Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 217 / Monday, November 13, 2023 / Notices 77665 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket Number FRA–2010–0036] 

Southeastern Pennsylvania 

Transportation Authority’s Request To 

Amend Its Positive Train Control 

Safety Plan 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of availability and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: This document provides the 

public with notice that, on November 1, 

2023, the Southeastern Pennsylvania 

Transportation Authority (SEPTA) 

submitted a request for amendment 

(RFA) to its FRA-approved Positive 

Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP) in 

order to update its positive train control 

(PTC) Onboard Computer (OBC) to Rev. 

14.00 to correct two defects. As this 

RFA may involve a request for FRA’s 

approval of proposed material 

modifications to an FRA-certified PTC 

system, FRA is publishing this notice 

and inviting public comment on 

SEPTA’s RFA to its PTCSP. 

DATES: FRA will consider comments 

received by December 4, 2023. FRA may 

consider comments received after that 

date to the extent practicable and 

without delaying implementation of 

valuable or necessary modifications to a 

PTC system. 

ADDRESSES: 

Comments: Comments may be 

submitted by going to https://

www.regulations.gov and following the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

Instructions: All submissions must 

include the agency name and the 

applicable docket number. The relevant 

PTC docket number for this host 

railroad is Docket No. FRA–2010–0036. 

For convenience, all active PTC dockets 

are hyperlinked on FRA’s website at 

https://railroads.dot.gov/researchdevelopment/program-areas/traincontrol/ptc/railroads-ptc-dockets. All 

comments received will be posted 

without change to https://

www.regulations.gov; this includes any 

personal information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Gabe Neal, Staff Director, Signal, Train 

Control, and Crossings Division, 

telephone: 816–516–7168, email: 

Gabe.Neal@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In general, 

title 49 United States Code (U.S.C.) 

section 20157(h) requires FRA to certify 

that a host railroad’s PTC system 

complies with title 49 Code of Federal 

Regulations (CFR) part 236, subpart I, 

before the technology may be operated 

in revenue service. Before making 

certain changes to an FRA-certified PTC 

system or the associated FRA-approved 

PTCSP, a host railroad must submit, and 

obtain FRA’s approval of, an RFA to its 

PTCSP under 49 CFR 236.1021. 

Under 49 CFR 236.1021(e), FRA’s 

regulations provide that FRA will 

publish a notice in the Federal Register 

and invite public comment in 

accordance with 49 CFR part 211, if an 

RFA includes a request for approval of 

a material modification of a signal and 

train control system. Accordingly, this 

notice informs the public that, on 

November 1, 2023, SEPTA submitted an 

RFA to its PTCSP for its Advanced Civil 

Speed Enforcement System II (ACSES 

II), which seeks FRA’s approval for an 

update to software version Rev. 14.00 

for its OBC to correct two defects. That 

RFA is available in Docket No. FRA– 

2010–0036. 

Interested parties are invited to 

comment on SEPTA’s RFA to its PTCSP 

by submitting written comments or data. 

During FRA’s review of SEPTA’s RFA, 

FRA will consider any comments or 

data submitted within the timeline 

specified in this notice and to the extent 

practicable, without delaying 

implementation of valuable or necessary 

modifications to a PTC system. See 49 

CFR 236.1021; see also 49 CFR 

236.1011(e). Under 49 CFR 236.1021, 

FRA maintains the authority to approve, 

approve with conditions, or deny a 

railroad’s RFA to its PTCSP at FRA’s 

sole discretion. 

Privacy Act Notice 

In accordance with 49 CFR 211.3, 

FRA solicits comments from the public 

to better inform its decisions. DOT posts 

these comments, without edit, including 

any personal information the 

commenter provides, to https://

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 https://www.regulations.gov/ 

privacy-notice for the privacy notice of 

regulations.gov. To facilitate comment 

tracking, we encourage commenters to 

provide their name, or the name of their 

organization; however, submission of 

names is completely optional. If you 

wish to provide comments containing 

proprietary or confidential information, 

please contact FRA for alternate 

submission instructions. 

