[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 4, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 17704]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8167]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket Number FRA-1999-6364]


Northeast Illinois Railroad Corporation; Public Hearing

    The Northeast Illinois Railroad Corporation (Metra) petitioned the 
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) seeking a permanent waiver of 
compliance with the Passenger Equipment Safety Standards, Title 49, 
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 238.303, which requires 
exterior calendar day inspection, and 238.313, which requires a Class I 
brake test be performed by a qualified maintenance person. Metra 
requests that on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and holidays these 
tests be performed by a qualified person, not a qualified maintenance 
person as required in the Passenger Equipment Safety Standards. Metra 
states that in many cases, the qualified person can be a member of the 
train crew.
    This proceeding is identified as FRA-1999-6364. FRA issued a public 
notice seeking comments of interested parties and conducted a field 
investigation in this matter. After examining the carrier's proposal, 
letters of protest, and field report, FRA has determined that a public 
hearing is necessary before a final decision is made on this proposal.
    Accordingly, a public hearing is hereby set for 9:30 a.m. on 
Tuesday, May 16, 2000, at the John Kluczynski Federal Building, Room 
240, at 230 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois. Interested 
parties are invited to present oral statements at the hearing. The 
hearing will be an informal one and will be conducted in accordance 
with Rule 25 of the FRA Rules of Practice (49 CFR Part 211.25) by a 
representative designated by FRA. The hearing will be a non-adversarial 
proceeding; therefore, there will be no cross-examination of persons 
presenting statements. The FRA representative will make an opening 
statement outlining the scope of the hearing. After all initial 
statements have been completed, those persons wishing to make a brief 
rebuttal will be given the opportunity to do so in the same order in 
which initial statements were made. Additional procedures, if necessary 
for the conduct of the hearing, will be announced at the hearing.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on March 29, 2000.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 00-8167 Filed 4-3-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P