[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 85 (Monday, May 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24218-24219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-9951]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Petition for Special Approval of Alternate Standard

    In accordance with Sec. 238.21 of title 49 Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR), notice is hereby given that the Federal Railroad 
Administration (FRA) received a request for approval of an Alternate 
Standard 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.

[[Page 24219]]

Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad Special Approval 
Petition Docket Number FRA-2004-17099

    Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad (MNCW), 
further identified herein as the railroads seek approval for use of an 
alternate standard required to be used in accordance with the Passenger 
Equipment Safety Standards, 49 CFR part 238. Section 309, periodic 
maintenance of MU locomotive equipment brakes. Section 309(b)(2) 
requires periodic brake equipment maintenance to be performed at an 
interval not to exceed every 1,104 days. The railroads are requesting 
an alternate standard for M7-MU locomotives that would require that 
periodic brake equipment maintenance be performed at an interval not to 
exceed every 1,840 days.
    The railroads state that the new M7 locomotive air brake equipment 
is supplied by Knorr Brake Corporation. The air brake system is 
integrated with the propulsion system, and a full pneumatic back up of 
the emergency brake application function is available through the 
emergency brake valve and conductors valve. The M7 utilizes various 
systems to monitor, diagnose, and report brake equipment functions to a 
centralized diagnostic system on board the equipment. The railroads 
submitted required technical documentation, a Preliminary Hazard 
Analysis, Failure Modes and Effect Analysis, and Maintainability 
Analysis, and has served a copy of the petition on designated 
representatives of its employees together with a list of the names and 
addresses of the persons served. This information is available at the 
DOT docket site contained in this notice.
    Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings 
by submitting written views, data, or comments. Each comment shall set 
forth specifically the basis upon which it is made and contain a 
concise statement of the interest of the commenter in the proceeding. 
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 (FRA-2004-17099) and must be submitted to the 
Docket Clerk, DOT Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401 (Plaza 
Level), 400 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Communications 
received within 30 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.
    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). The statement 
may also be found at http://dms.dot.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 27, 2004.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 04-9951 Filed 4-30-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P