Rail News 4/10/09 Noon

Today is the final day the Surface Transportation Board in Washington, D.C. will accept reply’s to the comments filed by Shippers and Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad concerning the Siskiyou Rail Line.
The cut off date was established by the STB in their process to gather additional information from both the shippers and the railroad.
The Shippers, Roseburg Forest Products, Timber Products and Suburban Propane and The Yreka Western Railroad have been at odds with CORP with moving their loads over the South portion of the Siskiyous from Weed, California to Dillard.
The shippers want another railroad operator appointed to run the line , The West Texas & Lubbock Railroad to operate in Southern Oregon & Northern California.
All Parties have filed their response and objections with today being the cut off date.
The next step in the process is for the STB to review all of the filings from all the parties involved and come to a final decision.
If the STB sides with CORP, all operations would remain as they are now, the line is technically open but the shippers say they can not afford to move freight over the Siskiyous at CORP’s current pricing.
If the STB sides with the shippers, the West Texas & Lubbock Railroad Company could be operating on the Siskiyou’s before the beginning of this Summer.