CSX Transportation Discontinues Service in Cook County, Illinois

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CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT), has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F— Exempt Abandonments and Discontinuances of Service to discontinue service over an approximately 1.32-mile rail line on its Altenheim Subdivision from milepost BIH 0.93 to milepost
BIH 2.25 in Cook County, Ill. (the Line). The Line traverses U.S. Postal Service Zip Code 60804.

CSXT has certified that: (1) no local freight traffic has moved over the Line during the past two years; (2) any overhead
traffic can be rerouted over other lines; (3) no formal complaint filed by a user of rail service on the Line (or by a state
or local government on behalf of such user) regarding cessation of service over the Line either is pending with the Surface
Transportation 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 1105.12 (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 discontinuance of service 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) to subsidize continued rail service
has been received, (1) this exemption will be effective on April 19, 2026 unless stayed pending reconsideration. Petitions to stay that do not involve
environmental issues and formal expressions of intent to file an OFA to subsidize continued rail service under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2) (2) must be filed by March 30, 2026. (3) Petitions for reconsideration must be filed by April 9, 2026.

All pleadings, referring to Docket No. AB 55 (Sub-No. 826X), 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. A copy of each pleading
filed with the Board must be served on CSXT's representative, Louis E. Gitomer, Law Offices of Louis E. Gitomer, LLC, 600
Baltimore Avenue, Suite 301, Towson, MD 21204.

If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemption is void ab initio.

Board decisions and notices are available at www.stb.gov.

Decided: March 17, 2026. By the Board, Anika S. Cooper, Chief Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel.

Kenyatta Clay, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. 2026-05485 Filed 3-19-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915-01-P

Footnotes

(1) Persons interested in submitting an OFA to subsidize continued rail service must first file a formal expression of intent
to file an offer, indicating the intent to file an OFA for subsidy and demonstrating that they are preliminarily financially
responsible. See 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2)(i).

(2) The filing fee for OFAs can be found at 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).

(3) Because this is a discontinuance proceeding and not an abandonment, interim trail use/rail banking and public use conditions
are not appropriate. Because there will be an environmental review during abandonment, this discontinuance does not require
environmental review.

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