[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 69 (Thursday, April 9, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20017-20018]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07427]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2020-0014]


Program Approval; Canadian National Railway

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of approval.

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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to explain its rationale for 
approving a Canadian National Railway (CN) petition for a Test Program 
designed to test track inspection technologies (i.e., an autonomous 
track geometry measurement system) and new operational approaches to 
track inspections and its rationale for granting a limited, temporary 
suspension of a substantive FRA rule that is necessary to facilitate 
the conduct of the Test Program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yu-Jiang Zhang, Staff Director, Track 
Division, Office of Railroad Safety, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 
Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 493-6460 or email 
[email protected]; Aaron Moore, Attorney, Office of Chief Counsel, 
FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 
493-7009 or email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 11, 2019, CN petitioned FRA 
under Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 211.51 to 
suspend certain requirements of FRA's track safety regulations to 
conduct a program to test new track inspection technologies (i.e., an 
autonomous track geometry measurement system) and new operational 
approaches to track

[[Page 20018]]

inspections. CN also submitted a written Test Program providing a 
description of the proposed tests and the geographic scope of the 
testing territory.
    The Test Program specifies that the tests will be conducted on 
approximately 1,204 miles of main line and siding tracks on CN's 
corridor between Chicago and New Orleans, spanning 11 subdivisions.
    The Test Program is designed to test autonomous track geometry 
measurement systems and gradually decrease manual visual inspections as 
an alternative to FRA's inspection frequency requirements. CN indicates 
that it will continue to use other inspection technologies during the 
Test Program, including: (1) Vehicle Track Interaction monitoring 
systems; (2) ultrasonic rail inspection systems; and (3) optical joint 
bar inspection systems. The Test Program will be carried out in four 
separate phases over the course of 12 months, as detailed in Exhibit C 
of the Test Program (available for review at www.regulations.gov 
(docket number FRA-2020-0014)).
    After review and analysis of CN's petition for a Test Program, 
subject to certain conditions designed to ensure safety, FRA approved 
CN's Test Program and suspended the requirements of 49 CFR 
213.233(b)(3) \1\ and (c) as necessary to carry out the Test Program. A 
copy of FRA's letter approving CN's Test Program and granting the 
requested limited temporary suspension of 49 CFR 213.233(b)(3) and (c), 
as well as a complete copy of the Test Program, is available in docket 
number FRA-2020-0014 at www.regulations.gov. FRA's letter approving 
CN's Test Program and granting the requested limited temporary 
suspension of certain regulations specifically details the conditions 
CN will need to undertake during the Test Program. As required by 49 
CFR 211.51(c), FRA is providing this explanatory statement describing 
the Test Program.
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    \1\ The suspension of 49 CFR 213.233(b)(3) only applies to 
Phases 3 and 4 of the Test Program.
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    As explained more fully in its approval letter, FRA finds that the 
temporary, limited suspension of 49 CFR 213.233(b)(3) and (c) is 
necessary to the conduct of the approved Test Program, which is 
specifically designed to evaluate the effectiveness of new automated 
track inspection technologies and operational methods. Furthermore, FRA 
also finds that the scope and application of the granted suspension of 
49 CFR 213.233(b)(3) and (c) as applied to the Test Program are limited 
to that necessary to conduct the Test Program. Finally, FRA's approval 
letter outlines the conditions of the Test Program that will ensure 
standards sufficient to assure safety.

John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-07427 Filed 4-8-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-06-P