Humphreys v. United States

228 F. Supp. 910, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9933, 1964 WL 117812
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedMay 1, 1964
DocketNo. 42052
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 228 F. Supp. 910 (Humphreys v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Humphreys v. United States, 228 F. Supp. 910, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9933, 1964 WL 117812 (N.D. Cal. 1964).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

After proceedings duly had, pursuant to Section l(18)-(20) of the Interstate Commerce Act, 49 U.S.C.A. § 1 (18)— (20), the Interstate Commerce Commission made and filed its report and order approving in effect the abandonment by Southern Pacific Company of a portion of the Vasona Branch of its railroad, situated in Santa Clara County, California.

Several commuter associations and individuals who appeared in opposition to the abandonment proceedings together with the Santa Clara and San Benito [912]*912Counties Building and Construction Trades Council now claim to be aggrieved by the Commission’s order and have filed the complaint in this cause, under the applicable provisions of Title 28 U.S. C.A., to enjoin, annul and set aside the Commission’s report and order. The United States and the Commission answered the complaint. The former neither supported nor opposed the order of the Commission; the latter asked the court to dismiss the complaint and to sustain the decision and order of the Commission. The Southern Pacific Company, the County of Santa Clara and the City of Los Altos intervened as defendants.

A three-judge court was convened, following an initial presentation before a single judge on a motion for a temporary restraining order. The record we have before us consists of the pleadings, the order of the Interstate Commerce Commission made herein, the certified copy of the record before the Interstate Commerce Commission as well as the briefs and exhibits, the record made before this court on the motion for a temporary restraining order, and finally, we have been furnished with briefs and the cause has been orally argued and submitted.

On plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order, the court found, after a lengthy hearing before the Honorable George B. Harris, that removal of tracks on the Vasona Branch Line of the Southern Pacific Railroad would cause irreparable damage to plaintiffs in the event a Three Judge Court should later sustain plaintiffs’ contentions. Accordingly, the court restrained removal of tracks or any activity which would dismantle the railroad until such time as a decision on the merits should be handed down by the full court, convened under 28 U.S.C.A. § 2284.

The issue before the court presently is to determine whether the report and order of the Interstate Commerce Commission, Division 3, made on September 23, 1963, which authorized the abandonment of the Vasona Branch Line, is supported by adequate findings of fact which are founded upon substantial evidence. Our review is necessarily a limited one. Interstate Commerce Comm. v. Union Pac. R. Co., 222 U.S. 541, 32 S.Ct. 108, 56 L.Ed. 308; Mississippi Valley Barge Line Co. v. United States, 292 U.S. 282, 54 S.Ct. 692, 78 L.Ed. 1260; United States v. Pierce Auto Freight Lines, 327 U.S. 515, 66 S.Ct. 687, 90 L.Ed. 821; Village of Candor v. United States, D.C., 151 F.Supp. 889.

Plaintiffs, chiefly commuters from Los Gatos to San Francisco and members of the South Los Altos Citizens Committee for Preservation of Public Transportation, initiated this action in order to enjoin and set aside the report and order of Division 3 (Finance Docket No. 22009), which authorized Southern Pacific 1 to abandon a portion of its Vasona Branch Line in Santa Clara County. The dispute arises over the operation of two commuter trains which run five days a week between Vasona and San Francisco. The northbound morning train, No. 129, serves the early morning commuters and the southbound train, No. 132, returns them to their homes in Los Gatos or its environs. Approximately 170 persons are served on a daily basis by these trains.

In its conclusion which held that public convenience and necessity would be served by permitting abandonment, Division 3 made certain findings based on its own report or arising out of the report of the Hearing Examiner and the Finance Review Board, consisting of three members. (It is to be noted initially that the latter body, on reviewing the matter, reversed the Hearing Examiner and held that abandonment was not warranted.)

The findings of Division 3 were generally to the effect that the County of Santa Clara required a segment of the [913]*913Vasona Branch line in order to construct a new Foothill Expressway over the railroad right of way, as well as an interchange between the expressway and the Junípero Serra freeway. Abandonment of the Vasona Branch would inconvenience a minimum of passengers since the Southern Pacific would continue to operate its trains over the main line between San Jose and San Francisco and the railroad would retain 85% of its regular passengers. During the years 1960 and 1961 the railroad lost $21,495 and $20,911 respectively and continued operation would impose a burden on interstate commerce. Division 3 found that commuters would not suffer severe hardship or inconvenience in a strictly local situation and accordingly sustained the petition for abandonment.

Plaintiffs have challenged the findings of the I.C.C. and contend they are not supported by substantial evidence as required by 5 U.S.C.A. § 1009(e) of the Administrative Procedure Act. They assert that the purported losses suffered by the Southern Pacific for 1960 and 1961 are not borne out by an accurate record of passenger revenue and they challenge the revenue predictions for the main line service based on an estimate of 85% retention of passengers and property tax savings.

Plaintiffs question the finding that continued operations will result in a burden on interstate commerce. They point out that the effort to abandon the line arose as an afterthought when Santa Clara County sought to condemn property for an expressway. Losses, if any, were small, they contend, and not such as to warrant abandonment under the standards of Colorado v. United States, 271 U.S. 153, 46 S.Ct. 452, 70 L.Ed. 878, especially in the light of net income of more than $50 million enjoyed by the Southern Pacific in 1961 (and greater revenue realized in the next two years). As against minimal losses, the commission had to weigh the convenience of 170 commuters, many of whom were absolutely dependent on train service and whose only alternative means of transportation would consume daily additional time of up to 1 hour 40 minutes and added monthly costs of $20.

In urging this court to make its order preventing abandonment, plaintiffs placed heavy reliance upon the three judge decision in State of North Carolina v. United States, D.C., 210 F.Supp. 675,. with respect to the finding that the “Commission had applied erroneous legal standards in reaching those conclusions.” The Court “disagreed with the Commission as to the kind of evidence required, to support an order permitting discontinuance of an intrastate passenger train under Sec. 13A(2).”

The reversal by the Supreme Court in-Southern Railway v. North Carolina, 376-U.S. 93, 84 S.Ct. 564, 11 L.Ed.2d 541,. set at rest plaintiffs’ hopes as predicated upon the earlier decision. It is our view that the I.C.C. applied the correct legal standard in the light of this recent pronouncement of the Supreme Court.

With respect to the primary issue, i.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In re the Valuation Proceedings under Sections 303(c) & 306
445 F. Supp. 994 (Special Court under the Regional Rail Reorganization Act, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
228 F. Supp. 910, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9933, 1964 WL 117812, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/humphreys-v-united-states-cand-1964.