Notice2025-22502
Iowa Northern Railway Company-Trackage Rights Exemption-Cedar River Railroad Company
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 11, 2025
Issuing agencies
Surface Transportation Board
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 236 (Thursday, December 11, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 236 (Thursday, December 11, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57518-57519]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-22502]
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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
[Docket No. 36869]
Iowa Northern Railway Company--Trackage Rights Exemption--Cedar
River Railroad Company
Iowa Northern Railway Company (IANR) has filed a verified notice of
exemption under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(7) to acquire limited local trackage
rights on a line of railroad of Cedar River Railroad Company (CEDR) \1\
between milepost 0.0 at Mona Junction in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and
milepost 85.0 in London Township, Minn. (the Line), a distance of
approximately 85.0 miles.\2\
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\1\ The verified notice states that IANR and CEDR are indirect
rail carrier subsidiaries of Canadian National Railway Company
(CNR), whose U.S. rail carrier subsidiaries (including IANR and
CEDR) are held directly or indirectly by CNR's wholly owned
subsidiary Grand Trunk Corporation (GTC). See Can. Nat'l Ry.--
Control--Iowa N. Ry., FD 36744 (STB served Jan. 14, 2025); see also
Can. Nat'l Ry.--Control--Ill. Cent. Corp., 4 S.T.B. 122 (1999); Ill.
Cent. Corp.--Control--CCP Holdings, Inc., FD 32858 (STB served May
14, 1996).
\2\ In its verified notice of exemption, IANR states that it
owns, leases, or operates approximately 218 miles of rail line
extending generally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, through Waterloo, Iowa,
and Cedar Falls, Iowa, to Manly, Iowa, and that CEDR owns
approximately 100 miles of rail line extending north from Cedar
Falls through Charles City, Iowa, to Glenville, Minn. The verified
notice states that IANR and CEDR connect at Cedar Falls.
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According to the verified notice, on November 3, 2025, IANR and
CEDR entered into a written trackage rights agreement that permits IANR
to operate trains with its own crews to and from an ethanol facility of
Absolute Energy LLC (or any successor entity) on CEDR's line at Mona/
St. Ansgar, Iowa, as well as to serve other facilities on CEDR's line
that tender or receive ``co-load'' traffic in blocks of at least 25
cars that are combined into unit trains for movement to or from a
single off-line location. IANR states that the trackage rights are
intended to provide operational flexibility and reliability in service
to customers.\3\
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\3\ The verified notice states that the parties' agreement is in
the form of an amendment to an existing trackage rights agreement,
previously submitted to the Board, between CEDR and Chicago, Central
& Pacific Railroad Company (CCP), another GTC affiliate. See Chi.,
Cent. & Pac. R.R.--Trackage Rts. Exemption--Cedar River R.R., FD
36722 (STB served Sept.15, 2023). In a related proceeding, CCP has
filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(7) to
extend its existing trackage rights on CEDR's rail line, pursuant to
the same amendment to the trackage rights agreement. See Chi., Cent.
& Pac. R.R.--Trackage Rts. Exemption--Cedar River R.R., Docket No.
FD 36722 (Sub-No. 1). According to the verified notice, the amended
trackage rights agreement admits IANR to the same CEDR line over
which CCP holds or is obtaining trackage rights.
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The transaction may be consummated on or after December 25, 2025,
the effective date of the exemption (30 days after the verified notice
was filed).
As a condition to this exemption, any employees affected by the
acquisition of the trackage rights will be protected by the conditions
imposed in Norfolk & Western Railway--Trackage Rights--Burlington
Northern, Inc., 354 I.C.C. 605 (1978), as modified in Mendocino Coast
Railway--Lease & Operate--California Western Railroad, 360 I.C.C. 653
(1980).
If the verified 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 effectiveness of the
exemption. Petitions for stay must be filed no later than December 18,
2025 (at least seven days before the exemption becomes effective).
All pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 36869, must be filed with
the Surface Transportation Board either via e-filing on the Board's
website or in writing addressed to 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC
20423-0001. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be served on
IANR's representative, Thomas J. Litwiler, Fletcher & Sippel LLC, 29
North Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606-3208.
According to IANR, this action is categorically excluded from
environmental review under 49 CFR 1105.6(c) and from historic
preservation reporting requirements under 49 CFR 1105.8(b).
Board decisions and notices are available at <a href="http://www.stb.gov">www.stb.gov</a>.
Decided: December 8, 2025.
By the Board, Anika S. Cooper, Chief Counsel, Office of Chief
Counsel.
Brendetta Jones,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2025-22502 Filed 12-10-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on December 11, 2025.
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