Petition for Waiver of Compliance

• Published date: 10 January 2020
• Citation: 85 FR 1371
• Record Number: 2020-00231
• Section: Notices
• Court: Federal Railroad Administration,Transportation Department

Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 7 (Friday, January 10, 2020)

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 7 (Friday, January 10, 2020)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 1371-1372]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2020-00231]
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                DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
                Federal Railroad Administration
                [Docket Number FRA-2019-0096]
                Petition for Waiver of Compliance
                 Under part 211 of title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), this
                document provides the public notice that on October 30, 2019, the
                National Railroad Passenger Corporation
                [[Page 1372]]
                (Amtrak) petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a
                waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal railroad
                safety regulations contained at 49 CFR part 238. FRA assigned the
                petition Docket Number FRA-2019-0096.
                 Specifically, Amtrak has petitioned FRA for a waiver from the
                requirements of 49 CFR 238.111(a), pre-revenue service acceptance
                testing, for Siemens Charger locomotives, ALC-42 variants included, to
                operate across the entirety of Amtrak's operating network. Following
                FRA's correspondence to Amtrak dated May 16, 2019, Amtrak began to
                perform a select number of SC-44 Charger performance tests on several
                long-distance network routes. Results have been generally positive thus
                far with a low number of correctional recommendations sent back to the
                Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Amtrak intends to perform
                additional SC-44 testing in 2020 to further validate the Charger
                platform in a long-distance environment prior to receiving ALC-42
                deliveries.
                 Since the receipt of FRA's May 16, 2019 correspondence, Amtrak has
                also provided to FRA the entirety of the design documentation received
                to date from Siemens for the ALC-42 procurement. Most of these ALC-42
                preliminary design review documents are the SC-44 final design
                documents. These include designs of the suspension system, wheel
                profile, crash energy management, fuel tank, and other car body
                drawings. Further, no changes to the dimensions or car body profile of
                the locomotive will vary between the ALC-42 or the SC-44. The ALC-42
                will have a minimal (www.regulations.gov and in person at the U.S. Department of
                Transportation's (DOT) Docket Operations Facility, 1200 New Jersey Ave.
                SE, W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. The Docket Operations Facility is
                open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
                Holidays.
                 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 parties
                desire 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.
                 All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the
                appropriate docket number and may be submitted by any of the following
                methods:
                 Website: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
                instructions for submitting comments.
                 Fax: 202-493-2251.
                 Mail: Docket Operations Facility, U.S. Department of
                Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
                 Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Room W12-140,
                Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
                except Federal Holidays.
                 Communications received by February 24, 2020 will be considered by
                FRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date
                will be considered if practicable.
                 Anyone can search the electronic form of any written communications
                and comments received into any of our 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 better
                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/privacyNotice for the
                privacy notice of regulations.gov.
                 Issued in Washington, DC.
                John Karl Alexy,
                Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer.
                [FR Doc. 2020-00231 Filed 1-9-20; 8:45 am]
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