[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 31, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 31005]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10697]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket Number FRA-2005-21153]


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.
    Applicants: National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Mr. R. Stephen 
Strachan, Chief Transportation Officer, 15 S. Poplar Street, 
Wilmington, Delaware 19801;
    Norfolk Southern Corporation, Mr. Brian L. Sykes, Chief Engineer, 
C&S Engineering, 99 Spring Street, SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303.
    The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) and Norfolk 
Southern Railway Company, jointly seeks approval of the proposed 
modification of the signal system, between Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 
milepost 65.2 and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, milepost 103.3, on Amtrak's 
Mid-Atlantic Division, Harrisburg Line. The proposal consists of the 
removal of all intermediate wayside signals, retaining only distant and 
home signals, in connection with the installation of full reverse 
signaling with cab signals and speed control between ``Cork'' and 
``State'' Interlockings. In addition, the proposal includes the 
following:
    1. All hand-operated switches on the main tracks will be 
electrically locked;
    2. Hot box and dragging equipment detectors will be consolidated 
into one location for this portion of the line;
    3. At the eastern most portion of existing Cork Interlocking, the 
No. 7 power-operated crossover will be replaced with a hand-operated 
switch equipped with an electric lock, the No. 1 power-operated 
crossover will be removed, Signals 2R/4R, 2L, 6L, 6R, 20L and 20R will 
be removed, and the No. 16 hand-operated switch to the New Holland 
Secondary will become power-operated, and will be remote-controlled via 
a new Control Point ``Holland'';
    4. The portion of Cork Interlocking just east of the Lancaster 
passenger station platforms will be remote-controlled via a new 
interlocking ``Conestoga'', the tail track between existing Signals 14R 
and 20L will become a non signaled track used by maintenance of way 
equipment and occasional freight trains only, the electric lock on 
Switch No. 30A will be removed, the eastward and westward station 
tracks will be removed along with their signals, and the platforms will 
be extended to meet Main Tracks No.'s 1 and 2;
    5. The portion of Cork Interlocking just west of the platforms will 
be reconfigured and remote-controlled and will retain the name 
``Cork,'' Switches No.'s 49, 40A, 40C and 40D will be removed, and 
Signal 38L will be replaced by new Signal 7E, reducing the limits of 
the interlocking on the No. 7 track;
    6. The western most portion of existing Cork Interlocking will be 
replaced with the new Control Point ``Lititz,'' Signals 66L, 66R and 
62R will be removed and the No. 65 power-operated crossover will become 
Switch No. 25, a single power-operated turnout, and Signal 64R will be 
removed and a new signal 2W installed near the point of switch, 
reducing the limits of the interlocking on No. 2 track; and
    7. At Roy Interlocking, the No.15 power-operated switch will be 
replaced with an electrically-locked, hand-operated switch, Signals 14L 
and 14C will be removed, and a new Signal 9W installed. This will 
establish the Route 441 highway-rail crossing outside of interlocking 
limits, and the crossing will be upgraded with a constant warning 
device.
    The reason given for the proposed change is to retire facilities no 
longer required, to provide reverse signaling on all main tracks, to 
reconfigure Cork Interlocking to eliminate diverging moves for 
passenger trains stopping at the Lancaster Station, and to provide a 
30-mph freight train route through Lancaster. Eventually, Amtrak 
intends to expand this system eastward all the way to Philadelphia.
    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 24, 2005.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 05-10697 Filed 5-27-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P