URCS Phase II Worktables – New Format
The Board has released the 2013 URCS Phase II Worktables in a new spreadsheet format for use in calculating railroad unit costs. Previously, these calculations were only reflected in various PDF files available on the STB’s website. The Board is releasing the Phase II spreadsheets to increase transparency by providing the source of each calculation. To learn more, click here.
STB Library: New Hours and Procedures
Please be advised that the Surface Transportation Board Library will be open to the public from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, except when the agency is closed for federal holidays. Although the library will be open on a walk-in basis, patrons are strongly encouraged to call ahead to schedule an appointment during these hours. To make an appointment, please phone Crystal Wortham, at (202) 245-0288, or the Rail Customer and Public Assistance office, at (866) 254-1792. Additionally, library patrons will now be required to sign in and sign out when using the library.
The effective date for the new hours and procedures will be Wednesday, November 18, 2015, continuing until further notice.
December 1 Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee meeting The Surface Transportation Board’s Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee (RETAC) will meet at the Board’s headquarters on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. This meeting was scheduled for October 1, but was postponed due to the possibility of a federal governmental shutdown. The meeting will be open to the public and the media. A hearing notice will be published in advance in the Federal Register.
Lone Star Railroad Draft Environmental Assessment Issued
The Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis has issued for public review and comment its Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) analyzing the potential environmental effects of Lone Star Railroad, Inc.’s proposed construction of an approximately three-mile rail line to connect to an existing Union Pacific Railroad Company mainline and to provide service to an industrial park property near Big Spring, in Howard County, Texas. Comments are due on November 16, 2015. To view the Draft EA in Lone Star Railroad, Inc. and Southern Switching Company—Track Construction and Operation Exemption—in Howard County, Texas, FD 35874, click here.
October 1 RETAC meeting postponed The Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 1, 2015, at STB headquarters has been postponed to a later date because of the possibility of a federal governmental shutdown. This RETAC meeting will be rescheduled for a future date and that information will be forthcoming.
Tongue River Railroad Draft EIS Comment Period Extended: Comments Now Due September 23, 2015 The
Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis has issued a Notice extending the deadline—for a second time—to September 23, 2015, for filing comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Tongue River Railroad Co.’s planned construction and operation of nearly 42 miles of new line, between Colstrip and the Ashland/Otter Creek areas of Montana, in Tongue River Railroad Company, Inc.—Rail Construction and Operation—in Custer, Powder River and Rosebud Counties, Mont., FD 30186. To view the new notice extending the deadline to September 23, 2015, click here. To view the initial notice that extended the comment period to August 24, 2015, click here.
Expanded Commodity Revenue Stratification Report Released The STB’s Office of Economics has released a new, expanded version of its Commodity Revenue Stratification Report. The report continues to show revenue, variable costs, ton, and carload data, but now does so by different combinations of railcar type and by seven-digit Standard Transportation Commodity Code (STCC). The report also shows the number of movements and average mile per carload data. (Some data has been redacted to protect confidentiality where necessary.) These changes will provide stakeholders with more detailed information about rail shipments, and may be of particular interest to shippers that would like to benchmark the rates they are paying for railroad transportation. The expanded report has been added to OE’s current, online library of two- and five-digit STCC reports found here on the STB’s website.
NOTE: For reference purposes, the title of the five-digit report, “Expanded Commodity Revenue Stratification Report,” currently on the STB’s website will be changed to read, “5-Digit STCC Expanded Version of Commodity Revenue Stratification Report” for consistency with the titling of the current two-digit report and the new seven-digit report. To view the seven-digit report for 2013, click here.
Rail Service Webpage Improvements
User-friendly improvements have been made to the Rail Service Updates in EP 724, U.S. Rail Service Issues. To check out the latest data on the rail network, click here.
New STB Webpage on Agency Oversight of Household Goods Moving The STB has created a new webpage describing the agency’s limited role in overseeing the interstate transportation of household goods by motor carriers (“moving companies”). This new webpage will serve as a resource for moving companies and their customers that would like more information about the STB's role in this area and the informal assistance that its customer assistance program can provide. It is important to note that the STB's oversight applies only to interstate moves (moves crossing state lines) and not to intrastate moves (moves within a single state). Please click here for more information. A link to this webpage can also be found under the "Quick Links" section of the STB's homepage.
Rail Service Updates “Quick Link” The Board has made available a Rail Service Updates quick link to a page on this site providing easy access to all incoming filings, reports, and agency decisions in U.S. Rail Service Issues, EP 724. To access this information, click “Rail Service Updates” under “Quick Links” at the top-right of this homepage, or click here.
Environmental Notices: Canaveral Port Authority Petition to Build and Operate Rail-Line Extension to Port Canaveral, Fla. To provide Port Canaveral, Brevard County, Florida with direct access to freight rail service, the Canaveral Port Authority plans to file a request with the STB to build and operate approximately 11 miles of new railroad line from a point near the Port’s North Cargo Area to connect with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s John F. Kennedy Space Center’s existing rail line. To view the Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS, Notice of its Draft Scope of Study, Notice of Scoping Meetings, and Request for Comments on the Draft Scope, click here.
Railroad Service Outlook Plans Since 2004, the Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board has annually requested the railroad industry to explain its service-outlook plans. To view STB Chairman Daniel R. Elliott’s 2015 letter to railroads, and the railroads’ respective replies click here.
Got a Complaint?
Need help from the Board without filing a formal complaint? The Rail Customer and Public Assistance team offers a free, confidential avenue to settle disputes between shippers and railroads. Read more about the program here.
