[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 15 (Thursday, January 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 3306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-1473]


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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. 20502(a), the following railroad has 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 Number FRA-2002-13950

    Applicant: Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, Mr. William G. 
Peterson, Director Signal Engineering, 4515 Kansas Avenue, Kansas City, 
Kansas 66106.
    The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) seeks relief 
from the requirements of the Rules, Standard and Instructions, Title 49 
CFR, part 236, Section 236.312, on the Crescent Bridge at Rock Island, 
Illinois, on the Illinois Division, Barstow Subdivision, LS 7, milepost 
253.89 to the extent that BNSF is neither required to detect proper 
rail surface and alignment to within three-eighths (\3/8\) of an inch, 
nor be required to detect that the wedges are within one inch of being 
fully driven before a signal governing movements over the bridge can 
display an aspect to proceed.
    Applicant's justification for relief: The expense associated with 
modifying this unique and antiquated bridge design to fully comply with 
these requirements, and FRA's indication that it would be receptive to 
a waiver request as conveyed in the denial decision of Docket FRA-2002-
11370, which requested discontinuance and removal of the interlocking.
    Any interested party desiring to protest the granting of an 
application shall set forth, specifically, the grounds upon which the 
protest is made and include a concise statement of the interest of the 
party 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 PL-401 (Plaza Level), 400 
Seventh Street, SW., 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 the above facility. All documents 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 January 15, 2003.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 03-1473 Filed 1-22-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P