[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 19, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Page 52137]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-20285]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket Number FRA-2020-0064]
Notice of Petition for Extension of Waiver of Compliance
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This document provides the public notice that the BNSF Railway
(BNSF) petitioned FRA for relief from certain regulations concerning
track inspections.
DATES: FRA must receive comments on the petition by December 19, 2025.
FRA will consider comments received after that date to the extent
practicable.
ADDRESSES:
Comments: Comments related to this docket 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
docket number. All comments received will be posted without change to
https://www.regulations.gov; this includes any personal information.
Please see the Privacy Act heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this document for Privacy Act information related to any
submitted comments or materials.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the
online instructions for accessing the docket.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yujiang Zhang, Staff Director, FRA
Track & Structures Division, telephone: 202-493-6460, email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under part 211 of title 49 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR), this document provides the public notice that by
letter received July 9, 2025, BNSF petitioned FRA for an extension of a
waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal railroad
safety regulations contained at 49 CFR part 213 (Track Safety
Standards). FRA assigned the petition Docket Number FRA-2020-0064.
BNSF requests extended relief from Sec. 213.233(b) and (c), Visual
track inspections, which specifies the method and frequency for visual
track inspections. BNSF seeks to continue using a combination of track
geometry measurement system (TGMS) and visual track inspection methods
on three territories: the Powder River Division, the Southern Transcon
corridor, and the Northern Transcon corridor. BNSF states that the
territories have seen ``substantial improvements'' in defect rates
``compared to their pre-waiver periods.'' The petition seeks relief for
a six-month period from its expiration date (January 19, 2026), and
states that FRA is considering relief for the Association of American
Railroads on ``substantially similar subject matter'' in Docket Number
FRA-2025-0059.
A copy of the petition, as well as any written communications
concerning the petition, is available for review online at
www.regulations.gov.
Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings
by submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate
scheduling a public hearing in connection with these proceedings since
the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party
desires an opportunity for oral comment and a public hearing, they
should notify FRA, in writing, before the end of the comment period and
specify the basis for their request.
Communications received by December 19, 2025 will be considered by
FRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date
will be considered if practicable.
Privacy Act
Anyone can search the electronic form of any written communications
and comments received into any of FRA's dockets by the name of the
individual submitting the comment (or signing the document, if
submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.).
Under 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the public to inform
its processes. DOT posts these comments, without edit, including any
personal information the commenter provides, to 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 also https://www.regulations.gov/privacy-notice for the privacy notice of
regulations.gov.
Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2025-20285 Filed 11-18-25; 8:45 am]
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