Canonie Atlantic Co.-Abandonment Exemption-in the City of Virginia Beach and the City of Norfolk, Va.; Buckingham Branch Railroad Company-Discontinuance Exemption-in the City of Virginia Beach and the City of Norfolk, Va.

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. AB 1266 (Sub-No. 2X); Docket No. AB 1349X] On March 9, 2026, Canonie Atlantic Co. (CAC), a Class III rail carrier, and Buckingham Branch Railroad Company (Buckingham Branch), a Class III rail carrier (collectively, Petitioners), jointly filed a petition under 49 U.S.C. 10502 for exemption from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 10903 for CAC to abandon and for Buckingham Branch to discontinue service over approximately 2.3 miles of rail line in the City of Virginia Beach and the City of Norfolk, Va. (the Line). The Line extends between approximately milepost 95.0 at Little Creek, Va. (City of Virginia Beach), and milepost 97.6 at Camden Heights, Va. (City of Norfolk). [ 1 ] Two stations exist on the Line: Camden Heights at milepost SN 5.2 and Little Creek at milepost SN 7.2. The Line traverses U.S. Postal Service Zip Codes 23455 and 23502. According to Petitioners, CAC has owned the Line since 1985, [ 2 ] but it has never operated the Line, although it acknowledges that it holds a residual common carrier obligation. (Pet. 2.) Petitioners state that CAC has leased the Line to various carriers to provide service, and Buckingham Branch has been the lessee-operator of the Line since 2018. [ 3 ] (Pet. 2.) Petitioners further state that Buckingham Branch's lease of the Line includes various Section 10906-yard tracks and facilities (the ( printed page 14902) Little Creek Yard) located at the northern end of the Line. ( Id. ) Accordi…