[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 147 (Wednesday, August 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50948-50949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16407]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket Number FRA-2010-0029]


Amtrak's Request To Amend Its Positive Train Control Safety Plan 
and 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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[[Page 50949]]

SUMMARY: This document provides the public with notice that, on July 
14, 2023, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) 
submitted two requests for amendment (RFA). The first RFA is to 
Amtrak's FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP) and 
its Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System II (ACSES II), which seeks 
FRA's approval to introduce modified safety server software to address 
a known defect and updates to type approval documentation. The second 
RFA is to Amtrak's FRA-certified positive train control (PTC) system 
for its ACSES II system, which seeks FRA's approval to install 
Construction Zone (CZ) transponders to support cutover activities on 
the Philadelphia to Washington (PW) line. As these RFAs may involve 
requests for FRA's approval of proposed material modifications to an 
FRA-certified PTC system, FRA is publishing this notice and inviting 
public comment on Amtrak's RFAs to its PTCSP and PTC system.

DATES: FRA will consider comments received by August 22, 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-2010-0029. 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 or discontinuance of a signal and 
train control system. Accordingly, this notice informs the public that, 
on July 14, 2023, Amtrak submitted an RFA to its PTCSP and ACSES II PTC 
system, which seeks FRA's approval to introduce modified safety server 
software to address a known defect and updates to type approval 
documentation, and an RFA to its FRA-certified PTC system for its ACSES 
II system, which seeks FRA's approval to install CZ transponders to 
support cutover activities on the Philadelphia to Washington line. 
These RFAs are both available in Docket No. FRA-2010-0029.
    Interested parties are invited to comment on Amtrak's RFAs to its 
PTCSP and PTC system by submitting written comments or data. During 
FRA's review of Amtrak's 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 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 
PTCSP 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. 2023-16407 Filed 8-1-23; 8:45 am]
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