1574 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 5 / Friday, January 8, 2021 / Notices 

public has the proper permissible risk 

threshold to evaluate risk resulting from 

prohibiting routine locomotive horn 

sounding at highway-rail grade 

crossings located in quiet zones. This is 

the ninth update to the NSRT and it is 

increasing from 13,811 to 15,488. 

DATES: The applicable date of this notice 

is January 8, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

James Payne, Staff Director, HighwayRail Crossing and Trespasser Programs 

Division (telephone: 202–493–6005, 

email: james.payne@dot.gov); or 

Kathryn Gresham, Attorney Adviser, 

Office of the Chief Counsel (telephone: 

202–493–6063, email: 

kathryn.gresham@dot.gov). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The NSRT is an average of the risk 

indexes for gated public crossings 

nationwide where train horns are 

routinely sounded. FRA developed this 

risk index to serve as one threshold of 

permissible risk for quiet zones 

established across the nation under 49 

CFR part 222, Use of Locomotive Horns 

at Public Highway-Rail Grade Crossings. 

Thus, a community trying to establish 

and/or maintain its quiet zone, under 49 

CFR part 222, can compare the Quiet 

Zone Risk Index calculated for its 

specific crossing corridor to the NSRT to 

determine whether sufficient measures 

have been taken to compensate for the 

excess risk that results from prohibiting 

routine sounding of the locomotive 

horn. In the alternative, a community 

can establish its quiet zone in 

comparison to the Risk Index With 

Horns, which is defined in 49 CFR 222.9 

as a measure of risk to the motoring 

public when locomotive horns are 

routinely sounded at every public 

highway-rail grade crossing within a 

quiet zone. 

FRA has periodically updated the 

NSRT since 2006. FRA last updated the 

NSRT in 2019 to be 13,811. 84 FR 

22562, May 17, 2019. 

New NSRT 

Using collision data over a 5-year 

period from 2015 to 2019, FRA has 

recalculated the NSRT based on 

formulas identified in 49 CFR part 222, 

appendix D. In making this 

recalculation, FRA noted the total 

number of gated crossings nationwide 

where train horns are routinely sounded 

was 48,607. 

Applying the fatality rate and injury 

rate to the probable number of fatalities 

and injuries predicted to occur at each 

of the 48,607 identified crossings, and 

the predicted cost of the associated 

injuries and fatalities, FRA calculates 

the NSRT to be 15,488. Accordingly, 

this updated NSRT value will serve as 

one threshold of permissible risk for 

quiet zones established across the 

nation pursuant to 49 CFR part 222. 

John Karl Alexy, 

Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, 

Chief Safety Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00155 Filed 1–7–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket No. FRA–2020–0027–N–39] 

Proposed Agency Information 

Collection Activities; Comment 

Request 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of information collection; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice 

announces that FRA is forwarding the 

Information Collection Request (ICR) 

abstracted below to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and comment. The ICR describes 

the information collection and its 

expected burden. On October 5, 2020, 

FRA published a notice providing a 60- 

day period for public comment on the 

ICR. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before February 

8, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed ICR 

should be sent within 30 days of 

publication of this notice to 

www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 

Find this particular ICR by selecting 

‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open 

for Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Kim Toone, Information Collection 

Clearance Officer, Federal Railroad 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590 

(telephone: (202) 493–06132) or 

kim.toone@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRA, 

44 U.S.C. 3501–3520, and its 

implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 

1320, require Federal agencies to issue 

two notices seeking public comment on 

information collection activities before 

OMB may approve paperwork packages. 

See 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 

through 1320.12. On October 5, 2020, 

FRA published a 60-day notice in the 

Federal Register soliciting comment on 

the ICR for which it is now seeking 

OMB approval. See 85 FR 62798. FRA 

received no comments in response to 

this 60-day notice. 

Before OMB decides whether to 

approve the proposed collection of 

information, it must provide 30 days for 

public comment. Federal law requires 

OMB to approve or disapprove 

paperwork packages between 30 and 60 

days after the 30-day notice is 

published. 44 U.S.C. 3507(b)–(c); 5 CFR 

1320.10(b); see also 60 FR 44978, 44983, 

Aug. 29, 1995. OMB believes the 30-day 

notice informs the regulated community 

to file relevant comments and affords 

the agency adequate time to digest 

public comments before it renders a 

decision. 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. 

Therefore, respondents should submit 

their respective comments to OMB 

within 30 days of publication to best 

ensure having their full effect. 

