[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 146 (Friday, August 1, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36279-36280]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-14631]
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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, and FRA-2011-0104]
Railroads' Joint Request To Amend Their Positive Train Control
Safety Plans
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 July
25, 2025, 21 host railroads submitted a joint request for amendment
(RFA) to their FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plans (PTCSP)
to implement onboard software Version 6.5.5.0, which would require
modifications to the Interoperable Train Control (ITC) Positive Train
Control (PTC) Concept of Operations and to the human-machine interface
(HMI). As this joint RFA may involve requests for FRA's approval of
proposed material modifications to FRA-certified PTC systems, FRA is
publishing this notice and inviting public comment on the railroads'
joint RFA to their PTCSPs.
DATES: FRA will consider comments received by August 21, 2025. FRA may
consider comments received after that
[[Page 36280]]
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 or train control
system. Accordingly, this notice informs the public that, on July 25,
2025, the following 21 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; Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain);
Canadian National Railway; Canadian Pacific Railway; Central Florida
Rail Corridor (SunRail); 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. This RFA covers an update to
onboard software Version 6.5.5.0, which would require modifications to
the ITC PTC Concept of Operations and to the HMI. The railroads' 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, and FRA-2011-0104.
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. 2025-14631 Filed 7-31-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P