Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Company (RBMN), a Class III rail carrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(7) to acquire approximately 41.79 miles of local trackage rights on a rail line of ( printed page 65614) Wilkes-Barre Terminal Railway Company (WBT), in Luzerne County, Pa. (the Line). The Line consists of the following segments: (1) the Dunmore Secondary Track, between milepost 6.5, at Avoca, Pa., and milepost 8.6, at Rocky Glen, Pa., a distance of 2.1 miles; (2) the Avoca Industrial Track, between milepost 4, at Rock Street, and milepost 6.5, at Avoca, a distance of 2.5 miles, including the connection with the track of RBMN between LB Junction and the switch of the Dunmore Secondary Track, a distance of 0.123 miles, and the Langcliff Connecting Track, between milepost 0.0, at Duryea, Pa., and the connection with Norfolk Southern Railway in the middle of York Avenue, at milepost 0.867, a distance of 0.867 miles; (3) the Suscon Industrial Track, between milepost 154.5, at Suscon, Pa., and milepost 158.7, at Hillside, Pa., a distance of 4.2 miles; (4) the Wilkes-Barre Secondary, between milepost 169.2, at Ashley, Pa., and milepost 185.5, at Pittston, Pa., a distance of 16.3 miles; (5) the GWBP Industrial Track, between milepost 0.0, at Ashley, and milepost 0.5 at Hanover Industrial Track, a distance of 0.5 miles; (6) the Brownsville Industrial Track, between milepost 0.0, at Hillside, and milepost 1.0, at Brownsville, Pa., a distance of 1.0 miles; (7) the Wilkes-Barre Industrial Track, between milepost 59.9, at Ferry Street, and milepost 62.9, at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., a distance of 3.0 miles; (8) the Kingston Industrial Track, between milepost 142.7, at Pittston Junction, and Railroad Station 8594+58, a distance of 8.1 miles; (9) the D&H Wilkes-Barre Connector, from milepost A-208.08, Hudson Yard, to Conyngham Avenue, City of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., a distance of 2.5 miles; and (10) the APC line, between milepost 0.0 and 0.6 in Wilkes-Barre, a distance of 0.6 miles.

According to the verified notice, WBT has agreed to grant trackage rights to RBMN pursuant to a trackage rights agreement (Agreement) for RBMN to operate local service.^[1] This transaction is related to a concurrently filed verified notice of exemption in Wilkes-Barre Terminal Railway—Acquisition & Operation Exemption—Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority & Luzerne County Rail Corp., Docket No. FD 36958, in which WBT seeks acquisition and operation authority over approximately 59.65 miles of rail line, including the Line here, in Luzerne County, Pa.^[2]

The transaction may be consummated on or after October 29, 2026, 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 by October 22, 2026 (at least seven days before the exemption becomes effective).

All pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 36959, 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 RBMN's representative, Justin J. Marks, Clark Hill PLC, 601 13th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005.

According to RBMN, 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.