Great Basin & Northern Railway, Inc. (Great Basin & Northern Railway), has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to replace the Great Basin and Northern Railroad, Inc. (Great Basin and Northern Railroad), as the common carrier operator over approximately 156.6 miles of rail line (the Lines) owned by the City of Ely, Nev., and the Nevada Northern Railway Foundation, Inc. (the Foundation).^[1] The Lines include a main line between milepost 0.0 at or near Cobre, Nev., and milepost 146.1 at or near Keystone, Nev.; a branch line between milepost 127.9 at McGill Junction and milepost MB 2.5 at McGill, Nev.; and a branch line between milepost 135.3 at Hiline, Nev., and milepost H-8 at Adverse, Nev., all in Elko and White Pine Counties, Nev.

Great Basin & Northern Railway states it expects to enter an agreement with the Lines' owners on or about when the notice becomes effective, giving it rights to provide common carrier service on the Lines. The current operator of the Lines, Great Basin and Northern Railroad, has authorized Great Basin & Northern Railway to represent that Great Basin and Northern Railroad does not object to the proposed change in operators.^[2]

Great Basin & Northern Railway certifies that its projected annual revenues as a result of this transaction will not result in the creation of a Class II or Class I rail carrier and will not exceed $5 million. Great Basin & Northern Railway also certifies that the proposed transaction does not involve any provision or agreement that may limit future interchange of traffic with a third-party connecting carrier. Under 49 CFR 1150.32(b), a change in operators exemption requires that notice be given to shippers. Great Basin & Northern Railway states there are no shippers on the Lines.

The transaction may be consummated on or after June 7, 2026, the effective date of the exemption (30 days after the verified notice was filed).

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 by May 29, 2026 (at least seven days before the exemption becomes effective).

All pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 36926, 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 Great Basin & Northern Railway's representative, Jason Tutrone, Thompson Hine LLP, 1919 M Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036.

According to Great Basin & Northern Railway, 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 www.stb.gov.