented during its preparation. Other interested persons may contact SEA to obtain a copy of the EA (or EIS). EAs in these abandonment proceedings normally will be available within 60 days of the filing of the petition. The deadline for submission of comments on the EA will generally be within 30 days of its service.

Board decisions and notices are available on our Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov.

Decided: June 23, 2005.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  The subject line is currently operated by BPRR. BPRR has simultaneously filed a notice of exemption in STB Docket No. AB-369 (Sub-No. 5X) to discontinue its operations over the subject line.