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Final rule.

The Surface Transportation Board is amending its regulations to require that parties seeking to obtain an individual exemption for, or to invoke a class exemption covering, a transaction involving the sale or lease of a railroad line identify any provision in their agreements that would restrict the ability of the purchaser or tenant railroad to interchange traffic with a rail carrier other than the seller or landlord railroad (interchange commitment). The rules also provide a procedure whereby a shipper or other affected party may obtain access to such provisions. The Board is adopting these regulations to facilitate the case-specific review of challenges involving interchange commitments and to facilitate the Board's monitoring of their usage. The final rule appears below.

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