[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 117 (Wednesday, June 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36626-36627]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15392]


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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 favour of relief.

National Railroad Passenger Corporation

[Docket Number FRA-2003-14444]

    The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) has petitioned 
for a permanent waiver of compliance for the Acela trainsets and HHP-8 
Electric locomotives from certain dimensional requirements of the 
Railroad Passenger Equipment Safety Standards, 49 CFR 238.429 and 
Safety Appliance Standards, 49 CFR 231.14. Amtrak requests this relief 
due to the unique carbody design of this new equipment and its 
structural frame that precludes installation of safety appliances 
compliant with the safety standards. Amtrak and the equipment's 
manufacturer have made every effort to bring the safety appliance 
arrangement into compliance, but find it not possible for the following 
items:
    [sbull] Requirements of Sec.  238.429(d)(4) & Sec.  
231.14(c)(3)(ii)--``The maximum and minimum distances from the top of 
the rail for vertical handrails and handholds shall be 51 inches * * 
*''.
    Proposed alternate compliance--The current handholds are 
approximately 68 inches from the top of the rail. The structural 
integrity of the carbody side sill would be compromised by strict 
adherence to this dimensional requirement. Amtrak proposes an alternate 
solution with the installation of additional horizontal handholds on 
either side of the cab door, approximately 53 to 54 inches from the top 
of the rail. These additional handholds will provide personnel the 
support necessary for a safe ingress to the powercar or locomotive cab 
area while eliminating the danger of weakening the side sill structure. 
Additionally, carbody clearance constraints and strict infrastructure 
clearance limits dictate that the horizontal handholds have a maximum 
clearance of 2.0 inches.
    [sbull] Requirements of Sec.  238.429(d)(5)--``Vertical handrails 
and handholds shall continue to a point equal to the top edge of the 
control cab door.''
    Relief Requested--The powercar's structural members are arranged 
such that they extend to a point several inches below the top of the 
control cab door to maximize the integrity of the upper framework. The 
vertical handholds are arranged to avoid interference with these 
structural members. Serious consideration was

[[Page 36627]]

given toward applying a horizontal handhold on the uppermost portion of 
the doorframe interior as an alternate compliance, but after further 
analysis Amtrak determined that this would pose a greater safety risk 
during the ingress and egress of personnel at this location. Therefore, 
permanent relief from the requirement that the vertical handhold 
continue to a point equal to the top edge of the control cab door is 
requested.
    [sbull] Requirements of Sec.  238.429(e)(4) & 231.14(b)(2)--``The 
minimum clear depth of the sill step shall be 8 inches''.
    Regarding the sill steps, to decrease the distance in the vertical 
rise measurement from the original 21 inches it was necessary to raise 
the upper step. This revised design maintains the clear depth 
measurement at 7.5 inches. Amtrak believes that decreasing the vertical 
rise while maintaining the depth between the step and the carbody 
ensures a safer sill step area.
    [sbull] Requirements of Sec.  238.429(e)(6) & Sec.  231.14(b)(4)--
``Sill steps shall not have a vertical rise between treads exceeding 18 
inches''.
    Proposed alternate compliance--The original sill step configuration 
had a vertical rise of 21 inches due to constraints with the design of 
the carbody's side sill. This alternate design lowers this distance to 
approximately 20 inches. However, further decrease of this dimension 
would result in a corresponding decrease of the 7.5-inch clear depth of 
the sill step.
    [sbull] Requirements of Sec.  238.429(e)(10)--``50% of the tread 
surface area of each sill step shall be open space''.
    Proposed alternate compliance--Amtrak believes that the current 
serrated design for the lower step, with 2.25-inch high foot guards on 
each side, combined with a non-skid surface material would provide a 
safer tread surface than a more traditional open space design.
    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 (Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-2003-
14444) 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 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 wishes to inform all potential commenters that anyone is able 
to search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our 
dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act 
Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 
65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.


    Issued in Washington, DC on June 11, 2003.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 03-15392 Filed 6-17-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P