[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 52 (Friday, March 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13226-13227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-5363]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Norfolk Southern Corporation

(Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-2005-20384)

    The Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS) seeks a waiver of compliance 
for locomotives assigned to operate over the hump yard retarders at its 
Bellevue, OH, and Roanoke, VA, yards, from the requirements of the 
Locomotive Safety Standards, 49 CFR 229.123, which requires each lead 
locomotive be equipped with an end plate, pilot plate, or snow plow, 
that extends across both rails at a maximum clearance of six inches. NS 
indicates that due to the height of the retarders, it is not uncommon 
for locomotive pilots or

[[Page 13227]]

snow plows to strike them when operating over the hump. If the waiver 
is granted, NS would raise the height of the pilot plates or snow plow 
to allow more clearance and would re-adjust the height whenever it is 
necessary for a hump assigned locomotive to be moved from Bellevue or 
Roanoke yards.
    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 (FRA-2005-20384) 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 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.
    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 March 14, 2005.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 05-5363 Filed 3-17-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P