Wisconsin Legislature: Chapter Trans 31

Chapter Trans 31

RAIL PASSENGER EXCURSIONS ON STATE-OWNED RAIL LINES

Trans 31.01 Purpose and applicability.

Trans 31.02 Definitions.

Trans 31.03 Permit requirement and application.

Trans 31.04 Contents of an application.

Trans 31.05 Sponsorship.

Trans 31.06 Advertising prior to receipt of a permit.

Trans 31.07 Sanctions.

Trans 31.08 Audit and inspection.

Trans 31.01 Purpose and applicability. This chapter prescribes policies and procedures relating to applications for authority to operate rail passenger excursion trains on state-owned railroad lines. It also describes the procedures for requesting a permit to operate rail passenger excursion trains on state-owned railroad lines. This chapter does not apply to the operation of any railroad passenger train operated under STB authority or direction nor to the operation of customer specials by an operator.

History: Cr. Register, June, 1995, No. 474, eff. 7-1-95; am. Register, May, 1999, No. 521, eff. 6-1-99.

Trans 31.02 Definitions. In this chapter:

(1) “Additional application” means a subsequent application for an additional excursion to be held during the same calendar year in which an applicant has applied for and obtained a permit to operate an excursion train by the same operator or sponsor.

(1m) “Applicant” means a person applying for a permit to operate a rail passenger excursion train on state-owned railroad lines under this chapter.

(2) “BR&H” means the bureau of railroads and harbors within the department.

(3) “Commission” means the municipal body which has received a grant from the department for the preservation of freight rail service and provides itself, or has contracted with an operator to provide, freight rail service on the line proposed to be used for operation of a rail passenger excursion train.

(4) “Commuter train” means a short-haul rail passenger service operating in metropolitan and suburban areas, whether within or across the geographic boundaries of a state, usually characterized by reduced fare, multiple rides and commutation tickets and by morning and evening peak period operations.

(5) “Customer special” means a train carrying persons, without a fee paid by any person, for the purpose of earning the goodwill of current and potential customers of the operator, for showing all or a portion of the state-owned railroad property to members of the commission or other government officials or for showing all or a portion of the state-owned railroad property to employees of the operator or members of their families.

(5m) “Day” means calendar, not work, day.

(6) “Department” means the Wisconsin department of transportation or any successor to that department charged by law with administering Wisconsin’s railroad programs.

(7) “Dinner train” means a train which is operated for the purpose of passenger recreation, including serving a meal for which a fee is paid by the passengers or any other person.

(8) “Excursion train” means a train or a dinner train operated for pleasure or recreation which carries passengers for a fee, or any other vehicle operated on rails for pleasure or recreation regardless of whether passengers are carried or a fee is charged. “Excursion train” does not include customer specials, commuter trains, and trains operated by the national railroad passenger corporation.

Note: Vehicles operated on rails for pleasure or recreation include railcars, railroad motorcars, railroad handcars, and railroad speeder cars.

(9) “FRA” means the federal railroad administration of the United States department of transportation.

(10) “Improved property” means the rails, joint bars, ties, ballast, bridges, culverts, drainage structures, and buildings acquired by the department, or by a commission with a grant from the department.

(11) “Municipality” means a county, city, town, village or organization established under s. 66.0301, Stats.

(12) “Operating agreement” means a contract between a commission and an operator providing for rail service on state-owned railroad property.

(13) “Operator” means the person under contract to a commission to provide freight rail service on state-owned railroad property.

(14) “Permittee” means the person who submits an application and who receives a permit.

(15) “Person” means an individual, a partnership, an association, and bodies politic or corporate.

(16) “Sponsor” means the person who shall earn any profit made by the excursion train or who shall suffer any loss incurred by the excursion train.

(17) “State-owned railroad property” means improved property acquired by the department either on its own under authority of ss. 85.08 and 85.09, Stats., or in conjunction with a municipality under authority of s. 85.08, Stats.

(18) “STB” means the federal surface transportation board, which has regulatory authority over railroads, or any other governmental agency that assumes its authority and responsibilities.

History: Cr. Register, June, 1995, No. 474, eff. 7-1-95; renum. (1), (10) and (11) to be (1m), (11) and (12), cr. (1), (5m), (12) and (18), r. and recr. (8), r. (10), Register, May, 1999, No. 521, eff. 6-1-99; correction in (11) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register March 2012 No. 675.

Trans 31.03 Permit requirement and application.

(1) When required. No person may operate an excursion train on state-owned railroad property without first obtaining a permit issued by the department. An application for a permit shall be submitted to the department not less than 45 days prior to the date of the first planned operation.

Note: Applications may be submitted to BR&H, 4802 Sheboygan Avenue, P. O. Box 7914, Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7914.

(2) Who may submit. An application to operate an excursion train which uses state-owned railroad property shall only be submitted by the operator of the state-owned railroad property to be used for the proposed operation. If there is not an operator of the state-owned railroad property, the application shall be submitted by the sponsor of the excursion train to the department.

(3) Fees.

(a) Application fee.

1. Each application for a permit to operate an excursion train on state-owned railroad property shall be accompanied by an application fee of $300.

2. An application may request multiple dates and locations during a calendar year.

(b) Inspection fee. In addition to the application fee in par. (a), each application for a permit to operate an excursion train on state-owned railroad property shall be accompanied by the inspection fee determined in accordance with the following schedule:

(c) Refunds of fees. The application fee is not refundable, even if a permit application is denied. The inspection fee shall be returned only if a permit is denied.

(4) Additional applications. An additional application for extended operations during the same calendar year by the same operator or sponsor shall be accompanied by an additional application fee of $200 and an additional inspection fee for the additional days requested in the additional permit application.

(5) Period for review.

(a) BR&H shall review an application and notify the applicant of approval or denial of the application within 21 days following receipt of a complete application.

(b) An application may be denied for any one of the following reasons:

1. Submittal less than 21 days prior to the first planned operation of the excursion train.

2. Submittal of an incomplete application.

3. Failure to comply with any of the standards or requirements prescribed in this chapter.

4. Submittal of materially false information.

5. Proposing operation of an excursion train by a sponsor or operator with at least one prior violation of this chapter.

(c) BR&H may require additional information from an applicant to complete its review of an application. If an application is received at least 45 days prior to the date of the first planned operation, BR&H shall have 21 days from the receipt of the additional information to render its decision about the application.

(d) BR&H shall notify an applicant in writing of all deficiencies in an application, and the reasons for a denial.

(6) Resubmittal.