[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 14 (Friday, January 21, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 3529]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1500]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-1999-6252]


CSX Transportation, Inc.; Public Hearing

    On November 1, 1999, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 
published a notice in the Federal Register announcing CSX 
Transportation, Inc.'s (CSXT) request to obtain a temporary waiver of 
compliance from certain provisions of the Railroad Locomotive Safety 
Standards, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 229. 
Specifically, CSXT requests relief from the requirements of 49 CFR 
229.27(a)(2), Annual tests, and 49 CFR 229.29(a), Biennial tests, as 
solely applicable to all present and future installations of the New 
York Air Brake Corporation's Computer Controlled Brake (CCB) Systems on 
CSXT locomotives. CSXT is making this request so they can begin the 
implementation of a Test Plan to prove the new technology incorporated 
in this brake system is more reliable and safer in the rail 
transportation industry with the intent of relying on the CCB computer 
diagnostics to identify defective components and repair as required. 
The petitioner seeks to move toward a performance-based COTS criterion.
    As a result of comments received by FRA concerning this waiver 
petition, FRA has determined that a public hearing is necessary before 
a final decision is made on this petition. Accordingly, a public 
hearing is hereby set for 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 23, 2000, in 
Conference Room One, Seventh Floor, at 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC 20005. Interested parties are invited to present oral 
statements at this hearing. The hearing will be informal and will be 
conducted in accordance with Rule 25 of the FRA Rules of Practice (49 
CFR 211.25) by a representative designated by FRA. The FRA 
representative will make an opening statement outlining the scope of 
the hearing, as well as any additional procedures for the conduct of 
the hearing. The hearing will be a non-adversarial proceeding in which 
all interested parties will be given the opportunity to express their 
views regarding this waiver petition without cross-examination. After 
all initial statements have been completed, those persons wishing to 
make a brief rebuttal will be given an opportunity to do so in the same 
order in which initial statements were made.

    Issued in Washington, DC on January 18, 2000.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 00-1500 Filed 1-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P