Notice2026-01238
Central Railroad Company of Indianapolis-Abandonment Exemption-in Howard County, Ind.
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
January 23, 2026
Issuing agencies
Surface Transportation Board
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 15 (Friday, January 23, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2987-2988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01238]
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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
[Docket No. AB 511 (Sub-No. 8X)]
Central Railroad Company of Indianapolis--Abandonment Exemption--
in Howard County, Ind.
Central Railroad Company of Indianapolis (CERA) has filed a
verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F--Exempt
Abandonments to abandon two rail lines extending approximately 1.77
miles in the City of Kokomo, Howard County, Ind., consisting of the
Tipton Industrial Lead from milepost 54.3 to milepost 55.6, and a
segment of the Marion Subdivision from milepost 180.87 to milepost
181.26 (the Lines).\1\ The Lines traverse U.S. Postal Service Zip Code
46903.
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\1\ CERA states that its initial consultation letter to the
environmental agencies and the State Historic Preservation Office
identified the endpoint of the Marion Subdivision as milepost 180.82
but that upon further review, CERA decided to abandon 0.05-miles
less of that segment.
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The verified notice states that the Tipton Industrial Lead segment
of the Lines connects to a segment of rail line that is currently under
a trail use agreement, see Cent. R.R. Co. of Indianapolis--Aban.
Exemption--in Howard Cnty., Ind., Docket No. AB 511 (Sub-No. 6X), and
contains three stations. The verified notice further states that the
Marion Subdivision is stub-ended and includes seven stations. CERA
states that following abandonment, the City of Kokomo intends to
acquire the Lines for trail use.
CERA has certified that: (1) no local freight traffic has moved
over the Lines for at least two years; (2) the Lines are stub-ended at
both endpoints and, therefore, no overhead traffic exists; (3) no
formal complaint filed by a user of rail service on the Lines (or by a
state or local government on behalf of such user) regarding cessation
of service over the Lines is pending with either the Surface
Transportation Board (Board) or any U.S. District Court or has been
decided in favor of a complainant within the two-year period; and (4)
the requirements at 49 CFR 1105.7(b) and 1105.8(c) (notice of
environmental and historic reports), 49 CFR 1105.12 (newspaper
publication), and 49 CFR 1152.50(d)(1) (notice to government agencies)
have been met.
As a condition to this exemption, any employee adversely affected
by the abandonment shall be protected under Oregon Short Line
Railroad--Abandonment Portion Goshen Branch Between Firth & Ammon, in
Bingham & Bonneville Counties, Idaho, 360 I.C.C. 91 (1979). To address
whether this condition adequately protects affected employees, a
petition for partial revocation under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) must be filed.
Provided no formal expression of intent to file an offer of
financial assistance (OFA) has been received,\2\ this exemption will be
effective on February 22, 2026, unless stayed pending reconsideration.
Petitions to stay that do not involve environmental issues,\3\ formal
expressions of intent to file an OFA under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2), and
interim trail use/railbanking requests under 49 CFR 1152.29 must be
filed by February 2, 2026.\4\ Petitions to
[[Page 2988]]
reopen and requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must
be filed by February 12, 2026.
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\2\ Persons interested in submitting an OFA must first file a
formal expression of intent to file an offer, indicating the type of
financial assistance they wish to provide (i.e., subsidy or
purchase) and demonstrating that they are preliminarily financially
responsible. See 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2)(i).
\3\ The Board will grant a stay if an informed decision on
environmental issues (whether raised by a party or by the Board's
Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) in its independent
investigation) cannot be made before the exemption's effective date.
See Exemption of Out-of-Serv. Rail Lines, 5 I.C.C.2d 377 (1989). Any
request for a stay should be filed as soon as possible so that the
Board may take appropriate action before the exemption's effective
date.
\4\ Filing fees for OFAs and trail use requests can be found at
49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25) and (27), respectively.
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All pleadings, referring to Docket No. AB 511 (Sub-No. 8X), 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
CERA's representative, Justin J. Marks, Clark Hill PLC, 1001
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1300 South, Washington, DC 20004.
If the verified notice contains false or misleading information,
the exemption is void ab initio.
CERA has filed a combined environmental and historic report that
addresses the potential effects, if any, of the abandonment on the
environment and historic resources. OEA will issue a Draft
Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) by January 30, 2026. The Draft EA
will be available to interested persons on the Board's website, by
writing to OEA, or by calling OEA at (202) 245-0294. If you require an
accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please call
(202) 245-0245. Comments on environmental or historic preservation
matters must be filed within 15 days after the Draft EA becomes
available to the public.
Environmental, historic preservation, public use, or trail use/rail
banking conditions will be imposed, where appropriate, in a subsequent
decision.
Pursuant to the provisions of 49 CFR 1152.29(e)(2), CERA shall file
a notice of consummation with the Board to signify that it has
exercised the authority granted and fully abandoned the Lines. If
consummation has not been effected by CERA's filing of a notice of
consummation by January 23, 2027, and there are no legal or regulatory
barriers to consummation, the authority to abandon will automatically
expire.
Board decisions and notices are available at <a href="http://www.stb.gov">www.stb.gov</a>.
Decided: January 20, 2026.
By the Board, Anika S. Cooper, Chief Counsel, Office of Chief
Counsel.
Andrea Pope-Matheson,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2026-01238 Filed 1-22-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 23, 2026.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.