[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 81 (Friday, April 26, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 20863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-10234]


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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 Federal Railroad Administration 
(FRA) received a request for a waiver of compliance with certain 
requirements of its safety standards. The individual petition is 
described below, including the party seeking relief, the regulatory 
provisions involved, the nature of the relief being requested, and the 
petitioner's arguments in favor of relief.

St. Louis Steam Train Association

[Docket Number FRA-2002-11701]

    The St. Louis Steam Train Association (SLSTA) has petitioned the 
Federal Railroad Administration for a temporary waiver of compliance 
for time on duty limitations from the requirements of Title 49, U.S.C. 
21103(a), which requires the association to limit the time on duty of 
its train employees to 12 hours total time on duty in a 24-hour period.
    The SLSTA is a not-for-profit corporation that leases, maintains, 
and operates former St. Louis and San Francisco steam locomotive number 
1522. The SLSTA occasionally operates locomotive 1522 on the general 
railroad system as motive power for trains operated for historical, 
excursion, or other purposes. The SLSTA has three individuals who are 
certified locomotive engineers and who operate the controls of the 
locomotive under the provisions of Title 49 Code of Federal 
Regulations, part 240. In addition, the association has three 
individuals who act as traditional firemen. The SLSTA requests relief 
to utilize its train and engine crews for up to 16 hours in the event 
of unusual circumstances. The association does not plan for its train 
and engine crew employees to perform service for more than 12 hours. 
However, due to the nature of its operations that occasionally involve 
operating on the general railroad system and its limited staff, 
unexpected and unusual circumstances may terminate the operation of the 
train prior to its final destination. The SLSTA states that allowing an 
engineer to operate beyond the normal 12-hour limit will not compromise 
safety, in that, host-railroad pilots and supervisors will also be on 
board the locomotive while it is being operated.
    Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings 
by submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate 
scheduling a public hearing in connection with these proceedings since 
the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. 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 these proceedings should identify the 
appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-
2002-11701) and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT Central 
Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401, 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 as far as practicable. All written 
communications concerning these proceedings are available for 
examination during regular business hours (9:00 a.m.--5:00 p.m.) at the 
above facility. 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.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 22, 2002.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 02-10234 Filed 4-25-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P