[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 90 (Tuesday, May 10, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28098-28099]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-09943]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2010-0054]


Alaska Railroad Corporation's Request To Field Test Its Positive 
Train Control System

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, on April 
25, 2022, the Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) submitted a request to 
field test new functionality to improve the safety critical nature of 
existing functions, such as mandatory directive conveyance and 
confirmation, and conditional authorities, and a safety server that is 
being added in ARRC's PTC Office

[[Page 28099]]

Segment to provide safety oversight of these new functions with the 
intent of improving the safety and efficiency of rail operations. FRA 
is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on the railroad's 
field test request.

DATES: FRA will consider comments received by July 11, 2022. FRA may 
consider comments received after that date to the extent practicable 
and without delaying implementation of valuable or necessary 
modifications to a PTC system.

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 number for this host 
railroad is Docket No. FRA-2010-0054. 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, Staff Director, Signal, 
Train Control, and Crossings Division, telephone: 816-516-7168, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 11, 2020, FRA certified ARRC's 
Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS) PTC system 
under Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 236.1015 and 
Title 49 United States Code (U.S.C.) 20157(h). Pursuant to 49 CFR 
236.1035, a railroad must obtain FRA's approval before field testing an 
uncertified PTC system, or a product of an uncertified PTC system, or 
any regression testing of a certified PTC system on the general rail 
system. See 49 CFR 236.1035(a).
    Interested parties are invited to comment on ARRC's field test 
request by submitting written comments or data. During FRA's review of 
this railroad's field test request, 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 a PTC system. Under 49 CFR 236.1035, FRA 
maintains the authority to approve, approve with conditions, or deny a 
railroad's field test request 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. 2022-09943 Filed 5-9-22; 8:45 am]
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