[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 232 (Friday, December 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 70304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-26631]



[[Page 70304]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Petition for Waiver of Compliance

    In accordance with Part 211 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR), notice is hereby given that the Federal Railroad Administration 
(FRA) received a request for a waiver of compliance with certain 
requirements of its safety standards. The individual petition is 
described below, including the party seeking relief, the regulatory 
provisions involved, the nature of the relief being requested, and the 
petitioner's arguments in favor of relief.

National Railroad Passenger Corporation

[Docket Number FRA-2004-19756]

    The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK) seeks a waiver 
of compliance from the provisions of the Federal Track Safety 
Standards, 49 CFR 213.333(l), subpart G, regarding the requirement for 
conducting annual instrumented wheel set (IWS) testing. The waiver 
would grant AMTRAK relief by extending their deadline for conducting 
the 2004 instrumented wheel set (IWS) test on its North East Corridor 
(NEC). This relief provides AMTRAK sufficient time to jointly resolve 
technical issues with FRA and allows AMTRAK to better manage the 
expense and possible service disruptions caused by IWS testing.
    AMTRAK anticipates that these technical issues will be resolved 
with FRA in early 2005. It also anticipates that further testing with 
IWS for 9 inch cant deficiency operation will need to take place once 
these technical issues are resolved. In order to reduce cost, and 
minimize service disruption, AMTRAK would like to schedule its annual 
IWS testing concurrent with 9 inch cant deficiency testing, and is 
requesting this waiver so that all testing can benefit from one 
installation of instrumentation for IWS.
    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, they should notify FRA, in 
writing, before the end of the comment period and specify the basis for 
their request.
    All communication concerning these proceedings should identify the 
appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-
2004-19756) and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT Docket 
Management Facility, Room PL-401 (Plaza Level), 400 7th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20590. Communications received within 20 days of the 
date of this notice will be considered by FRA before final action is 
taken. Comments received after that date will be considered as far as 
practicable. All written communications concerning these proceedings 
are available for examination during regular business hours (9 a.m.-5 
p.m.) at the above facility. All documents in the public docket are 
also available for inspection and copying on the Internet at the docket 
facility's Web site at http://dms.dot.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 29, 2004.
Michael J. Logue,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety.
[FR Doc. 04-26631 Filed 12-2-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-M