[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 204 (Tuesday, October 22, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 84444-84445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24456]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket Number FRA-2024-0099]
Petition for Waiver of Compliance
Under part 211 of title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), this
document provides the public notice that on September 5, 2024, Texas &
Eastern Railroad (TESR) petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA) for a waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal
railroad safety regulations contained at 49 CFR part 230 (Steam
Locomotive Inspection and Maintenance Standards). FRA assigned the
petition Docket Number FRA-2024-0099.
Specifically, TESR requests relief from Sec. 230.98(a)(6) and (7),
Driving, trailing, and engine truck axles--condemning defects, for some
driving journals on steam locomotive TSR 400. The regulations provide
that a defect is considered condemning if ``any axle [is] worn \1/2\
inch or more in diameter below the original/new journal diameter''
except if ``any driving axles other than main driving axles with an
original or new diameter greater than 6 inches . . . are worn \3/4\
inch or more in diameter below the original/new diameter.'' In its
petition, TESR stated that ``some driving journals have been turned
under the original diameter and are at or under the minimum diameters''
given in part 230. TESR added that the journals were last turned prior
to TSR 400 being removed from service in the early 2000s, and that the
journals ``exhibit no indications of appreciable wear since they were
last turned.''
TESR requests relief until TSR 400's 1,472 service day inspection
in early 2029, when all wheels will be removed for inspection and
possible axle renewal. The locomotive ``has experienced no issues
regarding hot journals or scouring,'' and it is inspected over an
inspection pit twice daily during operations, with ``all journals,
cellars, and pads . . . inspected closely for position, oil, and
wear.''
A copy of the petition, as well as any written communications
concerning the petition, is available for review online at
www.regulations.gov.
Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings
by submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate
scheduling a public hearing in connection with these proceedings since
the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party
desires an opportunity for oral comment and a public hearing, they
should notify FRA, in writing, before the end of the comment period and
specify the basis for their request.
All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the
appropriate docket number and may be submitted at www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Communications received by December 23, 2024 will be considered by
FRA before final action is taken.
[[Page 84445]]
Comments received after that date will be considered if practicable.
Anyone can search the electronic form of any written communications and
comments received into any of the U.S. Department of Transportation's
(DOT) dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or
signing the document, if submitted on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). Under 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits
comments from the public to better inform its processes. DOT posts
these comments, without edit, including any personal information the
commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system
of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at https://www.transportation.gov/privacy. See also https://www.regulations.gov/privacy-notice for the privacy notice of regulations.gov.
Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-24456 Filed 10-21-24; 8:45 am]
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