[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 23, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 14043]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-7044]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Notice of Application for Approval of Discontinuance or 
Modification of a Railroad Signal System or Relief From the 
Requirements of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 236

    Pursuant to Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 235 and 
49 U.S.C. App. 26, the following railroads have petitioned the Federal 
Railroad Administration (FRA) seeking approval for the discontinuance 
or modification of the signal system or relief from the requirements of 
49 CFR part 236 as detailed below.
    Docket No.: FRA-1998-4821.
    Applicant: Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway Company, Mr. D. 
B. Moore, Chief Engineer, Engineering Department, 329 Second Street, 
Proctor, Minnesota 55810-1091.
    The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway Company (DMIR) seeks 
relief from the requirements of Sec. 236.51 of the Rules, Standards, 
and Instructions (49 CFR 236.51), to the extent that DMIR be permitted 
to utilize wheel count-based trap circuits, on steel deck bridges in 
signaled territory, in lieu of maintaining the existing track circuits.
    Applicant's justification for relief: The insulated bridge pads are 
approaching the end of their useful life, and replacement pads are only 
available from an Australian supplier in large quantities, at high 
cost; the steadily increasing annual cost for maintenance and train 
delays associated with troubleshooting and repairs, make it 
impracticable to maintain the existing track circuits; and presently, 
rail size is limited to 115-pound and cannot be upgraded to DMIR's 136-
pound, main line track standard.
    Any interested party desiring to protest the granting of an 
application shall set forth specifically the grounds upon which the 
protest is made, and contain a concise statement of the interest of the 
Protestant in the proceeding. Additionally, one copy of the protest 
shall be furnished to the applicant at the address listed above.
    All communications concerning this proceeding should be identified 
by the docket number and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT 
Central Docket Management Facility, Room PI-401, Washington, DC 20590-
0001. Communications received within 45 days of the date of this notice 
will be considered by the FRA 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.) at DOT 
Central Docket Management Facility, Room PI-401 (Plaza Level), 400 
Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590-0001. All documents in the 
public docket are also available for inspection and copying on the 
internet at the docket facility's Web site at http://dms.dot.gov.
    FRA expects to be able to determine these matters without an oral 
hearing. However, if a specific request for an oral hearing is 
accompanied by a showing that the party is unable to adequately present 
his or her position by written statements, an application may be set 
for public hearing.

    Issued in Washington, DC on March 17, 1999.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 99-7044 Filed 3-22-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P