[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21735-21736]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07558]


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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 March 
22, 2023, twenty host railroads submitted a joint request for amendment 
(RFA) to their FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plans (PTCSP) 
reflecting the updated PTC onboard software, I-ETMS On-Board 6.5.0 and 
On-Board 6.5.1. This RFA includes modifications to the associated PTC 
Concept of Operations and PTC System Description documents, change or 
addition of system safety-critical functionality, modification to 
target safety levels and changes to the human-machine interface which 
requires amendments to PTC training for train crews. The functionality 
changes include: updates to Train Restriction Types to address the 
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) final 
rule which restricts operating speeds of High-Hazard Flammable Train; 
the addition of a new system safety critical function, PTC Suspension, 
that prevents the generation and enforcement of targets within the 
limits of a PTC Suspension area with the exception of navigation 
failure and synchronization errors; and updates to the onboard

[[Page 21736]]

display to show prompting to the train crew whenever a system fault 
related to braking prediction calculation exits. As this joint RFA 
involves requests for FRA's approval of the 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 May 1, 2023. 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 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/research-development/program-areas/train-control/ptc/railroads-ptc-dockets. 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: 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 the twenty 
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 March 22, 2023, the following twenty host railroads jointly 
submitted an RFA to their respective PTCSPs for their Interoperable 
Electronic Train Management Systems (I-ETMS): Alaska Railroad; The Belt 
Railway Company of Chicago; BNSF Railway; Caltrain; Canadian National 
Railway; Canadian Pacific Railway; Consolidated Rail Corporation; CSX 
Transportation, Inc.; Kansas City Southern Railway; Kansas City 
Terminal Railway; National Railroad Passenger 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. 2023-07558 Filed 4-10-23; 8:45 am]
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