Issued in Washington, DC. 

Carolyn R. Hayward-Williams, 

Director, Office of Railroad Systems and 

Technology. 

[FR Doc. 2023–24974 Filed 11–9–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket No. FRA–2010–0028, –0029, –0039, 

–0042, –0043, –0045, –0048, –0049, –0051, 

–0054, –0056, –0057, –0058, –0059, –0060, 

–0061, –0062, –0064, –0065, and –0070] 

Railroads’ Joint Request To Amend 

Their Positive Train Control Safety 

Plans 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of availability and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: This document provides the 

public with notice that on November 3, 

2023, twenty host railroads submitted a 

joint request for amendment (RFA) to 

their FRA-approved Positive Train 

Control Safety Plans (PTCSP) to 

implement on-board software changes to 

the human-machine interface (HMI) 

which requires amendments to positive 

train control (PTC) training for train 

crews. As this joint RFA may involve 

requests for FRA’s approval of proposed 

material modifications to FRA-certified 

PTC systems, FRA is publishing this 

notice and inviting public comment on 

the railroads’ joint RFA to their PTCSPs. 

DATES: FRA will consider comments 

received by December 4, 2023. FRA may 

consider comments received after that 

date to the extent practicable and 

without delaying implementation of 

valuable or necessary modifications to 

PTC systems. 

ADDRESSES: 

Comments: Comments may be 

submitted by going to https://

www.regulations.gov and following the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
77666 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 217 / Monday, November 13, 2023 / Notices 

Instructions: All submissions must 

include the agency name and the 

applicable docket number. The relevant 

PTC docket numbers for the host 

railroads that filed a joint RFA to their 

PTCSPs are cited above and in the 

Supplementary Information section of 

this notice. For convenience, all active 

PTC dockets are hyperlinked on FRA’s 

website at https://railroads.dot.gov/ 

research-development/program-areas/ 

train-control/ptc/railroads-ptc-dockets. 

All comments received will be posted 

without change to https://

www.regulations.gov; this includes any 

personal information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Gabe Neal, Staff Director, Signal, Train 

Control, and Crossings Division, 

telephone: 816–516–7168, email: 

Gabe.Neal@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In general, 

Title 49 United States Code (U.S.C.) 

Section 20157(h) requires FRA to certify 

that a host railroad’s PTC system 

complies with title 49 Code of Federal 

Regulations (CFR) part 236, subpart I, 

before the technology may be operated 

in revenue service. Before making 

certain changes to an FRA-certified PTC 

system or the associated FRA-approved 

PTCSP, a host railroad must submit, and 

obtain FRA’s approval of, an RFA to its 

PTCSP under 49 CFR 236.1021. 

Under 49 CFR 236.1021(e), FRA’s 

regulations provide that FRA will 

publish a notice in the Federal Register 

and invite public comment in 

accordance with 49 CFR part 211, if an 

RFA includes a request for approval of 

a material modification of a signal or 

train control system. Accordingly, this 

notice informs the public that the 

twenty host railroads’ recent, joint RFA 

to their PTCSPs is available in their 

respective public PTC dockets. This 

notice provides an opportunity for 

public comment. 

