WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will hold a virtual public hearing next month on CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways.
The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 13 and will continue on Jan. 14 if necessary, the board said today.
The hearing is part of the board’s review of the CSX acquisition of Pan Am, which stretches from the Albany, N.Y., area to northern Maine. The hearing also will cover related transactions, including Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary Berkshire & Eastern being named the neutral operator of Pan Am Southern, the joint venture between Pan Am Railways and Norfolk Southern that includes Pan Am trackage west of Ayer, Mass.
Also a topic at the hearing: The trackage rights agreement NS reached with CSX that will divert NS intermodal and automotive traffic to CSX’s former Boston & Albany main line from the former B&M Hoosac Tunnel route.
The CSX-Pan Am deal has broad support from shippers and many political figures in New England. But Amtrak wants to ensure CSX will permit potential expansion of passenger service in the region, Canadian Pacific has concerns with the diversion of traffic from the Hoosac Tunnel route, and Vermont officials say the G&W-Pan Am Southern deal poses competitive concerns for Vermont Rail System and shippers in the Green Mountain State.
The board said it would release instructions for participation and viewing the hearing at a later date. Today’s announcement also said the CSX-Pan Am merger and related transactions do not require environmental or historic reviews.
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