6938 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2022 / Notices 

are reminded of the need to comply 

with the Cargo Preference Act in 46 CFR 

part 38, if applicable. 

In accordance with the provisions of 

Section 117 of the SAFETEA–LU 

Technical Corrections Act of 2008 (Pub. 

L. 110–244, 122 stat. 1572), FHWA is 

providing this notice as its finding that 

a waiver of Buy America requirements 

is appropriate. FHWA invites public 

comment on this finding for an 

additional five (5) days following the 

effective date of the finding. Comments 

may be submitted to FHWA’s website 

via the link provided to the waiver page 

noted above. 

Authority: 23 U.S.C. 313; Pub. L. 110– 

244; Pub. L. 116–260; 23 CFR 635.410. 

Stephanie Pollack, 

Deputy Administrator, Federal Highway 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2022–02449 Filed 2–4–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket No. FRA–2010–0033] 

New Jersey Transit’s Request To 

Amend Its Positive Train Control 

Safety Plan and Positive Train Control 

System 

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 January 14, 

2022, New Jersey Transit (NJT) 

submitted a request for amendment 

(RFA) to its FRA-approved Positive 

Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP). As 

this RFA may involve a request for 

FRA’s approval of proposed material 

modifications to an FRA-certified 

positive train control (PTC) system, FRA 

is publishing this notice and inviting 

public comment on the railroad’s RFA 

to its PTCSP. 

DATES: FRA will consider comments 

received by February 28, 2022. 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–2010–0033. 

For convenience, all active PTC dockets 

are hyperlinked on FRA’s website at 

https://railroads.dot.gov/train-control/ 

ptc/ptc-annual-and-quarterly-reports. 

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 49 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 Title 49 Code of Federal 

Regulations (CFR) Section 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 

January 14, 2022, NJT submitted an RFA 

to its PTCSP for its Advanced Speed 

Enforcement System II (ASES II) and 

that RFA is available in Docket No. 

FRA–2010–0033. 

Interested parties are invited to 

comment on NJT’s RFA to its PTCSP by 

submitting written comments or data. 

During FRA’s review of this railroad’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. 2022–02512 Filed 2–4–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket No. FRA–2022–0006] 

Request for Information for the 

Corridor Identification and 

Development Program 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Request for information (RFI). 

SUMMARY: On November 15, 2021, 

President Biden signed into law the 

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 

also known as the Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law (BIL). The BIL 

provides historic appropriations for 

railroad transportation grant programs 

administered by the Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), and also 

authorizes new programs to enhance rail 

safety and to repair, restore, improve, 

and expand the nation’s rail network. 

Among those new programs is the 

Corridor Identification and 

Development Program (the Program), 

which creates a new framework to 

facilitate the development of new, 

enhanced, and restored intercity 

passenger rail corridors throughout the 

country. The BIL requires the Secretary 

of Transportation to establish the 

Program within 180 days of enactment 

(i.e., May 14, 2022). This responsibility 

is delegated to FRA. In this request for 

information (RFI), FRA is seeking 

comments on the Program and how it 

can best serve stakeholders and the 

public in facilitating the development of 

intercity passenger rail corridors. 

DATES: Written comments on this RFI 

must be received on or before March 9, 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2022 / Notices 6939 

2022. FRA will consider comments filed 

after this date to the extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to 

docket number FRA–2022–0006 and be 

submitted by at http://

www.regulations.gov. Search by using 

the docket number and follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Instructions: All submissions must 

include the agency name and docket 

number for this RFI. 

Note: All comments received, including 

any personal information, will be posted 

without change to the docket and will be 

accessible to the public at http://

www.regulations.gov. You should not include 

information in your comment that you do not 

want to be made public. Input submitted 

online via www.regulations.gov is not 

immediately posted to the site. It may take 

several business days before your submission 

is posted. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information related to this RFI, 

please contact Peter Schwartz, Chief, 

Project Engineering and Transportation 

Planning Division, by email: 

PaxRailDev@dot.gov or by telephone: 

202–493–6360. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Program is intended to facilitate 

the development of intercity passenger 

rail corridors. Public Law 117–58 sec. 

