FOR RELEASE
Contact: Dennis Watson
05/18/98 (Monday)
(202) 565-1596
No. 98-34
FIRS 1 (800) 877-8339
www.stb.gov


MEDIA ADVISORY: SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD REQUIRES MEDIA SEATING RESERVATIONS FOR "DIRECT" OBSERVATION OF JUNE 3-4 ORAL ARGUMENT, JUNE 8 VOTING CONFERENCE RE PROPOSED "CSX-NORFOLK SOUTHERN-CONRAIL" MERGER


The Surface Transportation Board (Board) today advised interested members of the media that requests for reserved seating for the Board’s June 3 and 4, 1998 oral argument sessions and its June 8, 1998 open voting conference in the case [FOOTNOTE 1: CSX Corporation and CSX Transportation, Inc., Norfolk Southern Corporation and Norfolk Southern Railway Company--Control and Operating Leases/Agreements--Conrail Inc. and Consolidated Rail Corporation, STB Finance Docket No 33388.] concerning the proposed acquisition of control of “Conrail” by “CSX” and “Norfolk Southern” railroads must be received, by fax only, on or before the close of business (COB) on Tuesday, May 26, 1998.

The Wednesday, June 3 and Thursday, June 4, 1998 oral argument sessions will each begin at 10:00 a.m.--and the Monday, June 8, 1998 voting conference will begin at 1:00 p.m.--in the Board’s Hearing Room, Room 760, on the 7th Floor of its offices in the Mercury Building, 1925 K Street, N.W., in Washington, DC. While the oral argument sessions and voting conference are open to the public, there will be no public participation.


Because of the interest in the proposed merger, limited seating is available to the media in the Hearing Room. A second room, the Brick Room on the 1st Floor of the Mercury Building, will be open and linked to the Hearing Room by a live, closed-circuit telecast of the entire hearings. As only 15 seats will be reserved in the Hearing Room for members of the media to observe the oral argument and the vote directly, the Board is requiring that those wanting a seat must submit their requests, by facsimile only, to the Board by COB May 26, 1998, supplying the following information:


1. Name of seating requestor.
2. Organization requestor represents.
3. Requestor’s phone number.
4. Requestor’s fax number.



This information must be faxed to:



“CONRAIL” MERGER PROPOSAL
Office of Congressional & Public Services
Surface Transportation Board
Fax number (202) 565-9016



Hearing Room seating reservations will be limited to only one representative per news medium or news organization. All seating reservations will be accepted in the order in which they are received by fax. The 15 requestors for Hearing Room seating whose reservations are received first will be contacted to confirm receipt and to relay specific instructions for the issuance of media passes in advance of the hearing. Members of the media not admitted to the Hearing Room will be allowed to view the hearing via TV monitor in the Brick Room on a “first-come, first-admitted” basis.


Without exception, media members holding “Hearing Room” passes must be seated by 9:45 a.m. each morning for the oral argument, and by 12:45 p.m. for the voting conference, in the section reserved for them. Any seat reserved for a media member that is unoccupied at that time will be given to the media member who is next in order for a seat, according to a list the Board will compile based on its chronological receipt of media seating reservation requests. Hearing Room passes will be checked at the door and are non-transferable.


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