Railroad Safety Advisory Committee; working group activities and status reports,

[Federal Register: August 20, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 161)]

[Notices]

[Page 44669-44670]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr20au98-104]

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. RSAC-96-1, Notice No. 13]

Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Announcement of Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) Working Group Activities.

SUMMARY: FRA is updating its announcement of RSAC's working group activities to reflect the current status of working group activities.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vicky McCully, RSAC Coordinator, FRA, 400 7th Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590, (202) 493-6305 or Grady Cothen, Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards Program Development, FRA, 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590, (202) 493-6302.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice serves to update FRA's last announcement of working group activities and status reports on 11/5/97 (62 FR 59940). The eighth full Committee meeting was held May 14, 1998. The next meeting of the full Committee is scheduled for September 9, 1998.

Since its first meeting in April of 1996, the RSAC has accepted fifteen tasks. Status for each of the tasks is provided below:

Task 96-1--Revising the Freight Power Brake Regulations. This Task was formally withdrawn from the RSAC on 6/24/97.

Task 96-2--Reviewing and recommending revisions to the Track Safety Standards (49 CFR Part 213). This task was accepted April 2, 1996, and a Working Group was established. Consensus was reached on recommended revisions and an NPRM incorporating these recommendations was published in the Federal Register on 7/3/97 (62 FR 36138). The final rule was published in the Federal Register on 6/22/98(63 FR 33991). The effective date of the rule is 9/21/98. Contact: Al MacDowell (202) 493- 6206.

Task 96-3--Reviewing and recommending revisions to the Radio Standards and Procedures (49 CFR Part 220). This Task was accepted on April 2, 1996, and a Working Group was established. Consensus was reached on recommended revisions and an NPRM incorporating these recommendations published in the Federal Register on 6/26/97 ( 62 FR 34544). FRA is nearing completion of a final rule. Contact: Gene Cox (202) 493-6319.

Task 96-4--Reviewing the appropriateness of the agency's current policy regarding the applicability of existing and proposed regulations to tourist, excursion, scenic, and historic railroads. This Task was accepted on April 2, 1996, and a Working Group was established. The Working Group is currently monitoring completion of the steam locomotive regulations task. Contact: Grady Cothen (202) 493-6302.

Task 96-5--Reviewing and recommending revisions to Steam Locomotive Inspection Standards (49 CFR Part 230). Tasked to the Tourist and Historic Working Group on July 24, 1996. Consensus was reached on an NPRM and FRA is finalizing the regulatory analysis to accompany publication of the NPRM. Contact: George Scerbo (202) 493-6349.

Task 96-6--Reviewing and recommending revisions to miscellaneous aspects of the regulations addressing Locomotive Engineer Certification (49 CFR Part 240). This Task was accepted on October 31, 1996, and a Working Group was established. Consensus on an NPRM was reached on May 14, 1998, and FRA is finalizing the regulatory analysis to accompany publication of the NPRM. Contact: John Conklin (202) 493-6318.

Task 96-7--Developing On-Track Equipment Safety Standards. This task was assigned to the existing Track Standards Working Group on October 31, 1996, and a Task Force was established. The Task Force has reached agreement in principle on what should be included in a proposed rule and has identified remaining issues to be resolved. Contact: Al MacDowell (202) 493-6236.

‹r-arrow› Task 96-8--This Planning Task evaluated the need for action responsive to recommendations contained in a report to Congress entitled, Locomotive Crashworthiness & Working Conditions. This Task was accepted on October 31, 1996. A Planning Group was formed and reviewed the report, grouping issues into categories.

‹r-arrow› Task 97-1--Developing crashworthiness specifications to promote the integrity of the locomotive cab in accidents resulting from collisions. This Task was accepted on June 24, 1997. A Task Force on engineering issues established by the Working Group on Locomotive Crashworthiness has been actively reviewing collision history and design options and has commissioned additional research that is being guided toward completion over the next few months. Contact: Sean Mehrvazi (202) 493-6237.

‹r-arrow› Task 97-2--Evaluating the extent to which environmental, sanitary, and other working conditions in locomotive cabs affect the crew's health and the safe operation of locomotives, proposing standards where appropriate. This Task was accepted June 24, 1997. The Working Group on Cab Working Conditions is meeting to draft a standard for locomotive sanitary conditions. Task forces on noise and temperature have been formed and are actively meeting to identify and address issues. Contact: Brenda Hattery (202) 493-6326.

‹r-arrow› Task 97-3--Developing event recorder data survivability standards. This Task was accepted on June 24, 1997. An Event Recorder Working Group and Task Force have been established and are actively meeting.

[[Page 44670]]

Contact: Edward English (202) 493-6321.

‹r-arrow› Task 97-4 and Task 97-5--Defining Positive Train Control (PTC) functionalities, describing available technologies, evaluating costs and benefits of potential systems, and considering implementation opportunities and challenges, including demonstration and deployment. Task 97-6--Revising various regulations to address the safety implications of processor-based signal and train control technologies, including communications-based operating systems. These three tasks were accepted on September 30, 1997, and assigned to a single Working Group. A Data and Implementation Task Force was formed to address issues such as assessment of costs and benefits and technical readiness. A Standards Task Force was formed to develop PTC standards. The Working Group and task forces are actively meeting. Contact: Grady Cothen (202) 493-6302.

‹r-arrow› Task 97-7--Determining damages qualifying an event as a reportable train accident. This Task was accepted on September 30, 1997. A working group has been formed to address this task.

Contact: Robert Finkelstein (202) 493-6280.

Please refer to the notice published in the Federal Register on March 11, 1996 (61 F.R. 9740) for more information about the RSAC.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on August 17, 1998. S. Mark Lindsey, Chief Counsel.

[FR Doc. 98-22453Filed8-19-98; 8:45 am]

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