On November 3, 2023, the following 

twenty host railroads jointly submitted 

an RFA to their respective PTCSPs for 

their Interoperable Electronic Train 

Management Systems (I–ETMS): Alaska 

Railroad; The Belt Railway Company of 

Chicago; BNSF Railway; Peninsula 

Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain); 

Canadian National Railway; Canadian 

Pacific Railway; Consolidated Rail 

Corporation; CSX Transportation, Inc.; 

Kansas City Southern Railway; Kansas 

City Terminal Railway; National 

Railroad Passenger Corporation 

(Amtrak); New Mexico Rail Runner 

Express; Norfolk Southern Railway; 

North County Transit District; Northeast 

Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad 

Corporation (Metra); Northern Indiana 

Commuter Transportation District; 

South Florida Regional Transportation 

Authority; Southern California Regional 

Rail Authority (Metrolink); Terminal 

Railroad Association of St. Louis; and 

Union Pacific Railroad. This RFA 

includes on-board software changes to 

the HMI which require amendments to 

PTC training for train crews. Their joint 

RFA is available in Docket Numbers 

FRA–2010–0028, –0029, –0039, –0042, 

–0043, –0045, –0048, –0049, –0051, 

–0054, –0056, –0057, –0058, –0059, 

–0060, –0061, –0062, –0064, –0065, and 

–0070. 

Interested parties are invited to 

comment on this RFA by submitting 

written comments or data. During FRA’s 

review of these railroads’ joint RFA, 

FRA will consider any comments or 

data submitted within the timeline 

specified in this notice and to the extent 

practicable, without delaying 

implementation of valuable or necessary 

modifications to PTC systems. See 49 

CFR 236.1021; see also 49 CFR 

236.1011(e). Under 49 CFR 236.1021, 

FRA maintains the authority to approve, 

approve with conditions, or deny these 

railroads’ joint RFA to their PTCSPs at 

FRA’s sole discretion. 

Privacy Act Notice 

In accordance with 49 CFR 211.3, 

FRA solicits comments from the public 

to better inform its decisions. DOT posts 

these comments, without edit, including 

any personal information the 

commenter provides, to https://

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 https://www.regulations.gov/ 

privacy-notice for the privacy notice of 

regulations.gov. To facilitate comment 

tracking, we encourage commenters to 

provide their name, or the name of their 

organization; however, submission of 

names is completely optional. If you 

wish to provide comments containing 

proprietary or confidential information, 

please contact FRA for alternate 

submission instructions. 

Issued in Washington, DC. 

Carolyn R. Hayward-Williams, 

Director, Office of Railroad Systems and 

Technology. 

[FR Doc. 2023–24973 Filed 11–9–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Board 

of Visitors; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Maritime 

Administration announces a meeting of 

the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 

(USMMA) Board of Visitors (Board). 

DATES: December 11, 2023, from 9:30 

a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EST. 

Requests to submit written materials 

to be reviewed during the meeting must 

be received no later than December 4, 

2023. Requests for accommodations for 

a disability must be received by 

November 30, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

through a virtual forum. Virtual meeting 

access information will be available on 

the USMMA Board of Visitors web page 

and social media channels no later than 

December 4, 2023. General information 

about the Board is available on the 

USMMA web page at https://

www.usmma.edu/about/leadership/ 

board-visitors. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The 

Board’s Designated Federal Officer and 

Point of Contact, Mary Grice, 202–366– 

4264 or mary.grice@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

The Board is a Federal Advisory 

Committee originally established as a 

Congressional Board by section 51312 of 

title 46, United States Code ‘‘to provide 

independent advice and 

recommendations on matters relating to 

the United States Merchant Marine 

Academy.’’ The Board was originally 

chartered under the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (FACA) on October 24, 

2017. 

II. Agenda 

The meeting agenda will cover, but is 

not limited to, the following proposed 

topics: 

1. Welcome remarks and Board 

maintenance items (elections, Charter, 

etc.); 

2. Update on the six priorities from 

the USMMA Strategic Plan (including 

educational and athletic programs, 

Institutional Culture, Sea Year, Sexual 

Assault Prevention and Response 

program status, and Academy 

infrastructure progress); 

3. Update on the state of the Regiment 

of Midshipmen; and 

4. Public comment period (not to 

exceed 10 minutes). 

III. Public Participation 

This meeting is open to the public 

and will be held through a virtual 

forum. The U.S. Department of 

Transportation is committed to 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES