[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]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P