[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 212 (Thursday, October 31, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56260-56262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-27971]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Petition for Waivers of Compliance
In accordance with 49 CFR 211.41, notice is hereby given that the
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has received a request for a
waiver of compliance with certain requirements of the Federal safety
laws and regulations. The individual petition is described below,
including the party seeking relief, the regulatory provisions
[[Page 56261]]
involved, the nature of the relief being requested and the petitioner's
arguments in favor of relief.
Siemens Transportation Systems, Incorporated (Siemens)
Docket Number H-96-2
Siemens requests waivers of compliance with certain provisions of
the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) railroad safety regulations.
It is seeking relief from sections of the Railroad Locomotive Safety
Standards (49 CFR Part 229), the Railroad Safety Appliance Standards
(49 CFR Part 231) and the Railroad Safety Glazing Standards (49 CFR
Part 223). The relief is being sought in order to demonstrate the Regio
Sprinter (Sprinter) diesel powered rail vehicle in the United States.
The planned demonstration is being organized by Siemens and the
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) in cooperation with
several transit districts, private rail operators, and state
departments of transportation.
The Sprinter completed a 5 month demonstration in Calgary, Alberta,
Canada and is currently in the Siemens assembly facility in Sacremento,
California. Presently Sprinters are manufactured by Siemens A.G. in
Krefeld, Germany. Sprinters are presently in operation in two locations
in Germany and one in Denmark. The Sprinter was developed to serve the
German transit non-electrified secondary lines about 30 miles long
which link city-centers and mid-size towns with their rural
surroundings. The Sprinter used in Calgary and which will be
demonstrated in the United States was built for a regional rail
authority in Germany and is on loan for the tour.
Siemens states that all necessary modifications will be made to the
equipment in their Sacramento facility. The horn and headlights will be
checked and brought into compliance with Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) Railroad Locomotive Safety Standards, if
necessary. Marker lights will be verified for proper color and
intensity. The necessary communication equipment will be installed.
Exterior sound level tests will be performed in Sacramento. The
required air brake tests and inspections will be done prior to any
demonstration operation.
The Sprinter is a double articulated, 70% low floor, diesel
hydraulic train set with an operating cab at each end carried on an
A+2+A wheel arrangement. The driven end wheels are 30 inches in
diameter and the center truck wheels are 20 inches in diameter. The
Sprinter carbody is approximately 80 feet long, with a center section
of approximately 13.5 feet. It has a maximum width of approximately 10
feet and a height above top-of-rail of approximately 11 feet. The
Sprinter has a tare weight of approximately 30 ton, a maximum weight of
approximately 50 ton, seating capacity of 74 people and a maximum
capacity of 100 people. It has a maximum speed of 60 mph. The Sprinter
has retractable access ramps for elderly and handicapped passengers.
The double-articulated body shell is designed as a self supporting
aluminum structure with welded underframe and bolted side walls. The
side walls are of FRP sandwich construction, the roof of aluminum
sandwich construction. Two sets of two-swing plug doors measuring 52
inches are located at each side of the sprinter.
Located at each end of the cab is an autonomous drive system
comprised of a 5-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled MAN B&W diesel
engine rated at 198 horsepower direct connected to a reversing Hurth
automatic transmission. A carden shaft connects the transmission to the
axle gear box assembly. The transmission includes a hydrodynamic
retarder unit. The two outer sections of the railcar run on single-axle
driving wheel-sets, which are connected to the carbody by means of
longitudinal steering rods. The center unit is carried on a two axle
truck assembly. The center section is connected to the end sections
through flexible drawbars. Each engine is suppled from a 350 liter (92
gallon) fuel oil reservoir.
The Sprinter brake system consists of the two transmission
hydrodynamic retarders, a Knorr computer controlled air brake system
and an electromagnetic track brake at the center truck. In a normal
service brake application, braking is provided primarily by the
transmission retarders, assisted by the air brakes, as modulated by the
computer. This system minimizes brake lining wear. All power and
intermediate wheel sets are equipped with two brake discs and brake
pads. In the event of a brake computer failure, a manual air brake
system can be utilized. The electro-magnetic track brake is provided
for emergency braking and derives its power from the 24 volt battery
system. The Sprinter is equipped with spring-loaded parking brakes,
which replaces the handbrakes.
