Difference between EMBARGOED and ABANDONED

What is the difference between the terms 'abandoned' and 'embargoed'? I sometimes read things like "the rr was embargoed in 1977 and finally abandoned in 1979".

A railroad that is unable to operate due to almost any reason - track damage, bridges out, no usable locos and no ability to get one operating - will embargo a line. This will prevent any new traffic from being accepted at one or more interchange parts. As far as I know an embargo would be registered with the STB - this was once done via the ICC. A line that is embargoed usually attempts to work out a method to start traffic going again - by fixing track damage, bridges being repaired, or some new (or used) equipment being acquired.

Before accepting traffic, ie rail cars for a particular destination, a railroad checks to see if the destination is currently embargoed.

A line that is abandoned is just that - the railroad submits an abandonment application with the STB, with an effective date. Shippers, local towns may get involved at that point.

Recent examples - the MMA in Maine, they proposed to abandon most of their trackage in Maine. They gave a date. At that point the State of Maine went into negotiations to purchase the trackage - which they did - and then the State of Maine put of an RPF to find an operator for the line. Which they did - so in Maine the customers will not to totally cut off.

Hope that helps,

Gil, known as Bill somedays ...

Let me amplify a bit. Embargoes can be put in place for lots of reasons -- say, flooding like what's going on in North Dakota right now. They have no necessary connection to abandonment. It simply means service is suspended. The embargo notice is published by the AAR's Operating-Transportation Division, actually. I assume it may also be reported to STB, but since by their nature embargoes are emergency actions, they certainly do not require any STB approval.

Generally, embargoes are temporary. For example, during the depths of the UP "meltdown" after the SP takeover, UP embargoed inbound traffic to parts of its system while it cleaned up the mess.

In the case the original post cited, the embargo was apparently due to poor track condition. While this was fairly common in the 1970s, when actual abandonment required drawn-out ICC hearings, it almost never happens today, when most abandonments are done by "exemption" (the railroad simply waits until there is no longer any traffic moving, and then applies to STB for an abandonment exemption -- no traffic, no need to hold hearings).

Stories about embargoes because of track condition belong back in the bad old days, along with the stories about derailments of standing cars.

The folks along the Coos Bay line would disagree.

On September 21, 2007, rail service on the Coos Bay rail line, then owned and operated by the Central Oregon & Pacific (CORP) Railroad was embargoed from Vaughn in Lane County to the North Spit of lower Coos Bay. The embargo impacted Georgia-Pacific and several other rail shippers in the bay area. Additionally, CORP discontinued service on rail spurs serving Roseburg Forest Products in Coquille, Southport Forest Products on the North Spit, and American Bridge on Bolon Island near Reedsport. CORP cited safety concerns in three tunnels on the line as the primary reason for the embargo, and later commented and confirmed that the line also had a backlog of deferred maintenance. The loss of freight rail service forced commodity shippers on the line to shift to trucking at much higher costs.

The Port, acting in the best interests of the south coast communities and companies served by the rail line, took action at the direction of the Port’s Board of Commissioners and moved ahead with acquisition of the rail line through a Feeder Line Application (FLA) action before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.
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The Port will seek a reputable and reliable shortline railroad operator for either a rail line lease or a contract operation, with service tentatively planned for late spring 2011.
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http://www.portofcoosbay.com/railrehab.htm

Thanks for the AAR connection - they would be a more logical place to file an embargo notice.

Here is a link to the AAR FAQ on Embargos (a PDF) - https://aarembargo.railinc.com/epdbdoc/ ... 292009.pdf

GIl, known as Bill somedays ...