[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 248 (Wednesday, December 27, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67014-67015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-31329]



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[[Page 67015]]


DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[FRA Docket Nos. H-94-7, RST-94-4, and SA-94-14]


National Railroad Passenger Corporation; Petition for Exemption 
or Waiver for Test Program and High Speed Revenue Passenger Service

    In accordance with 49 CFR 211.51, notice is hereby given that the 
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) has submitted to the 
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) a petition, dated December 5, 
1994 for a waiver of compliance with specific requirements of certain 
parts of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations in order to 
conduct a series of tests and enter one or more new high speed 
trainsets of advanced design into revenue service. Please note that 
this equipment is expected to be delivered to Amtrak beginning in the 
late spring of 1997.
    The purpose of this notice is to identify and briefly describe the 
separate elements of the petition and afford an opportunity for 
interested parties to comment on these.
    In explanation of why this petition had three docket numbers 
assigned to it, please consider the following tabulation:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Item                 Description              Docket No.      
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request 1..............  High Cant Deficiency    H-94-7.                
                          for Test Purposes.                            
Request 2..............  High Speed for          H-94-7.                
                          Stability Tests.                              
Request 3..............  High Cant Deficiency    RST-94-4.              
                          for Revenue                                   
                          Operations.                                   
Request 4..............  High Speed for Revenue  RST-94-4.              
                          Service.                                      
Request 5..............  Request for a           RST-94-4.              
                          Procedure to Increase                         
                          Speeds Beyond                                 
                          Presently Authorized                          
                          Speeds.                                       
Request 6..............  Hand Brakes, Side and   SA-94-14.              
                          End Handholds and                             
                          Uncoupling Levers.                            
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    It is evident from this compilation that the petition includes two 
separate phases: Requests 1 and 2 concern testing activities that will 
occur and be finished within periods of limited duration. This type of 
operation is assigned an ``H'' series docket number by FRA. Requests 3 
through 5 and also 6, addressing proposed future revenue operation of 
the new equipment, are not temporary in nature and relief, if granted, 
will continue into the future.
    Request 1: (Note: The tests anticipated under Requests 1 and 2 are 
intended to occur first, at the Transportation Technology Center in 
Colorado and second, if concluded successfully there, to be repeated at 
various locations in the Northeast Corridor.) Petitioner requests 
relief from compliance with Sec. 213.57(b), Curves, elevation and speed 
limitations, of the Federal track safety standards which currently 
limits train operating speeds in the negotiation of curved track to a 
value producing not more than three inches of underbalance. Curve 
negotiation at various train speeds producing up to 12 inches of cant 
deficiency (underbalanced superelevation) is to be investigated to 
evaluate vehicle/track response characteristics in this operating 
regime. Amtrak states that instrumented wheelsets, accelerometers and 
other suitable instrumentation will figure in these tests.
    Request 2: Lateral suspension performance will be examined to see 
if truck lateral instability (hunting) occurs within the trainset's 
operating speed regime up to 165 mph. In order to do this, the 
petitioner needs to be provided with permission to exceed the train 
operating speed limit of 110 mph (Sec. 213.9).
    Request 3: Predicated upon successful completion of the cant 
deficiency tests described in Request 1, above, Amtrak is today asking 
for a permanent waiver of compliance with Sec. 213.57(b) in order to 
operate the new trainsets in revenue service at curving speeds 
developing up to nine inches of cant deficiency.
    Request 4: Amtrak wants to run the new trains in revenue service at 
speeds of up to 150 mph over Class 6 track. Again, and if test results 
are supportive, compliance with Sec. 213.9 will have to be waived.
    Request 5: Once the curving safety of the new vehicles has been 
established, Amtrak wants the latitude to set cant deficiency limits 
for other curves without further test. Agency response to this request 
may become a policy matter in that relief from compliance with specific 
sections of the track safety standards may have been provided already 
in response to treatment of Requests 3 and 4.
    Request 6: The trainsets will not be built as individual cars which 
can be coupled and uncoupled in a conventional manner. Uncoupling 
levers will only be at the ends of the trainset. Since an entire 
consist will always be handled as a single unit, intermediate cars will 
not be equipped with standard side or end handholds. Amtrak believes 
that relevant provisions of Sec. 231.12(b),(c) & (d), Passenger-train 
cars with wide vestibules, should not apply. The trainsets will be 
provided with spring-actuated parking brakes which, it is claimed, will 
eliminate the need for a manually operated hand brake.
    FRA is seeking information and comments on this proposed test and 
revenue passenger service program from interested parties. FRA will 
take these comments into account in arriving at a final specification 
of conditions governing the conduct of the entire project. Such 
comments may also have value in supporting FRA's responses to future 
requests for approval to operate trains through curves at speeds 
producing more than the current standard of three inches of 
underbalance.
    All interested parties are invited to participate in this 
proceeding through written submission. FRA does not anticipate 
scheduling an opportunity for oral comment because the facts do not 
appear to warrant it. An opportunity to present oral comments will be 
provided, however, if within 45 days of the publication date of this 
notice, the party submits a written request for a hearing that 
demonstrates that his or her position cannot be properly presented by 
written statements.
    All written communications concerning this petition should 
reference ``FRA General Docket Nos. H-94-7/RST-94-4/SA-94-14'' and 
should be submitted in triplicate to the Docket Clerk, Office of Chief 
Counsel, FRA, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20590.
    Comments received not later than 45 days following publication of 
this notice will be considered in this proceeding and in evaluating any 
future proposals by Amtrak or other railroad entity for similar 
programs. All comments received will be available for examination by 
interested persons at anytime during regular working hours (9 a.m.-5 
p.m.), in Room 8201, Nassif Building, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 
20590. Issued in Washington, DC on December 21, 1995.
Phil Olekszyk,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Compliance and Program 
Implementation.
[FR Doc. 95-31329 Filed 12-26-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P