[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 48 (Friday, March 11, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-5767]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: March 11, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. RSSI-94-1, Notice No. 1]
Special Safety Inquiry; Railroad Radio Communications
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
Action: Notice of special safety inquiry.
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SUMMARY: As provided for in the Rail Safety Enforcement and Review Act,
the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is examining use of radio
communications in railroad operations. Based on the results of this
inquiry, FRA will submit a report to Congress expressing its views on
the subject. In order to permit interested parties to help inform FRA
and share their views on radio communications, FRA is issuing this
notice soliciting both written and oral comments on the subject.
DATES: (1) A public hearing will begin at 10 a.m. on March 29, 1994,
and continue throughout the day until concluded.
(2) Prepared statements to be made at the hearing should be
submitted to the Docket Clerk at least two working days before the
hearing date (close of business March 25, 1994). Parties not meeting
that deadline may be denied the opportunity to present oral testimony;
however, their written statements will be included in the record of
this proceeding.
(3) Persons not desiring to testify, but wishing to submit written
comments for inclusion in the safety inquiry docket should submit them
by April 11, 1994.
ADDRESSES: (1) Hearing location--Room 3442, Nassif building, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. (2) Docket Clerk, Office of
Chief Counsel (RCC-30), Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
20590 at 202-366-0000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Edward R. English, Office of
Safety Enforcement, RRS-10, Federal Railroad Administration, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590 at 202-366-9252.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the railroad industry, safety
communication takes various forms. It includes written materials such
as operating rule books and timetables, verbal exchanges such as
telegraph and telephone messages, and visual displays such as signal
flags and wayside signal systems. High quality communications are
essential to both efficient and safe railroad operations.
In recent years, reliance on radios to transmit railroad
communications has become wide spread in the railroad industry. Radios
are currently being used to digitally transmit safety information such
as information regarding brake pipe pressure communicated through end
of train (EOT) telemetry systems (an issue under consideration in a
separate FRA proceeding). Likewise, reliance on radios to orally
transmit safety information has replaced older methods such as
telegraph and telephone delivery of messages. Use of radio
communication has become an indispensable part of railroad operations,
and the need for high quality radio communications continues to
increase.
This safety inquiry is being conducted against the background of an
earlier examination of the subject in 1987. However, circumstances have
changed during the intervening period. Subsequent to FRA's earlier
safety inquiry, improvements and changes to railroad radio
communications systems have narrowed the gap in the need for corrective
measures. Channel spectrum diversity integrated into railroad radio
equipment now provides the user breadth of choice in interline
operations. No longer are trains equipped with radios that are limited
to use on one railroad. New technology has been developed making radio
equipment failure relatively rare as compared to the commonplace
failures of the past.
Nevertheless, some problems persist. Concerned about the need for
high quality of railroad communications transmitted by radio, Congress
directed in the Rail Safety Enforcement and Review Act of 1992 (RSERA)
that FRA conduct a safety inquiry concerning this issue. Section 11 of
RSERA provides that FRA examine the following issues and report on the
need for regulatory action and the specific plans for taking such
action if action is appropriate:
(1) The advantages and disadvantages of requiring that every
locomotive (and every caboose, where applicable) be equipped with a
railroad voice communications system capable of permitting a person in
the locomotive (or caboose) to engage in clear two-way communications
with persons on following and leading trains and with train dispatchers
located at railroad stations;
(2) A requirement that replacement radios be made available at
intermediate terminals;
(3) The effectiveness of radios in ensuring timely emergency
response;
(4) The effect of interference and other disruptions of radio
communications on safe railroad operations;
(5) How advanced communications technologies such as digital radio
can be implemented to best enhance the safety of railroad operations;
(6) The status of Advanced Train Control Systems (ATCS) that are
being developed, and the implications of such systems for effective
railroad communications; and
(7) The need for minimum Federal standards to ensure that such
systems provide for positive train separation and are compatible
nationwide.
FRA's focus at the public hearing will be directed towards the
first five of these issues, which relate to voice radio communications
and the use of digital data communication as a substitute. Public
comment is requested on--
The safety-related purposes for which voice radio is
currently employed by the railroads (e.g., communication of movement
authorities, communication of various types of emergency information);
The extent to which existing technology and procedures
serve these purposes (including channel allocation, congestion of
primary frequencies, clarity of transmissions, compliance with FRA's
Radio Standards and Procedures, etc.); and
The alternatives available to railroads and FRA to improve
safety-related voice communications or substitute other means of
communication (including enhancements or substitutions of technology,
improved maintenance, availability of backup transceivers, and better
use of available frequencies).
Although existing types of voice radio communications are the focus
of the public hearing announced in this notice, this safety inquiry
also comprehends the issues of Advanced Train Control Systems and other
next-generation train control technologies that may facilitate positive
train separation and speed control to prevent collisions and overspeed
derailments on America's railroads. FRA recognizes that wireless
telecommunications science is providing new opportunities for railroads
to transmit business data, including train movement authorizations,
customer work order information, and locomotive health monitoring
information. The North American rail industry is continuing to develop
the ATCS project incorporating these functions, including train
control.
In keeping with the direction of the RSERA, FRA has engaged in
extensive consultations with rail labor, the railroads, the supply
industry and other interested parties regarding train control issues.
For instance, FRA has held two roundtable discussions on the status of
the ATCS project and is planning a third. These roundtables have also
explored possibilities for incremental or building-block approaches to
enhanced train control. The transcripts of the roundtable discussions
will be placed in the docket of this inquiry.
Because other avenues for addressing the train control subsets of
the radio communications issue are available, FRA does not plan to
entertain discussion of the train control issues at the public hearing,
except to the extent parties that have not participated in other forums
may wish to address these issues at the conclusion of the hearing.
However, the public is invited to submit written comments on the role
of train control in railroad safety in response to this notice.
Authority: Sections 202, 208, 84 Stat. 971, 974 (45 U.S.C. 431,
437): Section 1.49(m) of the Regulations of the Office of the
Secretary of Transportation (49 CFR 1.49(m)); 49 CFR 211.61
.Issued in Washington, DC, on March 7, 1994.
Jolene M. Molitoris,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 94-5767 Filed 3-10-94; 8:45 am]
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