[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 220 (Friday, November 14, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 61163]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30032]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Notice of Safety Advisory
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of safety advisory amendment.
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SUMMARY: FRA is amending Safety Advisory 97-1, which addresses safety
practices to reduce the risk of casualties from train derailments
caused by damage to tracks, roadbed, and bridges resulting from
uncontrolled flows of water and similar weather-related phenomena, by
revising the recommendation concerning the transmission of flash flood
warnings to train dispatchers or other employees controlling the
movement of trains.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gordon A. Davids, P.E., Bridge
Engineer, Office of Safety Assurance and Compliance, FRA, 400 Seventh
Street, S.W., RRS-15, Mail Stop 25, Washington, D.C. 20590 (telephone
202-632-3340) or Daniel L. Alpert, Trial Attorney, Office of Chief
Counsel, FRA, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., RCC-12, Mail Stop 10,
Washington, D.C. 20590 (telephone 202-632-3186).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 4, 1997, FRA issued Safety
Advisory 97-1 (SA 97-1) (62 FR 46793), recommending that railroads take
certain actions to reduce the risk of train derailments which could
result from severe weather conditions, particularly undetected flash
floods. The first recommendation of SA 97-1 reads as follows:
1. The railroad should have in place a procedure that will
assure that all notifications issued by the National Weather Service
(NWS) of flash flood warnings will be received within 15 minutes of
issuance from the NWS, directly or through a contract weather
forecasting service, by the train dispatchers or other employees
controlling the movement of trains on all track of Class 4 or higher
or upon which passenger trains operate in commuter or intercity
service, within the warning area. In the case of such track located
outside of the warning area but subject to damage from water
resulting from the storm, the information should be obtained in time
to permit timely response by the railroad.
The intent of the recommendation is for all flash flood warnings issued
by the NWS for the area in which an affected railroad operates to be
received by the personnel who control train operations in the area of
the warning. It is not necessary that the warning come directly from
the NWS, but it should be received intact and in a timely manner.
Since SA 97-1 was issued, FRA has become aware of several
circumstances in which large railroads with centralized dispatching
operations have contracted with specialized weather services for
weather information tailored to the situation and requirements of the
railroad. Several of those contract services do not pass on all NWS
warnings, but instead analyze the warnings in the light of other
weather data available to them and their knowledge of the specific
situation and requirements of their clients in order to provide only
the weather information that affects the client and to filter out
irrelevant information. This process reduces the amount of information
that the client is required to consider and evaluate, and allows the
client to focus on information that, in the view of the contract
weather service, might actually affect the client's property and
operations.
FRA now believes that this procedure offered by contract weather
services might meet the requirements of some railroads better than if
all NWS warnings are passed on by the contract weather service en
masse, regardless of their relevance to the individual railroad.
Therefore, Safety Advisory 97-1 is amended in part by revising
Recommendation 1 to read as follows:
1. The railroad should have in place a procedure that will
assure that the train dispatchers or other employees controlling the
movement of trains on all track of Class 4 or higher or upon which
passenger trains operate in commuter or intercity service will
receive timely warnings of any flash flood that might damage that
track or its supporting structures. In the case of such track
located outside of the warning area but subject to damage from water
resulting from the storm, the information should be obtained in time
to permit timely response by the railroad. The warning procedure
should incorporate either:
a. The means to receive within 15 minutes of issuance by the
National Weather Service (NWS) all NWS flood warnings for the area
in which the track is located; or
b. An arrangement with a competent commercial weather service
which receives and reviews warnings and weather data from the NWS as
part of its warning procedures, and from which the railroad receives
warnings and weather information that is specific to the situation
and requirements of the railroad.
Issued in Washington, DC, on November 10, 1997.
George A. Gavalla,
Acting Associate Administrator for Safety.
[FR Doc. 97-30032 Filed 11-13-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P