[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 92 (Monday, May 12, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27021-27022]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-10478]


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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-2008-0051

    Applicant: Utah Transit Authority, Ms. Jennifer Rigby, General 
Counsel, 3600 South 700 West, P.O. Box 30810, Salt Lake City, Utah 
84130.
    The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) seeks relief from the requirements 
of the Rules, Standards, and Instructions, 49 CFR part 236, Section 
236.513(a), Audible indicator, for its planned commuter rail system 
``FrontRunner,'' to the extent that UTA be permitted to utilize a cab 
signal system that does not contain any onboard acknowledgment device 
beyond the acknowledgment received from movement of brake control(s). 
The location of the request is the entire current and planned 
FrontRunner system. Phase one will be approximately 44 miles between 
Pleasant View, in Weber County, and Salt Lake City, Utah.
    Applicant's justification for relief:
    (1) The installed cab signal system enforces the speed limit of the 
detected cab signal by first warning of, and if no action is taken, 
then immediately requesting an irrevocable penalty brake application 
when the vehicle speed is detected as being at or over the speed limit 
plus a pre-determined buffer.
    (2) In the case of a cab signal aspect downgrade and the vehicle 
speed is above the new downgrade speed limit, the operator must, 
through his action, bring the vehicle speed to the new speed limit in 
accordance with prescribed parameters of the FrontRunner Timetable. If 
the operator fails to act accordingly to reduce the train's speed to 
the required limit, an alarm sounds continuously to warn of a pending 
penalty brake application. If there is no or insufficient action taken 
by the train operator to reduce the speed to the acceptable threshold 
within 4 seconds, an irrevocable penalty brake application is applied.
    (3) In the case of a cab signal aspect downgrade and the vehicle 
speed is already below the new downgrade speed limit, the operator is 
only required to keep the vehicle speed below the new speed limit. In 
either case, the cab signal system sounds a momentary audible alarm to 
indicate that the cab signal aspect has changed. If there is no or 
insufficient action taken by the train operator to reduce the speed to 
the acceptable threshold within 4 seconds, an irrevocable penalty brake 
application is applied.
    (4) In the case of no cab signal downgrade but the vehicle speed 
increases to a value above the speed limit plus the pre-determined 
buffer, the cab signal system requests an immediate, irrevocable, 
penalty brake application.
    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.
    Any interested party desiring to protest the granting of an 
application shall set forth specifically the grounds upon which the 
protest is made, and it shall contain 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 these proceedings should be 
identified by Docket Number FRA-2008-0051and may be submitted by any of 
the following methods:
     Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Operations Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., W12-140, Washington, DC 
20590.
     Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal Holidays.
    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://www.regulations.gov.
    Anyone is able to search the electronic form of any written 
communications and 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).


[[Page 27022]]


    Issued in Washington, DC on May 6, 2008.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. E8-10478 Filed 5-9-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P