[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 28435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11125]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket Numbers FRA-2010-0028, -0029, -0039, -0042, -0043, -0045, -
0048, -0051, -0054, -0056, -0057, -0058, -0059, -0060, -0061, -0062, -
0064, -0065, and -0070]


Railroads' Requests To Amend Their Positive Train Control Safety 
Plans and Positive Train Control Systems

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

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This document provides the public with notice that, during 
March, April, and early May of 2021, nineteen host railroads submitted 
requests for amendments (RFA) to their FRA-approved Positive Train 
Control Safety Plans (PTCSP). As these RFAs may involve requests for 
FRA's approval of proposed material modifications to FRA-certified 
positive train control (PTC) systems, FRA is publishing this notice and 
inviting public comment on railroads' RFAs to their PTCSPs.

DATES: FRA will consider comments received by June 7, 2021. FRA may 
consider comments received after that date to the extent practicable 
and without delaying implementation of valuable or necessary 
modifications to PTC systems.

ADDRESSES: Comments: Comments may be submitted by going to https://www.regulations.gov and following the online instructions for 
submitting comments.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and the 
applicable docket number. The relevant PTC docket numbers for the host 
railroads that filed RFAs to their PTCSPs are cited above and in the 
Supplementary Information section of this notice. For convenience, all 
active PTC dockets are hyperlinked on FRA's website at https://railroads.dot.gov/train-control/ptc/ptc-annual-and-quarterly-reports. 
All comments received will be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov; this includes any personal information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gabe Neal, Deputy Staff Director, 
Signal, Train Control, and Crossings Division, telephone: 816-516-7168, 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In general, Title 49 United States Code 
(U.S.C.) Section 20157(h) requires FRA to certify that a host 
railroad's PTC system complies with 49 CFR part 236, subpart I, before 
the technology may be operated in revenue service. Before making 
certain changes to an FRA-certified PTC system or the associated FRA-
approved PTCSP, a host railroad must submit, and obtain FRA's approval 
of, an RFA to its PTCSP under Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) Section 236.1021.
    Under 49 CFR 236.1021(e), FRA's regulations provide that FRA will 
publish a notice in the Federal Register and invite public comment in 
accordance with 49 CFR part 211, if an RFA includes a request for 
approval of a material modification of a signal and train control 
system. Accordingly, this notice informs the public that host 
railroads' March 2021 and April 2021 RFAs to their PTCSPs are available 
in their respective public PTC dockets, and this notice provides an 
opportunity for public comment on these RFAs.
    On March 3, 2021, CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSX) submitted an RFA 
to its PTCSP for its Interoperable Electronic Train Management System 
(I-ETMS), and that RFA is available in Docket No. FRA-2010-0028. On 
March 12, 2021, Union Pacific Railroad (UP) submitted an RFA to its I-
ETMS PTCSP, and that RFA is available in Docket No. FRA-2010-0061. On 
March 14, 2021, and April 20, 2021, respectively, the National Railroad 
Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) submitted an RFA to its I-ETMS PTCSP and 
an RFA to FRA's Type Approval and PTC System Certification of Amtrak's 
Incremental Train Control System, and those RFAs are available in 
Docket No. FRA-2010-0029. On March 16, 2021, Kansas City Southern 
Railway (KCS) submitted an RFA to its I-ETMS PTCSP, and that RFA is 
available in Docket No. FRA-2010-0059. On March 22, 2021, Norfolk 
Southern Railway (NS) submitted an RFA to its I-ETMS PTCSP, and that 
RFA is available in Docket No. FRA-2010-0060.
    In addition, on April 23, 2021, the following 19 host railroads 
jointly submitted an RFA to their I-ETMS PTCSPs: Alaska Railroad 
Corporation, Amtrak, The Belt Railway Company of Chicago, BNSF Railway, 
Caltrain, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP), 
Consolidated Rail Corporation, CSX, Kansas City Terminal Railway, KCS, 
New Mexico Rail Runner Express, Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter 
Railroad Corporation (Metra), Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation 
District, NS, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Southern 
California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink), Terminal Railroad 
Association of St. Louis, and UP. Their joint RFA is available in 
Docket Numbers FRA-2010-0028, -0029, -0039, -0042, -0043, -0045, -0048, 
-0051, -0054, -0056, -0057, -0058, -0059, -0060, -0061, -0062, -0064, -
0065, and -0070. Finally, on May 5, 2021, CP submitted an RFA to its I-
ETMS PTCSP, and that RFA is available in Docket No. FRA-2010-0058.
    Interested parties are invited to comment on any RFAs to railroads' 
PTCSPs by submitting written comments or data. During FRA's review of 
railroads' RFAs, FRA will consider any comments or data submitted 
within the timeline specified in this notice and to the extent 
practicable, without delaying implementation of valuable or necessary 
modifications to PTC systems. See 49 CFR 236.1021; see also 49 CFR 
236.1011(e). Under 49 CFR 236.1021, FRA maintains the authority to 
approve, approve with conditions, or deny railroads' RFAs to their 
PTCSPs at FRA's sole discretion.

Privacy Act Notice

    In accordance with 49 CFR 211.3, FRA solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its decisions. DOT posts these comments, 
without edit, including any personal information the commenter 
provides, to https://www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of 
records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at https://www.transportation.gov/privacy. See https://www.regulations.gov/privacy-notice for the privacy notice of regulations.gov. To facilitate 
comment tracking, we encourage commenters to provide their name, or the 
name of their organization; however, submission of names is completely 
optional. If you wish to provide comments containing proprietary or 
confidential information, please contact FRA for alternate submission 
instructions.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
Carolyn R. Hayward-Williams,
Director, Office of Railroad Systems and Technology.
[FR Doc. 2021-11125 Filed 5-25-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P