[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 222 (Tuesday, November 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68751-68752]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27217]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket Number FRA-1999-6253]


Petition for Waiver of Compliance

    In accordance with Part 211 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR), this document provides the public notice that the Utah Transit 
Authority (UTA) has petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration 
(FRA) for a waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal 
railroad safety regulations. FRA assigned the petition Docket Number 
FRA-1999-6253.
    UTA, operator of the TRAX light rail system in Salt Lake City, UT, 
seeks an extension/partial modification of the current terms and 
conditions of its current Shared Use waiver of compliance from certain 
provisions of Title 49. The TRAX system is operated with temporal 
separation on track owned by UTA and shared partially with Utah Railway 
Company and Savage Bingham & Garfield Railroad Company freight trains 
dispatched by UTA. Safety oversight of UTA is the responsibility of the 
Federal Transit Administration via the Utah Department of 
Transportation as prescribed in 49 CFR Part 659. UTA was granted the 
original Shared Use waiver by the FRA Railroad Safety Board on August 
19, 1999, for the North-South Line; the waiver was modified on March 
25, 2011, to include a portion of the Mid-Jordan extension with its 
additional new Siemens S70 rolling stock. With this request, UTA is 
modifying the limits of Shared Use of the North-South Line to reflect 
the cessation of freight service south of 6100 South as part of the new 
transit-exclusive Draper Extension to the North-South Line.
    Noting these various operational and infrastructure changes 
occurring on the TRAX system over the last several years, and the 
associated modifications to the regulatory relief granted by FRA, UTA 
is requesting that FRA extend the regulatory relief granted to date 
related to the TRAX system (inclusive of North-South and Bingham 
Extension portions that feature nightly freight service and thus a 
connection with the general railroad system) and coordinate that relief 
so that all such waivers will expire at the same time--5 years from the 
date of FRA's decision letter. UTA submits that the extension and 
modifications of the waiver sought are in the public interest and 
consistent with railroad safety because UTA will adopt specific 
policies and procedures that will provide a level of safety equivalent 
to that provided by full compliance with FRA regulations. UTA submits 
that this request is consistent with the waiver process for Shared Use. 
See Statement of Agency Policy Concerning Jurisdiction Over the Safety 
of Railroad Passenger Operations and Waivers Related to Shared Use of 
the Tracks of the General Railroad System by Light Rail and 
Conventional Equipment, 65 FR 42529 (July 10, 2000);

[[Page 68752]]

see also Joint Statement of Agency Policy Concerning Shared Use of the 
Tracks of the General Railroad System by Conventional Railroads and 
Light Rail Transit Systems, 65 FR 42626 (July 10, 2000).
    Specifically, UTA requests relief from the following provisions of 
Title 49 of the CFR: Part 210--Railroad Noise Emission Compliance; Part 
217--Railroad Operating Rules; Part 218--Railroad Operating Practices; 
Part 219--Control of Alcohol and Drug Use; Part 220--Railroad 
Communications; 221.13(d) and 221.14(a) (pertaining to rear end marking 
devices); 223.9(c), 223.15(c) and 223.17 (pertaining to safety glazing 
standards and emergency windows); certain aspects of Part 225--Railroad 
Accidents/Incidents; Part 228--Hours of Service (A-E); 229.46-229.59, 
229.61, 229.65, 229.71, 229.77(b), 229.125, 229.135 (pertaining to 
locomotive safety standards); 231.14 (pertaining to railroad safety 
appliance standards); 234.105 (pertaining to grade crossing signal 
systems safety and activation failures); 238.113, 238.115(b), 238.203, 
238.205(b), 238.207, 238.209, 238.211, 238.213, 238.215, 238.217, 
238.221, 238.229, 238.231, 238.233, 238.301-238.319 (pertaining to 
passenger equipment safety standards); Part 239--Passenger Rail 
Emergency Preparedness; Part 240--Qualification and Certification of 
Locomotive Engineers; Part 242--Conductor Certification.
    A copy of the petition, as well as any written communications 
concerning the petition, is available for review online at 
www.regulations.gov and in person at the U.S. Department of 
Transportation's (DOT) Docket Operations Facility, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. The Docket Operations 
Facility is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal Holidays.
    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 and 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 by January 2, 2015 will be considered by 
FRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date 
will be considered as far as practicable.
    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 document, 
if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). 
See http://www.regulations.gov/#!privacyNotice for the privacy notice 
of regulations.gov or interested parties may review DOT's complete 
Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 
2000 (65 FR 19477).

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2014.
Ron Hynes,
Director, Office of Technical Oversight.
[FR Doc. 2014-27217 Filed 11-17-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P