Summary:  NOTICE TO THE PARTIES ADVISING ALL INTERESTED PERSONS THAT COMMENTS ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON THE BOARD'S WEBSITE, AND MAY BE ACCESSED BY VISITING WWW.STB.DOT.GOV, SELECTING THE "ECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENT" SECTION, SELECTING "KEY CASES" FROM THE LIST OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, THEN SELECTING THE CASE TITLED "ENOLA BRANCH.

SEA

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD

Washington, DC 20423-0001

STB Docket No. AB-167 (Sub-No. 1095X)

Consolidated Rail Corporation - Abandonment Exemption - Lancaster and Chester Counties, PA

December 18, 2002

NOTICE TO THE PARTIES:

On October 24, 2002, the Surface Transportation Board (Board) issued a Notice to the Parties (Notice) in the above-titled abandonment proceeding. The Notice set forth the background of the case, described the Board's reinitiation of the section 106 process of the National Historic Preservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 470f, pursuant to the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Friends of the Atglen-Susquehanna Trail, Inc. v. Surface Transportation Bd., 252 F.3d 246 (3^rd Cir. 2001), and solicited comments on certain issues regarding the reinitiation of the section 106 process for the case. In response to the Notice, the Board received eighteen comments from various parties.

The Board is advising all interested persons that these comments are currently available on the Board's website. The comments may be accessed by visiting www.stb.dot.gov, selecting the "Economics and Environment" section, selecting "Key Cases" from the list of Environmental Issues, and then selecting the case titled "Enola Branch."

If any difficulties are encountered when accessing the comments, please contact Rini Ghosh in the Section of Environmental Analysis at (202) 565-1539.