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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 95901-95902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28284]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket Number FRA-2010-0029]

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation'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.

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SUMMARY: This document provides the public with notice that, on 
November 21, 2024, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) 
submitted a request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-approved Positive 
Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP) to provide supplemental information 
to its initial RFA, submitted October 16, 2024, which requested FRA's 
approval for an increase to the system maximum operational speed from 
150 miles per hour (MPH) to 160 MPH. 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 Amtrak's RFA to its PTCSP.

DATES: FRA will consider comments received by December 23, 2024. 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-2010-0029. 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: 
[email protected].

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, on November 
21, 2024, Amtrak submitted an RFA to its PTCSP for its Advanced Civil 
Speed Enforcement System II (ACSES II), which seeks FRA's approval for 
an increase to the system maximum operational speed from 150 MPH to 160 
MPH. That RFA is available in Docket No. FRA-2010-0029.
    Interested parties are invited to comment on Amtrak's RFA to its 
PTCSP by submitting written comments or data. During FRA's review of 
Amtrak'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

[[Page 95902]]

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. 2024-28284 Filed 12-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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