[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 135 (Friday, July 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42538-42539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15188]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket Nos. FRA-2010-0028, -0029, -0039, -0042, -0043, -0045, -0048, -
0049,-0051, -0054, -0056, -0057, -0058, -0059, -0060, -0061, -0062, -
0064, -0065, and -0070]


Railroads' Joint Request 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 on June 24, 
2022, twenty host railroads submitted a joint request for amendment 
(RFA) to their FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plans 
(PTCSP). As this joint RFA 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' joint RFA to their PTCSPs.

DATES: FRA will consider comments received by August 1, 2022. FRA may 
consider comments received after that date to the extent practicable 
and without delaying implementation of

[[Page 42539]]

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 a joint RFA 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 Title 49 Code of Federal 
Regulations (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 49 CFR 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' recent, joint RFA to their PTCSPs is available in their 
respective public PTC dockets, and this notice provides an opportunity 
for public comment.
    On June 24, 2022, in response to FRA comments, the following 20 
host railroads jointly submitted an RFA to their respective PTCSPs for 
their Interoperable Electronic Train Management Systems: Alaska 
Railroad Corporation, The Belt Railway Company of Chicago, BNSF 
Railway, Caltrain, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, 
Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), CSX Transportation, Inc., 
Kansas City Southern Railway, Kansas City Terminal Railway, National 
Passenger Railroad Corporation (Amtrak), New Mexico Rail Runner 
Express, Norfolk Southern Railway, North County Transit District, 
Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra), 
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, South Florida 
Regional Transportation Authority, Southern California Regional Rail 
Authority (Metrolink), Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, and 
Union Pacific Railroad. Their joint RFA is available in Docket Numbers 
FRA-2010-0028, -0029, -0039, -0042, -0043, -0045, -0048, -0049, -0051, 
-0054, -0056, -0057, -0058, -0059, -0060, -0061, -0062, -0064, -0065, 
and -0070. Interested parties are invited to comment on this RFA by 
submitting written comments or data. During FRA's review of these 
railroads' joint RFA, 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 these railroads' joint RFA 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. 2022-15188 Filed 7-14-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P