Comments are invited on the 

following ICR regarding: (1) Whether the 

information collection activities are 

necessary for FRA to properly execute 

its functions, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(2) the accuracy of FRA’s estimates of 

the burden of the information collection 

activities, including the validity of the 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 5 / Friday, January 8, 2021 / Notices 1575 

methodology and assumptions used to 

determine the estimates; (3) ways for 

FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information being 

collected; and (4) ways to minimize the 

burden of information collection 

activities on the public, including the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

The summary below describes the ICR 

that FRA will submit for OMB clearance 

as the PRA requires: 

Title: Design and Evaluation of a 

Robust Manual Locomotive Operating 

Mode. 

OMB Control Number: 2130–0623. 

Abstract: The purpose of this study is 

to design and evaluate a prototype 

locomotive operating mode that allows 

an engineer to ‘‘manually’’ control a 

train by providing a desired speed target 

while the control system determines the 

throttle notch changes required. This 

research addresses DOT’s safety 

strategic goal. Information collected 

from this research will be used by 

researchers and equipment designers to 

evaluate the merit of a prototype display 

and control configuration maximizing 

the use of both automation and human 

capabilities. The information will also 

assist the Federal government in 

recommending display design standards 

to the rail industry for future displays 

and the results may help design future 

displays and controls for locomotives. 

The ICR, which was previously 

approved by OMB, will be extended as 

the study was not completed by the 

anticipated completion date. 

Type of Request: Extension without 

change of a current information 

collection. 

Affected Public: Railroad Engineers, 

College Student Volunteers. 

Respondent Universe: 20 Engineers/ 

10 Volunteers. 

Frequency of Submission: Once. 

Total Estimated Annual Responses: 

90. 

Total Estimated Annual Burden: 272. 

Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 

1320.5(b) and 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), FRA 

informs all interested parties that a 

respondent is not required to respond 

to, conduct or sponsor a collection of 

information unless it displays a 

currently valid OMB control number. 

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520. 

Brett A. Jortland, 

Deputy Chief Counsel. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00099 Filed 1–7–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket Number FRA–2000–7137] 

Petition for Waiver of Compliance 

Under part 211 of title 49 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR), this 

document provides the public notice 

that on December 21, 2020, San Diego 

Trolley Incorporated (SDTI) petitioned 

the Federal Railroad Administration 

(FRA) to renew a waiver of compliance 

from certain provisions of the Federal 

railroad safety regulations contained at 

various parts of 49 CFR. FRA assigned 

the petition Docket Number FRA–2000– 

7137. 

Specifically, SDTI seeks a five-year 

extension of its existing waiver of 

compliance with modifications. The 

waiver applies to certain portions of 

SDTI’s rail fixed guideway urban transit 

operations which employ temporal 

separation to safely share track with the 

general railroad system’s San Diego & 

Imperial Valley Railroad (SDIV). 

Contiguous to the shared trackage are 

portions with limited connections to the 

general railroad system, which include 

a small shared corridor with BNSF 

Railway and Coaster commuter train 

service, which also shares a storage yard 

with SDTI. FRA granted SDTI its initial 

waiver on January 19, 2001, and the 

most recent update to the waiver was 

FRA’s May 1, 2020, approval of SDTI’s 

new absolute block arrangement on its 

Blue Line. 

In this petition, SDTI seeks an 

extension of its relief from the following 

parts and sections in 49 CFR: part 217, 

Railroad Operating Rules (except for 

217.9(d)); 218.27(a), Workers on track 

other than main track (as granted in part 

and denied in part in FRA’s January 19, 

2001, letter); part 219, Control of 

Alcohol and Drug Use; part 220, 

Railroad Communications (as granted in 

part in FRA’s January 19, 2001, letter); 

part 221, Rear End Marking Device— 

Passenger, Commuter and Freight 

Trains; 223.9(c), Requirements for new 

or rebuilt equipment and 223.15(c), 

Requirements for existing passenger 

cars; part 225, Railroad Accidents/ 

Incidents: Reports Classification, and 

Investigations (for employee injuries 

only); part 228, subpart F, Substantive 

Hours of Service Requirements for Train 

Employees Engaged in Commuter or 

Intercity Rail Passenger Transportation, 

and relevant recordkeeping sections of 

subpart B, Records and Reporting; the 

following sections of part 229, Railroad 

Locomotive Safety Standards: 229.46– 

229.59, 229.61, 229.65, 229.71, 229.77, 

229.125, and 229.135; 231.14, 

Passenger-train cars without end 

platforms; the following sections of part 

238, Passenger Equipment Safety 

Standards: 238.112, 238.113, 238.114, 

238.115(b)(4), 238.203, 238.205, 

238.207, 238.209, 238.211, 238.213, 

238.215, 238.217, 238.219, 238.231, 

238.233, 238.237, and part 238, subpart 

D in its entirety, sections 238.301 

through 238.319; part 239, Passenger 

Train Emergency Preparedness; part 

240, Locomotive Engineer Certification; 

and part 242, Qualification and 

Certification of Conductors. 

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 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 

(DOT), 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 22, 2021 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 


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