[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 77 (Friday, April 21, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19983-19984]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-9943]



-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration


Petition for Test of New Technologies

    In accordance with title 49 CFR 211.9 and 211.41, notice is hereby 
given that 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-94-4) 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:

Chicago and North Western Transportation Company

FRA Waiver Petition Docket No. HS-94-4

    Chicago and North Western requests a permanent waiver.

Norfolk Southern Corporation

FRA Waiver Petition Docket No. HS-94-6

    Norfolk Southern requests a six month test waiver with a permanent 
waiver at the conclusion of the test period.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company

FRA Waiver Docket No. HS-95-1

    Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe requests a permanent waiver.
    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 
[[Page 19984]] 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 Sec. 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 April 17, 1995.
Phil Olekszyk,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Compliance and Program 
Implementation.
[FR Doc. 95-9943 Filed 4-20-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P