FOR RELEASE
Contact: Janie Sheng (202) 245-0221
02/22/2008 (Friday)
No. 08-06


FedRelay 1 (800) 877-8339
www.stb.gov
PUBLIC & MEDIA ADVISORY: SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD TO HOLD APRIL 24 HEARING ON RAILROADS' COMMON CARRIER OBLIGATION


The Surface Transportation Board (Board) today announced that it will hold a public hearing on April 24, 2008, on the subject of the common carrier obligation of railroads--the duty of railroads to provide transportation or service on reasonable request. The hearing will seek to highlight the importance of the common carrier obligation, provide a better understanding of it, and assist the agency in its monitoring and compliance work.


The Thursday, April 24, 2008, hearing will begin at 9:00 a.m. in the Board's Hearing Room on the 1st Floor of the agency's headquarters at Patriots Plaza, 395 E Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. Notices of intent to participate are due no later than March 25, 2008. Written testimony of speakers at the hearing, as well as written submissions by interested persons who do not wish to appear at the hearing, will be due by April 17, 2008.


The Board's notice in STB Ex Parte No. 677 announcing the April 24 hearing was issued to the public today, February 22, 2008. The notice will be published in the Federal Register and is available for viewing and downloading on the agency's Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov under "E-Library," then under "Decisions & Notices," beneath the date "2/22/08." A printed copy of the agency's notice also is available by contacting ASAP Document Solutions, 9332 Annapolis Rd., Suite 103, Lanham, MD 20706, telephone (202) 306-4004, or via asapdc@verizon.net.


###