Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 248 / Wednesday, December 27, 1995 / Notices 67015

Federal Railroad Administration

[FRA Docket Nos. H–94–7, RST–94–4, and

SA–94–14]

National Railroad Passenger

Corporation; Petition for Exemption or

Waiver for Test Program and High

Speed Revenue Passenger Service

In accordance with 49 CFR 211.51,

notice is hereby given that the National

Railroad Passenger Corporation

(Amtrak) has submitted to the Federal

Railroad Administration (FRA) a

petition, dated December 5, 1994 for a

waiver of compliance with specific

requirements of certain parts of Title 49

of the Code of Federal Regulations in

order to conduct a series of tests and

enter one or more new high speed

trainsets of advanced design into

revenue service. Please note that this

equipment is expected to be delivered to

Amtrak beginning in the late spring of

1997.

The purpose of this notice is to

identify and briefly describe the

separate elements of the petition and

afford an opportunity for interested

parties to comment on these.

In explanation of why this petition

had three docket numbers assigned to it,

please consider the following

tabulation:

Item Description Docket No.

Request 1 ... High Cant Deficiency for

Test Purposes.

H–94–7.

Request 2 ... High Speed

for Stability

Tests.

H–94–7.

Request 3 ... High Cant Deficiency for

Revenue

Operations.

RST–94–4.

Request 4 ... High Speed

for Revenue

Service.

RST–94–4.

Request 5 ... Request for a

Procedure

to Increase

Speeds Beyond Presently Authorized Speeds.

RST–94–4.

Request 6 ... Hand Brakes,

Side and

End

Handholds

and Uncoupling Levers.

SA–94–14.

It is evident from this compilation

that the petition includes two separate

phases: Requests 1 and 2 concern testing

activities that will occur and be finished

within periods of limited duration. This

type of operation is assigned an ‘‘H’’

series docket number by FRA. Requests

3 through 5 and also 6, addressing

proposed future revenue operation of

the new equipment, are not temporary

in nature and relief, if granted, will

continue into the future.

Request 1: (Note: The tests anticipated

under Requests 1 and 2 are intended to

occur first, at the Transportation

Technology Center in Colorado and

second, if concluded successfully there,

to be repeated at various locations in the

Northeast Corridor.) Petitioner requests

relief from compliance with § 213.57(b),

Curves, elevation and speed limitations,

of the Federal track safety standards

which currently limits train operating

speeds in the negotiation of curved track

to a value producing not more than

three inches of underbalance. Curve

negotiation at various train speeds

producing up to 12 inches of cant

deficiency (underbalanced

superelevation) is to be investigated to

evaluate vehicle/track response

characteristics in this operating regime.

Amtrak states that instrumented

wheelsets, accelerometers and other

suitable instrumentation will figure in

these tests.

Request 2: Lateral suspension

performance will be examined to see if

truck lateral instability (hunting) occurs

within the trainset’s operating speed

regime up to 165 mph. In order to do

this, the petitioner needs to be provided

with permission to exceed the train

operating speed limit of 110 mph

(§ 213.9).

Request 3: Predicated upon successful

completion of the cant deficiency tests

described in Request 1, above, Amtrak

is today asking for a permanent waiver

of compliance with § 213.57(b) in order

to operate the new trainsets in revenue

service at curving speeds developing up

to nine inches of cant deficiency.

Request 4: Amtrak wants to run the

new trains in revenue service at speeds

of up to 150 mph over Class 6 track.

Again, and if test results are supportive,

compliance with § 213.9 will have to be

waived.

Request 5: Once the curving safety of

the new vehicles has been established,

Amtrak wants the latitude to set cant

deficiency limits for other curves

without further test. Agency response to

this request may become a policy matter

in that relief from compliance with

specific sections of the track safety

standards may have been provided

already in response to treatment of

Requests 3 and 4.

Request 6: The trainsets will not be

built as individual cars which can be

coupled and uncoupled in a

conventional manner. Uncoupling

levers will only be at the ends of the

trainset. Since an entire consist will

always be handled as a single unit,

intermediate cars will not be equipped

with standard side or end handholds.

Amtrak believes that relevant provisions

of § 231.12(b),(c) & (d), Passenger-train

cars with wide vestibules, should not

apply. The trainsets will be provided

with spring-actuated parking brakes

which, it is claimed, will eliminate the

need for a manually operated hand

brake.

FRA is seeking information and

comments on this proposed test and

revenue passenger service program from

interested parties. FRA will take these

comments into account in arriving at a

final specification of conditions

governing the conduct of the entire

project. Such comments may also have

value in supporting FRA’s responses to

future requests for approval to operate

trains through curves at speeds

producing more than the current

standard of three inches of

underbalance.

All interested parties are invited to

participate in this proceeding through

written submission. FRA does not

anticipate scheduling an opportunity for

oral comment because the facts do not

appear to warrant it. An opportunity to

present oral comments will be provided,

however, if within 45 days of the

publication date of this notice, the party

submits a written request for a hearing

that demonstrates that his or her

position cannot be properly presented

by written statements.

All written communications

concerning this petition should

reference ‘‘FRA General Docket Nos. H–

94–7/RST–94–4/SA–94–14’’ and should

be submitted in triplicate to the Docket

Clerk, Office of Chief Counsel, FRA, 400

7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20590.

