[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 98 (Monday, May 23, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29552-29553]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10282]


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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-2005-20898

Applicant: CSX Transportation, Incorporated, Mr. N. Michael Choat, 
Chief Engineer, Communications and Signal, 4901 Belfort Road, Suite 
130, Jacksonville, Florida 32256.

    CSX Transportation (CSXT) seeks approval to extend the temporary 
discontinuance of the automatic block signal (ABS) system, near Winter 
Park, Florida, between milepost MPA 784.7 and milepost MPA 791.7, on 
the Jacksonville Division, Sanford Subdivision, for a period not to 
exceed one year. The request is associated with the August 13 and 
September 5, 2004 catastrophic events, in which CSXT experienced severe 
weather events, Hurricane Charlie and Hurricane Frances, which 
devastated most of the existing pole line in the area. The extensive 
pole line damage resulted in the suspension of the ABS system, as 
authorized by Title 49 CFR, Sec.  235.7(a)(4), and the implementation 
of Track Warrant Control/Direct Traffic Control Rules, under the 
direction of the train dispatcher, to govern train movements.
    The reason given for the proposed changes is that all grade 
crossing warning devices are now operational on

[[Page 29553]]

the No. 2 main track, and electronic track circuits have been 
installed, placing the ABS signals back in service under Current of 
Traffic rules. The No. 1 main track is currently out of service, and 
the track inaccessible to rail traffic. Currently, work is in progress 
to return the damaged portion of the No.1 main track to service, but an 
extension for the temporary discontinuance is needed for completion of 
the scope of work within the submitted time line.
    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 May 17, 2005.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 05-10282 Filed 5-20-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P