[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 77 (Friday, April 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 24655]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08456]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2010-0030]


Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Request To Amend 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 
7, 2023, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) 
submitted a request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-certified positive 
train control (PTC) system in order to support the implementation of 
PTC on its commuter rail network. On MBTA's North Side, the PTC System 
in the area is being reconfigured and must be taken out of service 
during the recommissioning of Automatic Train Control (ATC) and the 
subsequent recommissioning of MBTA's Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement 
System II (ACSES II). FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public 
comment on the railroad's RFA to its PTC system.

DATES: FRA will consider comments received by May 11, 2023. 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-2010-0030. 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 PTC Safety Plan 
(PTCSP), a host railroad must submit, and obtain FRA's approval of, an 
RFA to its PTC system or 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, on April 7, 
2023, MBTA submitted an RFA to its ACSES II system, which seeks FRA's 
approval to install Construction Zone (CZ) Transponders on MBTA's 
Western Route Main Line (WRML) segment between June and December 2023. 
MBTA state that the installation of the CZs is required to implement 
ATC and to reconfigure and retest PTC on MBTA's WRML. The CZs will 
result in the suspension of portions of the PTC system on these lines. 
During this time there will be no revenue passenger operations until 
the ATC system is placed into operation. Freight and non-revenue 
passenger operations will be conducted under NORAC rule 241 that limits 
trains to Restricted Speed. Once the ATC system is in operation, the 
ATC system along with the operating rules will govern train operations 
until the test and commissioning of the reconfigured ACSES system is 
complete. The RFA is available in Docket No. FRA-2010-0030.
    Interested parties are invited to comment on MBTA's RFA to its PTC 
system by submitting written comments or data. During FRA's review of 
this railroad's 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 a PTC system. 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 a railroad's RFA to its PTC 
system 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. 2023-08456 Filed 4-20-23; 8:45 am]
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