Comments received not later than 45

days following publication of this notice

will be considered in this proceeding

and in evaluating any future proposals

by Amtrak or other railroad entity for

similar programs. All comments

received will be available for

examination by interested persons at

anytime during regular working hours (9

a.m.-5 p.m.), in Room 8201, Nassif

Building, 400 7th Street SW,

Washington, DC 20590. Issued in

Washington, DC on December 21, 1995.

Phil Olekszyk,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety

Compliance and Program Implementation.

[FR Doc. 95–31329 Filed 12–26–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

Petition for a Waiver of Compliance

In accordance with Title 49 CFR 211.9

and 211.41, notice is hereby given that
67016 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 248 / Wednesday, December 27, 1995 / Notices

the following railroads have petitioned

the Federal Railroad Administration

(FRA) for exemptions from or waivers of

compliance with a requirement of its

safety standards. The individual

petitions are described below, including

the party seeking relief, the regulatory

provisions involved, and the nature of

the relief being requested.

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 of their request.

All communications concerning these

proceedings should identify the

appropriate waiver petition docket

number (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket

Number HS–95–13, HS–95–15, HS–95–

16 or HS–95–17) and must be submitted

in triplicate to the Docket Clerk, Office

of Chief Counsel, Federal Railroad

Administration, Nassif Building, 400

Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC

20590. Communications received within

45 days of the date of publication 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 a.m. to 5 p.m.) in room 8201,

Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street SW,

Washington, DC 20590.

The individual petitions are as

follows:

Southern Pacific Transportation Company

(SPT), FRA Waiver Petition Docket No. HS–

95–13

Southern Pacific requests a permanent

waiver, after testing, to utilize new

technologies to record hours of duty

information for train, engine and yard

personnel.

CNNA—Grand Trunk Western Railroad,

Inc. (GTW), FRA Waiver Petition Docket No.

HS–95–15

Grand Trunk Western requests a

permanent waiver, after testing, to

utilize new technologies to record hours

of duty information for train, engine and

yard personnel.

Houston Belt and Terminal Railway

Company (HBT), FRA Waiver Petition

Docket No. HS–95–16

Houston Belt and Terminal requests a

permanent waiver, after testing, to

utilize new technologies to record hours

of duty information for engine, hostler,

yard, signal and operator personnel.

Port Terminal Railroad Association (PTRA),

FRA Waiver Petition Docket No. HS–95–17

Port Terminal Railroad requests a

permanent waiver, after testing, to

utilize new technologies to record hours

of duty information for engine, hostler,

yard and operator personnel.

The above railroads seek a waiver of

compliance with certain provisions of

FRA Safety Regulations (Hours of

Service of Railroad Employees, 49 CFR

Part 228). The railroads seek a waiver of

49 CFR 228.9(a)(1) which requires that

records maintained under Part 228 be

signed by the employee whose time of

duty is being recorded, or in the case of

train and engine crews, signed by the

ranking crew member. Each railroad

seeks to establish a program that utilizes

a computerized system of recording

hours of duty information which would

not comply with the above requirement

for a ‘‘signature’’ of the employee or

ranking crew member. The individual

railroads propose that each employee

will have his or her own personal

identification number (‘‘pin’’) which

will remain confidential to the

employee. When accessing the

computer for input of the hours of

service record, required by § 228.11, the

‘‘pin’’ will not appear on the computer

screen when the employee enters his or

her number. The ‘‘pin’’ is proposed to

satisfy the signature requirements of the

‘‘Hours of Service of Railroad

Employees.’’ The railroads maintain that

the change is necessary to modernize

recordkeeping.

Issued in Washington, DC on December 21,

1995.

Phil Olekszyk,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety

Compliance and Program Implempmention.

[FR Doc. 95–31328 Filed 12–26–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

Research and Special Programs

Administration

Office of Hazardous Materials Safety;

Notice of Applications for Exemptions

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: List of applicants for

exemptions.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

procedures governing the application

for, and the processing of, exemptions

from the Department of Transportation’s

Hazardous Materials Regulations (49

CFR Part 107, Subpart B), notice is

hereby given that the Office of

Hazardous Materials Safety has received

the applications described herein. Each

mode of transportation for which a

particular exemption is requested is

indicated by a number in the ‘‘Nature of

Application’’ portion of the table below

as follows: 1—Motor vehicle, 2—Rail

freight, 3—Cargo vessel, 4—Cargo

aircraft only, 5—Passenger-carrying

aircraft.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before January 26, 1996.

ADDRESS COMMENTS TO: Dockets Unit,

Research and Special Programs

Administration, U.S. Department of

Transportation, Washington, DC 20590.

Comments should refer to the

application number and be submitted in

triplicate. If confirmation of receipt of

comments is desired, include a selfaddressed stamped postcard showing

the exemption application number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Copies of the

applications are available for inspection

in the Dockets Unit, Room 8426, Nassif

Building, 400 7th Street, SW.,

Washington, DC.

NEW EXEMPTIONS

Application

No. Applicant Regulation(s) affected Nature of exemption thereof

11585–N ...... Prillaman Chemical Corp., Suffolk, VA .... 49 CFR 176.67(i) & (j) ............................. To authorize tank cars to remain connected during unloading of chlorine

without the physical presence of an

unloader. (Mode 2.)