Surface Transportation Board
- [Docket No. FD 36929]
Long Ridge Railroad Company, LLC (LRRR), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire from East Ohio Valley Railway LLC (EOVR) and operate a 12.2-mile rail line between milepost 60.5 near Powhatan Point, Ohio, and milepost 72.7 near Hannibal, Ohio (the Line).
This transaction is related to a concurrently filed verified notice of ( printed page 32190) exemption in East Ohio Valley Railway—Operation Exemption—Long Ridge Railroad, Docket No. FD 36931, in which EOVR seeks authority to continue operating the Line following the sale of the Line from EOVR to LRRR.
According to the verified notice, LRRR is a Delaware limited liability company and is wholly owned by MARA USA Corporation (MARA), a Delaware corporation, which in turn is wholly owned by MARA Holdings, Inc., a Nevada corporation. The verified notice states that MARA and EOVR have entered into a Term Sheet providing that MARA's wholly owned affiliate, LRRR, will acquire the Line and that EOVR will continue to operate it. The verified notice further states that MARA and EOVR intend to enter a full Asset Purchase Agreement (APA), as well as an Operating Agreement, implementing the Term Sheet. According to the verified notice, EOVR and LRRR intend to consummate the sale of the Line to LRRR as soon as practicable following the signing of the APA, the effective dates for both this verified notice of exemption and the verified notice of exemption in Docket No. FD 36931, and the satisfaction of all other conditions precedent to closing set forth in the Operating Agreement and APA.
LRRR certifies that the transaction does not involve any provision or agreement that may limit future interchange with a third-party connecting carrier, nor is the Line currently subject to any agreement that imposes such an interchange commitment.
LRRR further certifies that its projected annual revenues resulting from the transaction will not exceed $5 million and will not result in LRRR's becoming a Class I or Class II rail carrier.
The earliest this transaction may be consummated is June 12, 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 no later than June 5, 2026 (at least seven days before the exemption becomes effective).
All pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 36929, must be filed with the Surface Transportation Board 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 LRRR's representative, Matthew J. Warren, Sidley Austin LLP, 1501 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005.
According to LRRR, 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.
Decided: May 26, 2026.
By the Board, Anika S. Cooper, Chief Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel.
Kenyatta Clay,
Clearance Clerk.