[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 41 (Thursday, March 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 10472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-4139]


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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 favor of relief.

New Jersey Transit

[Docket Number FRA-2004-18577]

    New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) seeks a modification to its waiver 
granted September 29, 2004. NJ Transit was granted a waiver of 
compliance from the provisions of the Federal Track Safety Standards, 
49 CFR 213.345, subpart G, regarding use of instrumented wheelset tests 
(IWS) for vehicle qualification testing of its new COMET V coach 
equipment. In lieu of the IWS tests, NJ Transit demonstrated similarity 
with in-service COMET IV coach equipment through testing with 
accelerometers. The testing verified that the design and performance of 
each type of equipment was substantially the same and NJ Transit was 
granted a waiver allowing its COMET V coach equipment to operate at 
maximum speed of 100 mph and three inches of cant deficiency on 
AMTRAK's NEC between Newark, NJ and Philadelphia, PA.
    NJ Transit is asking the Federal Railroad Administration to modify 
the language of the waiver to extend the operating limits of this 
equipment to New York City, NY, in order to eliminate operational 
issues and the need to list equipment on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) 
timetable with different speeds for different locations. NJ Transit 
seeks further modification so that the original waiver will also apply 
to identical Metro North Railroad (MNCW) COMET V coach equipment (NJ 
Transit operates MNCW's Port Jervis, NY Line from Port Jervis, NY to 
Hoboken, NJ) that is used interchangeably by NJ Transit in NEC 
trainsets between Newark, NJ and Philadelphia, PA.
    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 communication concerning these proceedings should identify the 
appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-
2004-18577) 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.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 18, 2005.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-4139 Filed 3-2-05; 8:45 am]
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