22308 (Nov. 15, 2021); 49 U.S.C. 

25101(a) (while this citation may not yet 

be available in some online versions of 

the U.S. Code, the text may be found at 

https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/ 

publ58/PLAW-117publ58.pdf at 135 

STAT. 730). The Program includes: (1) 

A process for eligible entities to submit 

proposals for the development of 

intercity passenger rail corridors; (2) a 

process for FRA to review and select 

such proposals; (3) criteria for 

determining the level of readiness for 

Federal financial assistance of intercity 

passenger rail corridors; (4) a process for 

preparing service development plans 

(SDPs); (5) the creation of a pipeline of 

intercity passenger rail corridor projects; 

(6) planning guidance; and (7) such 

other features as FRA considers 

relevant. 49 U.S.C. 25101(a)(1)–(7). 

FRA seeks information from all those 

interested in the Program on how the 

Program should be implemented to best 

facilitate the development of intercity 

passenger rail corridors. Where 

available and appropriate, FRA requests 

that respondents provide relevant 

technical information, statutory or 

regulatory citations, data, or other 

evidence to support their comments. 

FRA also requests that responses to this 

RFI be organized by the topics outlined 

below, including references, as 

applicable, to the numbered questions. 

Respondents are encouraged to address 

in their responses any topics they 

believe to be relevant to the Program 

and are not limited to addressing only 

those topics and questions outlined 

below. 

Roles and Responsibilities Within the 

Program 

While FRA has a central role in the 

administration of the Program, the BIL 

also calls for important roles for other 

parties—including States, Amtrak, host 

railroads, labor organizations, and other 

stakeholders—who typically have 

responsibilities in intercity passenger 

rail development efforts. For example, 

Amtrak, States, groups of States, entities 

implementing interstate compacts, 

regional passenger rail authorities, 

regional planning organizations, 

political subdivisions of a State, 

federally recognized Tribes, and other 

public entities, as determined by FRA, 

are all eligible to submit proposals for 

the development of intercity passenger 

rail corridors under the Program. 49 

U.S.C. 25101(b). In addition, in 

partnering on the preparation of an SDP, 

FRA must partner with the entity that 

submitted the proposal, relevant States, 

and Amtrak, as appropriate, and also 

must consult with Amtrak, appropriate 

State and regional transportation 

authorities and local officials, employee 

labor organizations, host railroads, and 

other stakeholders, as determined by the 

Secretary. 49 U.S.C. 25101(d) and (e). 

1. What is the appropriate role for 

Amtrak, in the submission and 

development of proposals submitted by 

other entities, for corridors that 

currently are or would be intended to be 

operated by Amtrak? 

2. What are the appropriate roles for 

FRA and other parties in the preparation 

of SDPs under 49 U.S.C. 25101(d), or in 

other Program activities? 

Service Development Plans 

As noted, for each intercity passenger 

rail corridor selected for development 

under the Program, FRA must partner 

with the entity that submitted the 

proposal, relevant States, and Amtrak, 

as appropriate, to prepare an SDP (or to 

update an existing SDP). 49 U.S.C. 

25101(d). As further detailed in the 

statute, the SDP must include: (1) A 

detailed description of the proposed 

intercity passenger rail service; (2) a 

corridor project inventory, identifying 

the capital projects necessary to achieve 

the proposed intercity passenger rail 

service and the order in which Federal 

funding will be sought; (3) a schedule, 

and any associated phasing, of projects 

and related service initiation or changes; 

(4) project sponsors and other entities 

expected to participate in carrying out 

the plan; (5) a description of how the 

corridor would comply with Federal rail 

safety and security laws, orders, and 

regulations; (6) the locations of existing 

and proposed stations; (7) the needs for 

rolling stock and other equipment; (8) a 

financial plan; (9) a description of how 

the corridor would contribute to the 

development of a multi-State regional 

network of intercity passenger rail; (10) 

an intermodal plan; (11) a description of 

the anticipated environmental benefits; 

and (12) a description of the corridor’s 

impacts on highway and aviation 

congestion, energy consumption, land 

use, and economic development. 49 

U.S.C. 25101(d)(1)–(12). 

