[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 67 (Friday, April 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18350-18351]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-8432]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Petition for Waiver of Compliance

    In accordance with part 211 of Title 49, Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR), notice is hereby given that the Guilford Rail System 
(GRS) has petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a 
waiver of the Federal Track Safety Standards, Section 213.113, 
Defective Rails, which requires specific remedial actions for various 
types of rail flaws.

The Guilford Rail System

[Docket Number FRA-2000-8623]

    GRS states that it voluntarily instituted a program to perform 
continuous searches for internal defects on certain lower speed branch 
lines when the Track Safety Standards do not mandate those inspections 
to be made. The standards require internal flaw inspections at various 
frequencies on Class 3 through 9 track.
    In the event that rail defects are located during the additional 
rail inspections, which are not required by the safety standards, GRS 
requests that the railroad be able to use its discretion to decide 
whether operational safety would be protected by applying speed 
restrictions as the remedial action, or whether the specific remedial 
actions required by Section 213.113 are warranted. According to GRS, 
the goal of the program is to discover and address defects in rails 
before those conditions reach a level that may affect the safety of 
trains.
    GRS states that the effect of the program would be to promote 
safety by allowing it to perform more comprehensive rail inspections. 
GRS expects the waiver to increase the safety on branch lines, with the 
expectation of fewer instances of derailments due to track conditions.
    Interested parties are invited to participate in this proceeding by 
submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate 
scheduling a public hearing in connection with this proceeding, 
however, if any interested party desires an opportunity for oral 
comment, they should notify FRA, in writing, before the end of the 
comment period and specify the basis for their request.
    All communications concerning this proceeding should be identified 
with Docket Number FRA-2000-8623 and must be submitted to the Docket 
Clerk, DOT Central Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401, 400 7th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Communications received within 45 days of the date of this notice 
will be considered by FRA before final action is taken. Comments 
received after that date will be considered to the extent possible. 
GRS's petition and all written communications concerning this 
proceeding are available for examination during regular business hours 
(9 a.m.-5 p.m.) at the DOT Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401 
(Plaza Level), 400 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. All documents 
in the public docket are also available

[[Page 18351]]

for inspection and copying on the Internet at the docket facility's web 
site at http://dms.dot.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 2, 2001.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 01-8432 Filed 4-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P