Central Illinois Railroad calls it quits

On July 29, 2010, Central Illinois Railroad Company (CIRY) filed with the Board a petition under 49 U.S.C. 10502 for exemption from the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 10903 to discontinue service over approximately 5.9 miles of main line track and approximately 12.47 miles of sidetrack owned by BNSF Railway Company (BNSF). *1 The lines are referred to as the Lumber District and the Illinois Northern Line and are located in the vicinity of BNSF's Western Avenue Yard in Chicago, Cook County, IL. *2 The lines traverse U.S. Postal Service Zip Codes 60608 and 60616, and include no stations. The lease agreement between BNSF and CIRY was scheduled to expire in November 2010, but the parties recently reached an agreement whereby the lease would terminate at the close of business on August 9, 2010. CIRY states that, on August 10, 2010, BNSF would resume providing rail service on the lines.

*1 CIRY was authorized to lease from BNSF and operate the lines in the year 2000. See The Cent. Ill. R.R.--Lease and Operation Exemption--Lines of The Burlington N. and Santa Fe Ry. at Chicago, Cook County, Ill., FD 33960 (STB served Dec. 5, 2000).[END FOOTNOTE]

*2 The Lumber District is located between a point 300 feet south of the point of the frog on BNSF's crossover to the main line of the Norfolk Southern Railway Company, which point is south of the wye track that enters the west end of BNSF's Western Avenue Yard, and the end of BNSF's ownership at Lumber Street approximately 500 feet east of Canal Street, including trackage that extends north from Cermak Road parallel to Sangamon Street to the point of the frog at Track No. 7 even with milepost 2.0 on BNSF's main line east of Western Avenue Yard. The Illinois Northern Line is located between a point 10 feet north of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and a point 100 feet west of the westernmost railroad diamond near 26th and Western Avenue.[END FOOTNOTE]