[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 239 (Friday, December 12, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 65401-65402]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32510]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

49 CFR Part 213

[Docket No. RST-90-1, Notice No. 7]
RIN 2130-AA75


Track Safety Standards; Miscellaneous Proposed Revisions

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

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking, request for additional comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice contains information about a document entitled, 
``Evaluation of Proposed High Speed Track Surface Geometry 
Specification'' which addresses proposed track safety standards for 
high speed rail and was submitted to FRA by the Volpe National 
Transportation Systems Center (VNTSC). The document was submitted after 
the close of the comment period for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
to revise the Federal track safety standards, published July 3, 1997 at 
62 FR 36138. Because the contents of the submission may affect the 
outcome of the final rule in this proceeding, this notice solicits 
comments on the document.

DATES: The deadline for submission of comments to the VNTSC document is 
December 22, 1997.

ADDRESSES: To view the VNTSC document: The VNTSC document for which FRA 
is soliciting comments may be reviewed in Room 7051 of FRA headquarters 
at 1120 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.
    Written comments: Written comments should identify the docket 
number and the notice number and should be submitted in triplicate to: 
Docket Clerk, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Railroad Administration, 
400 Seventh Street, S.W., Mail Stop 10, Washington, D.C. 20590. Persons 
desiring to be notified that their written comments have been received 
by FRA should include with their comments a stamped, self-addressed 
postcard. The Docket Clerk will indicate on the postcard the date on 
which the comments were received and will return the card to the 
addressee. Written comments will be available for examination during 
regular business hours in Room 7051 of FRA headquarters at 1120 Vermont 
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David W. Jamieson, Office of Safety 
Enforcement, Federal Railroad Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., 
Mail Stop 25, Washington, D.C. 20590 (telephone: 202-632-3341), or 
Nancy Lummen Lewis, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Mail Stop 10, Washington, 
D.C. 20590 (telephone: 202-632-3174).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice summarizes a working paper 
issued recently by the VNTSC entitled, ``Evaluation of Proposed High 
Speed Track Surface Geometry Specification,'' dated December 1, 1997. 
The working paper has been placed in the docket for this proceeding. 
The working paper evaluates the response of different high speed 
locomotive designs to track profile geometry variations. It focuses on 
a comparative analysis of high speed locomotive designs with carbody-
mounted traction motors and locomotive designs with truck-mounted 
traction motors. The minimum amplitudes of track profile variations 
required to cause excessive vertical accelerations in the operator's 
cab and to cause suspension bottoming are compared with the maximum 
amplitudes prescribed in the proposed high speed track safety standards 
published in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on July 3, 1997. The 
analysis shows that a locomotive designed with truck-mounted traction 
motors requires an approximately 33 percent smaller track profile 
variation amplitude to cause excessive vertical accelerations than a 
locomotive designed with carbody-mounted traction motors.
    The analysis contained in the VNTSC working paper may affect the 
outome of the final rule for this proceeding. Therefore, FRA invites 
comments relevant to the information included in the working paper.


[[Page 65402]]


    Issued in Washington, D.C. on December 5, 1997.
Edward R. English,
Director, Office of Safety Enforcement, Federal Railroad 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 97-32510 Filed 12-11-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P