3. Where permissible, should SDPs 

under the Program have the option to be 

prepared as longer-range planning 

documents, so that the implementation 

of the new or improved service (through 

the implementation of the projects 

included in the ‘‘corridor project 

inventory,’’ and advancement of such 

projects into the project pipeline) may 

be sequenced or phased over time? 

4. Where permissible, should SDPs 

under the Program develop and narrow 

alternatives for implementing a new or 

improved service through the use of a 

planning process undertaken in advance 

of environmental review under the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) (e.g., in a manner similar to that 

applicable to highway and transit 

projects under appendix A to 23 CFR 

part 450—Linking the Transportation 

Planning and NEPA Processes)? 

5. How should public involvement 

and environmental considerations be 

incorporated into the preparation of 

SDPs under the Program, and how 

might that vary depending on whether 

or not SDPs develop and narrow 

alternatives (as described in Question 

#4)? 

6. 49 U.S.C. 25101(e) requires that 

FRA consult with certain stakeholders 

in the preparation of SDPs under the 

Program. What approaches could FRA 

take to ensure the consultation process 

is effective and meaningful? 

Project Pipeline 

As noted above, under the Program, 

FRA must annually submit a project 

pipeline to Congress that, as further 

detailed in the statute: (1) Identifies 

intercity passenger rail corridors 

selected for development; (2) identifies 

capital projects for Federal investment; 

(3) specifies the order in which FRA 

would provide financial assistance, 

including a method and plan for 

apportioning funds; (4) takes into 


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6940 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2022 / Notices 

consideration the appropriate sequence 

and phasing of projects; (5) takes into 

consideration the existing commitments 

and anticipated funding levels; (6) is 

prioritized based on the level of 

readiness of the corridor; and (7) reflects 

consultation with Amtrak. 49 U.S.C. 

25101(g)(1)–(7). The statute does not 

specify what level of development 

should be achieved prior to identifying 

a capital project for Federal investment 

in the pipeline. 

7. Should capital projects identified 

in the project pipeline be required to be 

ready for immediate implementation 

(i.e., final design and construction), and 

be supported by a completed 

environmental determination under 

NEPA, completed preliminary 

engineering, and (as applicable) 

agreements with the relevant host 

railroad(s)? 

8. If a capital project must be ready for 

immediate implementation in order to 

be included in the project pipeline (see 

Question #7), should FRA establish a 

‘‘pre-Pipeline’’ of projects that have 

been identified in the ‘‘corridor project 

inventories’’ included in the SDPs 

prepared under 49 U.S.C. 25101(d), and 

that are in the process of being readied 

for implementation (e.g., in the process 

of environmental review under NEPA, 

undergoing completion of preliminary 

engineering, etc.), but which are not 

ready for implementation? 

9. Through what means, and in 

consideration of what factors (beyond 

those enumerated in 49 U.S.C. 

25101(g)(4)–(7)), should FRA establish 

the order (or prioritization) of the list of 

capital projects eligible for funding 

identified under the project pipeline, as 

called for in 49 U.S.C. 25101(g)(3)? 

Funding of Program Activities 

The BIL makes funding available to 

carry out planning and development 

activities related to the Program. Public 

Law 117–58 22307; 49 U.S.C. 24911(k). 

The statute includes three examples of 

activities that may be undertaken using 

this funding, including: (1) Providing 

funding to public entities for the 

development of SDPs selected under the 

Program; (2) facilitating and providing 

guidance for intercity passenger rail 

systems planning; and (3) providing 

funding for the development and 

refinement of intercity passenger rail 

systems planning analytical tools and 

models. 49 U.S.C. 24911(k)(1)–(3). The 

statute does not limit the use of such 

funding to these three examples. 

