[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 144 (Monday, July 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 44381]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19046]


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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-2003-14799

    Applicant: CSX Transportation, Mr. N. Michael Choat, Assistant 
Chief Engineer of Signal Maintenance, 4901 Belfort Road, Suite 130 
(J370), Jacksonville, Florida 32256.
    CSX Transportation (CSXT) seeks approval to extend the temporary 
discontinuance of the traffic control system (TCS), on portions of the 
Florence Service Lane, Aberdeen Subdivision, between milepost S164.8 
and milepost S241.6, for approximately one year. The request is 
associated with the December 6, 2002-catastrophic event in which CSXT 
experienced a severe ice storm over portions of the Aberdeen 
Subdivision. Major damage to the signal pole line resulted in the 
removal of the TCS from service as authorized by 49 CFR, Section 
235.7(a)(4), and implementation of Direct Traffic Control (DTC), under 
the direction of the train dispatcher.
    The reason given for the proposed changes is to allow CSXT time to 
file a block signal application with the Federal Railroad 
Administration for the proposed permanent discontinuance and removal of 
the existing TCS between milepost S164.8 and milepost S241.6, and 
installation of DTC authority for movement supplemented with CSXT's 
Communications Based Train Management System (CTBM). The petition 
process and the implementation of CBTM would be completed within the 
one-year time frame.
    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 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 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.
    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 July 21, 2003.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 03-19046 Filed 7-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P