Norfolk Southern Railway Company and The Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Texas Pacific Railway Company-Acquisition-Trustees of the Cincinnati Southern Railway

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) is accepting for consideration an application (Application) and a related verified notice of exemption, both filed on May 1, 2023, by Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR), on behalf of itself and its wholly owned subsidiary, The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway Company (CNOTP) (collectively, Applicants). The Application seeks Board approval for NSR to acquire from the Trustees of the Cincinnati Southern Railway (Trustees) and operate approximately 338.2 miles of rail line between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Chattanooga, Tenn., known as the Cincinnati Southern Railway (the CSR Line or the Line). This proposal is referred to as the Transaction. In the verified notice of exemption, Applicants seek authority for CNOTP to continue to operate the Line following its acquisition by Applicants. The Board finds that the Application is complete. The Board also makes the preliminary determination, based on the evidence presented in the Application, that the Transaction is a minor transaction. The Board emphasizes that this is not a final determination and may be rebutted by subsequent filings and evidence submitted into the record for this proceeding. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------