Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 71 / Monday, April 14, 1997 / Notices 18163

certain technical representatives to be

added to the list of persons authorized

to ride in the cockpit observer’s seat of

all-cargo airplanes when those aircraft

do not meet the passenger-carrying

requirements, except as described in

121.583 (b), (c), and (d).

[FR Doc. 97–9575 Filed 4–11–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Deadline for Submission of Application

for Airport Grant Funds Under the

Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for

Fiscal Year 1997

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) announces June

30, 1997, as the deadline for having on

file with the FAA an acceptable

application for airport grant funds under

the Airport Improvement Program (AIP)

For Fiscal Year 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Stanley Lou, Manager, Programming

Branch, Airports Financial Assistance

Division, Office of Airport Planning and

Programming, APP–520, on (202) 267–

8809.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

47105(f) of the Codification of Certain

U.S. Transportation Laws as Title 49,

United States Code, Public Law No.

103–272, (July 5, 1994), provides that

the sponsor of each airport to which

entitlement funds are apportioned shall

notify the Secretary, by such time and

in a form as prescribed by the Secretary,

of the sponsors’s intent to apply for

passenger and cargo entitlement funds.

Notification of the sponsor’s intent to

apply during fiscal year 1997 for any of

its entitlement funds, including those

unused from prior years, shall be in the

form of a project application (SF 424)

submitted to the FAA field office no

later than June 30, 1997.

This notice is promulgated to

expedite and prioritize grants in the

final quarter of the fiscal year. Absent an

acceptable application by June 30, FAA

intends to defer an airport’s entitlement

funds until the next fiscal year.

Issued in Washington, DC, April 4, 1997.

Stan Lou,

Manager, Programming Branch.

[FR Doc. 97–9561 Filed 4–11–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[FRA Docket No. RST–97–1]

Petition for Waiver of Compliance;

Cant Deficient Passenger Train

Operation

In accordance with Part 211 of Title

49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR),

notice is hereby given that the Federal

Railroad Administration (FRA) received

from the National Railroad Passenger

Corporation (Amtrak) a request for

waiver of compliance with certain

requirements of 49 CFR Part 213: Track

Safety Standards.

The purpose of Amtrak’s petition is to

secure approval from FRA to operate its

equipment at curving speeds producing

higher cant deficiencies on the route

known as the Michigan District between

Porter, Indiana, and Kalamazoo,

Michigan. Amtrak advises that this

territory is currently being upgraded to

track class six standards with a

projected maximum train speed of 110

mph. Amtrak and the state of Michigan

have embarked on a long-term program

to reduce trip times between Chicago,

Illinois, and Detroit, Michigan. Amtrak

believes that it is important to obtain the

waiver for the success of the Michigan

High-Speed Project, as it will allow

speeds that take full advantage of a

FRA-funded state-of-the-art ITCS,

Incremental Train Control System,

signal system being installed on this

section of railroad.

Presently, section 213.57(b) permits a

maximum of three inches to be used as

the underbalance term (cant deficiency)

in the formulation of curve/speed tables

by track maintenance engineers defining

train speeds for curved track

superelevations for any route between

two points. Section 213.57 refers to

maximum allowable train operating

speeds on curves as a function of

existing curvature and superelevation

and, further, introduces the concept of

unbalanced superelevation. The idea of

trains negotiating curved track at speeds

producing either positive or negative

unbalance was discussed previously in

the Federal Register (52 FR 38035,

October 13, 1987).

Amtrak seeks to operate Superliner I,

Superliner II, and High-level equipment

at curving speeds producing four inches

of cant deficiency; and Amfleet I,

Amfleet II, Horizon, Heritage, Cab Car,

F40 Cab Car (NPCU), MHC, F40PH, P32-

BWH, P40-BH, and P42-BH equipment

at curving speeds producing up to six

inches of cant deficiency.

In its petition, Amtrak states that it

successfully operated train equipment at

higher cant deficiencies under several

waivers, including a waiver to operate

passenger trains at curving speeds

producing five inches of cant deficiency

between New Haven, Connecticut, and

Boston, Massachusetts, on its Northeast

Corridor. Amtrak advises that some

equipment types in this petition have

been successfully tested at up to eight

inches of cant deficiency.

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 communications concerning these

proceedings should identify the

appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver

Petition Docket Number RST–97–1) and

must be submitted in triplicate to the

Docket Clerk, Office of Chief Counsel,

FRA, Nassif Building, 400 Seventh

Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590.

Communications received within 45

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 (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) at

FRA’s temporary docket room located at

1120 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Room

7051, Washington, D.C. 20005.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on March 31,

1997.

Phil Olekszyk,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety

Compliance and Program Implementation.

[FR Doc. 97–9455 Filed 4–11–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Waiver Petition Docket Number H–92–3]

Westinghouse Air Brake Company;

Public Hearing

On January 15, 1997, the Federal

Railroad Administration (FRA)

published a notice in the Federal

Register announcing Westinghouse Air

Brake Company’s (WABCO) request to

amend the conditions of a waiver which

had been granted in 1992 for their EPIC

microprocessor-based locomotive

braking equipment. The current waiver

authorizes 1,000 locomotives equipped