10. What other Program activities 

should be undertaken with the support 

of funding provided under 49 U.S.C. 

24911(k)? 

Readiness of Proposals for Selection 

into the Program 

The statute specifies criteria for the 

selection of corridors for the Program. 

However, these criteria do not fully 

address the readiness of a proposed 

corridor for development under the 

Program. 

11. Should FRA consider readiness 

factors not otherwise described in the 

statute when evaluating proposals 

submitted for the Program, and if so, 

what factors would be relevant in 

assessing readiness? 

12. In determining the readiness of a 

proposal, should FRA consider the 

degree of commitment to the eventual 

implementation of the proposal 

demonstrated by: (1) The entity 

submitting the proposal, (2) the 

proposed service sponsor(s), and/or (3) 

the proposed capital project sponsor(s)? 

Criteria for the Selection of Proposals 

When selecting intercity passenger 

rail corridors for the Program, FRA must 

consider fourteen specific criteria. 49 

U.S.C. 25101(c). 

13. Of the fourteen selection criteria 

enumerated in 49 U.S.C. 25101(c), are 

certain criteria of greater importance to 

the successful development of an 

intercity passenger rail corridor? 

14. What other considerations may be 

appropriate in evaluating proposals for 

corridors to be developed under the 

Program? 

Selectivity of the Program 

FRA must solicit and select intercity 

passenger rail corridor proposals for 

development under the Program, and 

must partner with the entity that 

submitted the proposal to prepare an 

SDP for a selected proposal. While FRA 

must apply certain corridor selection 

criteria, the statute does not address the 

selectivity of the Program. 

15. In general, how selective should 

the Program be, particularly during the 

period directly following its 

establishment? Should all proposals that 

meet a minimum threshold be selected 

for development under the Program, or 

should only a limited number of top 

proposals be selected, and if so, why? 

16. What considerations are relevant 

for determining the selectivity of the 

Program? 

Issued in Washington, DC 

Paul Nissenbaum, 

Associate Administrator, Office of Railroad 

Policy and Development. 

[FR Doc. 2022–02450 Filed 2–4–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Notice To Solicit Transit Advisory 

Committee for Safety Member 

Applications 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice to Solicit Transit 

Advisory Committee for Safety Member 

Applications. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) is seeking 

applications for individuals to serve as 

members, for two-year terms, on the 

Transit Advisory Committee for Safety 

(TRACS). The TRACS provides 

information, advice, and 

recommendations to the U.S. Secretary 

of Transportation (Secretary) and FTA 

Administrator (Administrator) in 

response to tasks assigned to TRACS. 

The TRACS does not exercise program 

management responsibilities and makes 

no decisions directly affecting the 

programs on which it provides advice. 

The Secretary may accept or reject a 

recommendation made by TRACS and is 

not bound to pursue any 

recommendation from TRACS. 

DATES: Interested persons must submit 

their applications to FTA by March 9, 

2022. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Joseph DeLorenzo, TRACS Designated 

Federal Officer, Associate 

Administrator, FTA Office of Transit 

Safety and Oversight, (202) 366–1783, 

Joseph.DeLorenzo@dot.gov; or Bridget 

Zamperini, TRACS Program Manager, 

FTA Office of Transit Safety and 

Oversight, TRACS@dot.gov. Please 

address all mail to the Office of Transit 

Safety and Oversight, Federal Transit 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590– 

0001. 

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: 

Nominations 

FTA invites qualified individuals 

interested in serving on TRACS to apply 

to FTA for appointment. The 

Administrator will recommend 

nominees for appointment by the 

Secretary. Appointments are for twoyear terms; however, a member may 

reapply to serve additional terms, in the 

event that the TRACS Charter is 

renewed. Applicants should be 

knowledgeable of trends and issues 

related to rail transit and/or bus transit 

safety. Along with their experience in 

the rail transit and/or bus transit 

industry, applicants will also be 

evaluated and selected based on factors 


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