[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 83 (Wednesday, April 30, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 23176]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10582]


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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 Requirements

    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-2003-14646

Applicant: Canadian National Railway, Mr. Dwight Tays, Chief Engineer, 
1004--104th Avenue, Floor 16, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5J-0K2.

    The Canadian National Railway (CN) seeks relief from the 
requirements of the Rules, Standards and Instructions, 49 CFR, part 
236, Sec.  236.110, to the extent that each test record need not be 
signed by the person making the inspection or test. CN is implementing 
an electronic system for recording and maintaining signal inspection 
and test records. The system will provide inherent security measures, 
which will uniquely identify the person entering the electronic record 
by means of an encoded PIN number. Once a record is entered and 
verified it cannot be modified. In conjunction with this relief, CN 
also requests the utilization of an electronic system for recording and 
maintaining applicable inspection and test records as defined in 49 
CFR, part 234, subject to approval by the Associate Administrator for 
Safety, as required by Sec.  234.273.
    Applicant's justification for relief: CN believes that the 
electronic system will serve the best interest of both CN and the 
Federal and State Inspection authorities that are required to inspect 
records. CN also anticipates this system will provide many benefits, 
including:
    [sbull] Improved availability of test records.
    [sbull] Improved management reporting of compliance.
    [sbull] Improved consistency for filing records.
    [sbull] A reduction in the need for paper documentation.
    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 PI-401, 400 7th 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 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.
    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 April 23, 2003.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 03-10582 Filed 4-29-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P