Siemens seeks a temporary waiver from compliance with the Railroad
Locomotive Safety Standards 49 CFR 229.71, Clearance above top of rail,
which requires that no part or appliance of a locomotive except the
wheels, flexible nonmetalic sand pipe extension tips, and trip cock
arms may be less that 2\1/2\ inches above top of rail. The magnetic
track brake of the intermediate truck is approximately 1-inch above the
top of rail. A temporary waiver is requested from 49 CFR 229.123,
Pilot, snowplows and end plates, which requires an end plate that
extends across both rails, a pilot or a snow plow. The Sprinter has no
end plate, snow plow or pilot. The ends are covered by a shroud
fabricated of fiberglass with a foam core.
Seimens seeks a temporary waiver from compliance with the Railroad
Glazing Standards, Section 223.15 (a) and (b), which requires that all
front and rear facing windows on passenger cars must meet the FRA Type
I testing criteria and all side facing glazing on passenger cars must
meet the FRA Type II testing criteria. The windshield and side facing
glazing are of the bonded frameless type. The windshield is made of 6.8
mm (.272 inch) laminated safety glass and the side windows are made of
6 mm safety glass (.24 inch). The side windows are designed as sliding
windows. Section 223.15(c) requires that each passenger car be equipped
with minimum of four (4) emergency side windows. The Sprinter has no
emergency side windows, and the escape method is to break the windows
with emergency hammers strategically located in the passenger
compartments. The four wide entrance doors located in the two sides of
the Sprinter provides a high proportion of door opening to floor space
which provides for emergency capability. The doors can be opened
manually from inside and outside without the assistance of compressed
air and electrical power.
Siemens seeks a temporary waiver from Section 231.12(c), which
requires that each passenger car with wide vestibules have two (2)
horizontal handholds located near each end on each side of the
vestibule end sill. The Sprinter has no horizontal handholds at either
end. Modifying the vehicle structure for handholds is impractical for
such a short duration test. Section 231.12(d) requires uncoupling
levers. The Sprinter does not have a conventional AAR coupler or
uncoupling lever at each end but is equipped with European style
buffers and hook and turnbuckle drawgear. A tempory portable AAR
coupler will be carried on the Sprinter for emergency moves.
Siemens demonstration sites and dates are as follows:
[[Page 56262]]
December, 1996
Folsom, California........... Regional Transit of Greater Sacramento.
Napa, California............. Napa Valley Wine Train (Private
railroad).
San Jose, California......... Transit Authority of Santa Clara County.
January, 1997
Santa Cruz, California....... Santa Cruz Transit District.
Oceanside, California........ North County Transit District.
Los Angeles, California...... Los Angeles Metrolink.
Williams, Arizona............ Grand Canyon Railways (Private railroad).
February, 1997
Austin, Texas................ Capitol Metro Transit.
Tampa, Florida............... Hartline Transit-Hillsborough County.
Orlando, Florida............. Lynx Transit-Greater Orlando.
March, 1997
North Carolina............... Triangle Transit-Raleigh, Durham, Chapel
Hill District.
March/April, 1997
New Jersey................... New Jersey Transit.
The planned demonstration tour will focus on locations where there
are lightly used secondary branch lines, which could be used for future
passenger service. Siemens does not intend to demonstrate the Sprinter
on main lines of operation. Movement of the Sprinter from demonstration
site to site will be done as either a rail movement where short
distances are involved, or on a special leased 89 foot flat car for
long hauls. The moves will be coordinated by Amtrak and the local
authorities. In many cases the Sprinter service will be run on track
where there is only infrequent switching operations.
Interested parties are invited to participate in this proceeding by
submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate
scheduling a public hearing in connection with this proceeding since
the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party
desires an opportunity for oral comment, 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 (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket Number H-96-2)
and must be submitted in triplicate to the Docket Clerk, Office of
Chief Counsel, Federal Railroad Administration, Nassif Building, 400
Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590. Communications received
within 30 days of the date of publication of this notice will be
considered before final action is taken. Comments received after that
date will be considered as far as practicable. All written
communications concerning these proceedings are available for
examination during regular business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) in Room 8201,
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590.
Issued in Washington, D.C. on October 28, 1996.
Phil Olekszyk,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Compliance and Program
Implementation.
[FR Doc. 96-27971 Filed 10-30-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P