Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 22 / Friday, February 1, 2008 / Notices 6259 

January 30–31, 2007, April 10–11, 2007, 

June 27–28, 2007, August 15–16, 2007, 

and October 23–24, 2007, and the next 

meeting is scheduled for January, 8–9, 

2008. Contact: Ken Rusk, (202) 493–

6236. 

Task 06–03—Medical Standards for 

Safety-Critical Personnel. This task was 

accepted on September 21, 2006, to 

enhance the safety of persons in the 

railroad operating environment and the 

public by establishing standards and 

procedures for determining the medical 

fitness of duty of personnel engaged in 

safety-critical functions. A working 

group was established and will report 

any planned activity to the full 

Committee at each scheduled full RSAC 

meeting, including milestones for 

completion of projects and progress 

toward completion. The first working 

group meeting was held December 12–

13, 2006. The working group met on 

February 20–21, 2007, July 24–25, 2007, 

August 29–30, 2007, October 31–

November 1, 2007, and December 4–5, 

2007. A task force of physicians was 

established in May 2007 to work on 

specific medical exam-related issues. 

The task force had meetings or 

conference calls on July 24, 2007, 

August 20, 2007, October 15, 2007, and 

October 31, 2007. The next Medical 

Standards Working Group meeting is 

scheduled for February 13–14, 2008. 

Contact: Alan Misiaszek, (202) 493–

6002. 

Task 07–01—Track Safety Standards. 

This task was accepted on February 22, 

2007, to consider specific improvements 

to the Track Safety Standards or other 

responsive actions, supplementing work 

already underway on CWR, specifically: 

review controls applied to the reuse of 

rail in CWR ‘‘plug rail,’’ review the issue 

of cracks emanating from bond wire 

attachments, consider improvements in 

the Track Safety Standards related to 

fastening of rail to concrete ties, and 

ensure a common understanding within 

the regulated community concerning 

requirements for internal rail flaw 

inspections. These tasks were assigned 

to the Track Safety Standards Working 

Group. The working group will report 

any planned activity to the full 

Committee at each scheduled full RSAC 

meeting, including milestones for 

completion of projects and progress 

toward completion. The first working 

group meeting was held on June 27–28, 

2007, and the group met again on 

August 15–16, 2007, and October 23–24, 

2007. Two task forces were created 

under the working group; the Concrete 

Ties Task Force and the Rail Integrity 

Task Force. The Concrete Ties Task 

Force first met on November 26–27, 

2007, and the next meeting is scheduled 

for February 13–14, 2008. The Rail 

Integrity Task Force first met on 

November 28–29, 2007, and the next 

meeting is scheduled for February 12–

13, 2008. Contact: Ken Rusk, (202) 493–

6236. 

Completed Tasks 

Task 96–1—(Completed) Revising the 

Freight Power Brake Regulations. 

Task 96–2—(Completed) Reviewing 

and recommending revisions to the 

Track Safety Standards (49 CFR Part 

213). 

Task 96–3—(Completed) Reviewing 

and recommending revisions to the 

Radio Standards and Procedures (found 

under 49 CFR Part 220). 

Task 96–5—(Completed) Reviewing 

and recommending revisions to the 

Steam Locomotive Inspection and 

Maintenance Standards (49 CFR Part 

230). 

Task 96–6—(Completed) Reviewing 

and recommending revisions to 

miscellaneous aspects of the regulations 

addressing Locomotive Engineer 

Certification (49 CFR Part 240). 

Task 96–7—(Completed) Developing 

Roadway Maintenance Machines (OnTrack Equipment) Safety Standards. 

Task 96–8—(Completed) This 

planning task evaluated the need for 

action in response to recommendations 

contained in a report to Congress 

entitled, Locomotive Crashworthiness & 

Working Conditions. 

Task 97–1—(Completed) Developing 

crashworthiness specifications (49 CFR 

Part 229) to promote the integrity of the 

locomotive cab in accidents resulting 

from collisions. 

Task 97–2—(Completed) Evaluating 

the extent to which environmental, 

sanitary, and other working conditions 

in locomotive cabs affect the crew’s 

health and the safe operation of 

locomotives, proposing standards where 

appropriate. 

