[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 183 (Monday, September 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 49554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-25112]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. RSAC-96-1, Notice No. 6]


Railroad Safety Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (``RSAC'') 
meeting.

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SUMMARY: FRA announces the next meeting of the RSAC, a Federal Advisory 
Committee that develops railroad safety regulations through a consensus 
process. The meeting will address a wide range of topics, including 
possible adoption of specific recommendations for regulatory action and 
consideration of new tasks to be proposed by FRA.

DATES: The meeting of the RSAC is scheduled to commence at 9:30 a.m. 
and conclude at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 30, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The meeting of the RSAC will be held at the BWI Airport 
Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Road, Baltimore, Maryland. The meeting is 
open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis and is 
accessible to individuals with disabilities. Sign language interpreters 
will be available for individuals with hearing impediments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vicky McCully, FRA, 400 7th Street, 
S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590, (202) 632-3330, Grady Cothen, Deputy 
Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program Development, 
FRA, 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590, (202) 632-3309, or 
Lisa Levine, Office of Chief Counsel, FRA, 400 7th Street, S.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20590, (202) 632-3189.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:.
    Pursuant to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(Pub. L. 92-463), FRA is giving notice of a meeting of the Railroad 
Safety Advisory Committee (``RSAC''). The meeting is scheduled to begin 
at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 30, 1997. 
The meeting will be held at the BWI Airport Marriott, 1743 West Nursery 
Road, Baltimore, Maryland. All times noted are Eastern Standard Time.
    RSAC was established to provide advice and recommendations to the 
FRA on railroad safety matters. The Committee consists of 48 individual 
representatives, drawn from among 27 organizations representing various 
rail industry perspectives, and 2 associate non-voting representatives 
from the agencies with railroad safety regulatory responsibility in 
Canada and Mexico. Staff of the National Transportation Safety Board 
also participates in an advisory capacity.
    During this meeting, the RSAC will receive status reports, 
containing progress information, regarding the proposed revision of the 
Track Safety Standards (including recently published NPRM on revisions 
to the track safety standards contained in 49 CFR part 213 and related 
issues) and the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Railroad 
Communications (including revisions to 49 CFR part 220).
    The Committee will be briefed on, and may be asked to consider for 
approval, the Tourist and Historic Railroad working group's proposal 
for the revision of the steam locomotive inspection and testing 
standards contained in 49 CFR part 230.
    The RSAC will also be receiving status reports, containing progress 
information, concerning three recently constituted elements of the 
Committee: the Locomotive Crashworthiness Working Group, the Locomotive 
Cab Working Conditions Working Group, and the Event Recorder Working 
Group (established to develop locomotive event recorder accident 
survivability standards and other amendments).
    Finally, the agency will present four new tasks to the Committee 
for its acceptance: (1) review of the definition of events required to 
be reported as ``train accident'' under the Accident/Incident Reporting 
regulations; (2) development of performance standards for 
communications- and processor-based signal and train control systems; 
(3) evaluation of requirements for Positive Train Control (PTC), 
including costs and benefits of PTC systems; and (4) revisions to the 
regulations addressing freight cars safety standards, specifically with 
respect to applicability to freight cars used for maintenance of way 
purposes.
    Please refer to the notice published in the Federal Register on 
March 11, 1996 (61 F.R. 9740) for more information about the RSAC.
Donald M. Itzkoff,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 97-25112 Filed 9-17-97; 3:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P