. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/USA/160 
14 December 2005 
 (05-5943) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   Federal Railroad Administration,  Department of Transportation  
(FRA, DOT)  (166)  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:         
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Railroad passenger 
equipment (HS:  8530;  ICS:  13.200)   
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Passenger Equipment 
Safety Standards; Miscellaneous Amendments and Attachments of Safety Appliances on 
Passenger Equipment  (26 pages, in English) 
6. Description of content:   FRA is proposing to clarify and amend its existing regulations in 
an effort to address various mechanical i ssues relevant to the manufacture, efficient 
utilization, and safe operation of passenger equi pment and trains that have arisen since 
FRA's original issuance of the Passenger Equipment Safety Standards.  FRA proposes miscellaneous amendments to its existing re gulations in five areas by:  Clarifying the 
terminology related to piston travel indicator s;  providing alternative design and additional 
inspection criteria for new passenger equipmen t not designed to allow inspection of the 
application and release of the brakes from outsi de the equipment;  permitting some latitude 
in the use of passenger equipment with redundant  air compressors when a limited number of 
the compressors become inoperative;  r ecognizing current locomotive manufacturing 
techniques by permitting an alternative pneumatic pressure test for main reservoirs;  and 
adding provisions to ensure the proper securement of unattended equipment.  
FRA is also clarifying the existing regulatory requirements related to the attachment of 
safety appliances and is proposing an identifi cation and inspection protocol to address 
passenger equipment containing welded safet y appliances or welded safety appliance 
brackets or supports.   
Finally, FRA is proposing to permit railroads the ability to apply out-of-service credit to 
certain periodic maintenance requirements. G/TBT/N/USA/160 
Page 2  
 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
To protect human safety 
8. Relevant documents:   70 Federal Register (FR) 73069 8 December 2005;   Title 49 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) Part s 221 and 238.  Will appear in the Federal Register when 
adopted. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }To be determined 
10. Final date for comments:   17 February 2006 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:        
Full text is available online at these Internet URLs: 
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/24 22/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-
23672.htm  
 http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/24 22/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/
05-23672.pdf