Task 97–3—(Completed) Developing 

event recorder data survivability 

standards. 

Task 97–4 and Task 97–5—

(Completed) Defining positive train 

control functionalities, describing 

available technologies, evaluating costs 

and benefits of potential systems, and 

considering implementation 

opportunities and challenges, including 

demonstration and deployment. 

Task 97–6—(Completed) Revising 

various regulations to address the safety 

implications of processor-based signal 

and train control technologies, 

including communications-based 

operating systems. 

Task 97–7—(Completed) Determining 

damages qualifying an event as a 

reportable train accident. 

Task 00–1—(Completed—task 

withdrawn) Determining the need to 

amend regulations protecting persons 

who work on, under, or between rolling 

equipment and persons applying, 

removing, or inspecting rear end 

marking devices (Blue Signal 

Protection). 

Task 01–1—(Completed) Developing 

conformity of FRA’s regulations for 

accident/incident reporting (49 CFR Part 

225) to revised regulations of the 

Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Labor, and to make appropriate 

revisions to the FRA Guide for 

Preparing Accident/Incident Reports 

(reporting guide). 

Please refer to the notice published in 

the Federal Register on March 11, 1996, 

(61 FR 9740) for more information about 

the RSAC. 

Issued in Washington, DC on January 28, 

2008. 

Michael J. Logue, 

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety 

Compliance and Program Implementation. 

[FR Doc. E8–1861 Filed 1–31–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Petition for Waiver of Compliance 

In accordance with Title 49 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 211, 

notice is hereby given that the Federal 

Railroad Administration (FRA) received 

a request for a waiver of compliance 

with certain requirements of its safety 

standards. The individual petition is 

described below, including the party 

seeking relief, the regulatory provisions 

involved, the nature of the relief being 

requested, and the petitioner’s 

arguments in favor of relief. 

New Jersey Transit Corporation 

[Supplement and Modification To Waiver 

Petition Docket Number FRA–1999–6135, 

with New Docket Number FRA–2007–0030] 

As a supplement and modification to 

New Jersey Transit Corporation’s (NJ 

Transit) petition for approval of shared 

use and waiver of certain FRA 

regulations (the original Shared Use 

Waiver was granted by the FRA Railroad 

Safety Board on December 3, 1999, a 5- 

year extension and decision regarding 

relief from the FRA Horn Rule was 

granted by the Safety Board on 

November 9, 2006), NJ Transit is seeking 

permission from FRA to modify the 

temporal separation operating plan to 

reflect new Burlington and Camden 

Subdivisions. Also, NJ Transit is asking 

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6260 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 22 / Friday, February 1, 2008 / Notices 

FRA to modify the terms and conditions 

of FRA’s November 9, 2006, decision 

letter seeking a permanent waiver of 

compliance from requirements of the 

FRA Horn Rule for continued safe 

operation of its Southern New Jersey 

Light Rail Transit (SNJLRT) River Line 

at seven specific highway-rail grade 

crossings in the Palmyra and Riverton, 

NJ, communities. NJ Transit submits 

that this request is consistent with the 

waiver process for shared use. (See 

Statement of Agency Policy Concerning 

Jurisdiction Over the Safety of Railroad 

Passenger Operations and Waivers 

Related to Shared Use of the Tracks of 

the General Railroad System by Light 

Rail and Conventional Equipment, 65 

FR 42529 (July 10, 2000); also see Joint 

Statement of Agency Policy Concerning 

Shared Use of the Tracks of the General 

Railroad System by Conventional 

Railroads and Light Rail Transit 

Systems, 65 FR 42526 (July 10, 2000).) 

