[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 50 (Monday, March 17, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12445-12446]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04273]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket Number FRA-2016-0086]
Notice of Petition for Inclusion in Waiver of Compliance
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This document provides the public notice that by letter
received February 21, 2025, Alaska Railroad (ARRC) petitioned FRA for
relief from certain regulations concerning calibration of air flow
method (AFM) indicators.
DATES: FRA must receive comments on the petition by April 16, 2025. FRA
will consider comments received after that date to the extent
practicable.
ADDRESSES:
Comments: Comments related to this docket may be submitted by going
to https://www.regulations.gov and following the online instructions
for submitting comments.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number. All comments received will be posted without change to
https://www.regulations.gov; this includes any personal information.
Please see the Privacy Act heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this document for Privacy Act information related to any
submitted comments or materials.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the
online instructions for accessing the docket.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Zuiderveen, Railroad Safety
Specialist, FRA Motive Power & Equipment Division, telephone: 202-493-
6337, email: steven.zuiderveen@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under part 211 of title 49 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR), this document provides the public notice that by
letter received February 21, 2025, ARRC petitioned FRA for inclusion in
a waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal railroad
safety regulations contained at 49 CFR parts 229 (Railroad Locomotive
Safety Standards) and 232 (Brake System Safety Standards for Freight
and Other Non-Passenger Trains and Equipment: End-of-Train Devices).
FRA assigned the petition Docket Number FRA-2016-0086.
Specifically, ARRC seeks to join the relief granted in this docket
from Sec. 229.29(b), Air brake system calibration, maintenance, and
testing and Sec. 232.205(c)(1)(iii), Class I brake test--initial
terminal inspection. The existing relief allows participating railroads
to test extending the AFM test intervals from 92 days to 184 days on
locomotives equipped with the New York Air Brake (NYAB) CCB-II and
Fastbrake air brake systems.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ As of FRA's November 26, 2024, letter, the railroads
participating in the relief in this docket are BNSF Railway Company,
CSX Transportation, and CPKC.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In justification of the waiver request, ARRC states that
participating in the waiver would allow ARRC to align its
[[Page 12446]]
AFM calibrations with its established maintenance schedule, ensuring
the calibrations ``are performed by specialized shop personnel rather
than field staff.'' Further, ARRC cites that data resulting from this
waiver ``indicates that frequent calibration interventions may actually
compromise the accuracy of air flow readings.'' ARRC additionally
states that its ``operating environment and fleet composition would
provide unique insights to the existing test committee.''
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.
Communications received by April 16, 2025 will be considered by FRA
before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be
considered if practicable.
Privacy Act
Anyone can search the electronic form of any written communications
and comments received into any of FRA's 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 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. 2025-04273 Filed 3-14-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P