Document ID: FRA-2006-25040-0064
Agency: fra
Document Type: Notice
Title: Petition for Waiver of Compliance
Posted Date: 2019-06-14T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 115 (Friday, June 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27837-27838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12548]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket Number FRA-2006-25040]

Petition for Waiver of Compliance

    Under part 211 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), this 
document provides the public notice that by documents dated June 14, 
2018, and April 17, 2019, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation 
Authority (CMTY) petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 
to modify conditions related to a waiver of compliance from certain 
provisions of the Federal railroad safety regulations. Specifically, 
CMTY requests to eliminate temporal separation requirements and the 60 
miles-per-hour (MPH) speed restrictions imposed, most recently, in a 
decision letter dated April 20, 2015. FRA assigned the petition Docket 
Number FRA-2006-25040.
    The CMTY commuter rail system, ``Red Line,'' connects downtown 
Austin, Texas, with Austin's northern suburbs along 32 miles with 9 
stations. Service began in 2010 with a fleet of six diesel multiple 
unit (DMU) rail vehicles designated ``GTW Generation 1'' (GTW G1) built 
by Stadler Rail. Since 2010, these rail vehicles have operated safely 
under the conditions of waivers.
    In its petition, CMTY states that several technical and mechanical 
changes have been made to the GTW G1 vehicles. Furthermore, on January 
22, 2019, changes to FRA's Passenger Equipment Safety Standards, 49 CFR 
part 238, became effective. Together, the vehicle modification and 
updated regulation combine to make CMTY GTW G1 vehicles fully compliant 
with FRA crashworthiness standards, and more compliant with several 
items previously waived. As a result, CMTY asks FRA to remove the two 
waiver conditions requiring temporal separation and the 60 MPH speed 
restriction.
    A copy of the petition, as well as any written communications 
concerning the petition, is available for review online at 
www.regulations.gov and in person at the U.S. Department of 
Transportation's (DOT) Docket Operations Facility, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE, W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. The Docket Operations 
Facility is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal Holidays.
    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 parties 
desire an opportunity for oral comment and a public hearing, 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 and may be submitted by any of the following 
methods:
     Website: 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 by July 29, 2019 will be considered by FRA 
before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be 
considered as far as practicable.
    Anyone can search the electronic form of any written communications

[[Page 27838]]

and comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the 
individual submitting the comment (or signing the document, if 
submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). In 
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the public 
to better inform its processes. DOT posts these comments, without edit, 
including any personal information the commenter provides, to 
www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/
ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at https://www.transportation.gov/privacy. See also https://www.regulations.gov/privacyNotice for the 
privacy notice of regulations.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Railroad Safety.
[FR Doc. 2019-12548 Filed 6-13-19; 8:45 am]
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