On April 27, 2005, FRA issued the 

Final Rule on Use of Locomotive Horns 

at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings, 70 FR 

21844 (2005), with an effective date of 

June 24, 2005. NJ Transit claimed that 

although its audible warning operating 

practices on the River Line are generally 

in compliance with the rules contained 

in 49 CFR Parts 222 and 229, Use of 

Locomotive Horns at Highway Rail 

Grade Crossings; Final Rule, it needed 

relief from the requirements of the rule 

because of the unique operating 

characteristics of the SNJLRT River 

Line-particularly the close proximity of 

highway-rail grade crossings in the 

communities of Riverton and Palmyra, 

NJ. As noted and explained in the FRA 

decision letter dated November 9, 2006, 

FRA denied NJ Transit relief from the 

Horn Rule requirements, except at 

certain locations outlined in the 

decision letter, including four near-side 

station stops in the Riverton-Palmyra 

single track corridor at Cinnaminson 

Avenue, Morgan Avenue, Thomas 

Avenue, and Main Street. 

With this petition submitted in lieu of 

instituting quiet zones, NJ Transit again 

is seeking relief from the requirements 

of the FRA Horn Rule (use of 83 dB bell 

in lieu of 86dB horn) at seven of nine 

actively warned highway-rail grade 

crossings along this 1.4-mile RivertonPalmyra single track corridor. The 

driving force behind this request is that 

the SNJLRT River Line operates 91 

weekday trips through this corridor, 

generating over 800 audible warnings 

between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., causing 

quality of life issues and noise 

complaints from nearby residents. 

Also with this petition, NJ Transit is 

seeking permission from FRA to modify 

the temporal separation operating plan 

to reflect new Burlington and Camden 

Subdivisions. The creation of these 

subdivisions will allow SNJLRT light 

rail vehicles in a particular subdivision 

to operate concurrently when Conrail 

freight trains are either late in clearing 

tracks in the other subdivision or they 

report clear for the remainder of the 

freight window. The subdivisions will 

be delineated where switches can be 

reversed and blocked to prevent 

movements outside each respective 

subdivision. 

All communications concerning these 

proceedings should identify the 

appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver 

Petition Docket Number FRA–2007–

0030) and may be submitted by any of 

the following methods: 

• Web site: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

• Mail: Docket Operations Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590. 

• Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal Holidays. 

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 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the 

above facility. All documents in the 

public docket are also available for 

inspection and copying on the Internet 

at the docket facility’s Web site at 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

Anyone is able to search the 

electronic form of any written 

communications and comments 

received into any of our dockets by the 

name of the individual submitting the 

comment (or signing the comment, if 

submitted on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 

65, Number 70; Pages 19477–19478). 

Issued in Washington, DC on January 28, 

2008. 

Grady C. Cothen, Jr., 

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety 

Standards and Program Development. 

[FR Doc. E8–1863 Filed 1–31–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Petition for Waiver of Compliance 

In accordance with Part 211 of Title 

49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 

notice is hereby given that the Federal 

Railroad Administration (FRA) received 

a request for a waiver of compliance 

with certain requirements of its safety 

standards. The individual petition is 

described below, including the party 

seeking relief, the regulatory provisions 

involved, the nature of the relief being 

requested, and the petitioner’s 

arguments in favor of relief. 

Village of Elmwood Park, Illinois 

[Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA–2007–

0022] 

The Village of Elmwood Park, Illinois 

(Village) and the Northeastern Illinois 

Commuter Rail Corporation (Metra) seek 

a permanent waiver of compliance from 

a certain provision of the Use of 

Locomotive Horns at Highway-Rail 

Grade Crossings, 49 CFR Part 222. The 

Village intends to establish a new 

partial quiet zone consisting of four 

public highway-rail at-grade crossings 

and two pedestrian at-grade crossings. 

The Village and Metra are seeking a 

waiver to modify the hours of a new 

partial quiet zone as provided in 49 CFR 

Part 222.9, definition of a new partial 

quiet zone that states that locomotive 

horns are not routinely sounded 

between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. 

The waiver petition requests that the 

time period for the new partial quiet 

zone is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. as 

recommended by the Illinois Commerce 

Commission (ICC) to better reflect the 

existing traffic conditions. The ICC 

made these comments during a 

diagnostic team meeting on September 

5, 2007, and in a letter to the Village 

dated September 11, 2007. 

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 FRA–2007–

0022) and may be submitted by any of 

the following methods: 

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