Document ID: FRA-2019-0096-0003
Agency: fra
Document Type: Notice
Title: Petition for Waiver of Compliance
Posted Date: 2020-01-10T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 7 (Friday, January 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1371-1372]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00231]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket Number FRA-2019-0096]

Petition for Waiver of Compliance

    Under part 211 of title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), this 
document provides the public notice that on October 30, 2019, the 
National Railroad Passenger Corporation

[[Page 1372]]

(Amtrak) petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a 
waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal railroad 
safety regulations contained at 49 CFR part 238. FRA assigned the 
petition Docket Number FRA-2019-0096.
    Specifically, Amtrak has petitioned FRA for a waiver from the 
requirements of 49 CFR 238.111(a), pre-revenue service acceptance 
testing, for Siemens Charger locomotives, ALC-42 variants included, to 
operate across the entirety of Amtrak's operating network. Following 
FRA's correspondence to Amtrak dated May 16, 2019, Amtrak began to 
perform a select number of SC-44 Charger performance tests on several 
long-distance network routes. Results have been generally positive thus 
far with a low number of correctional recommendations sent back to the 
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Amtrak intends to perform 
additional SC-44 testing in 2020 to further validate the Charger 
platform in a long-distance environment prior to receiving ALC-42 
deliveries.
    Since the receipt of FRA's May 16, 2019 correspondence, Amtrak has 
also provided to FRA the entirety of the design documentation received 
to date from Siemens for the ALC-42 procurement. Most of these ALC-42 
preliminary design review documents are the SC-44 final design 
documents. These include designs of the suspension system, wheel 
profile, crash energy management, fuel tank, and other car body 
drawings. Further, no changes to the dimensions or car body profile of 
the locomotive will vary between the ALC-42 or the SC-44. The ALC-42 
will have a minimal (<0.5%) empty weight variance due to different 
internal components such as head-end power (HEP) transformer and cab 
signal, and a minimal (<2.0%) loaded gross weight variance due to 
increased fuel/diesel exhaust fluid (DEF)/sand capacity than the SC-44. 
Amtrak states these small weight variances reside below the floor and 
therefore should have negligible effect from low center of gravity. The 
other notable differences between the two platform versions will reside 
within the cab (additional positive train control systems, screen 
interfaces) and inside the engine room (different fuel filtration, HEP 
inverter, brake grid, etc.).
    Based on the above and the Charger platform testing that has been 
performed to date, Amtrak requests a waiver from the requirements of 49 
CFR 238.111(a) testing for Siemens Charger locomotives, ALC-42 variants 
included.
    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 Ave. 
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 Ave. SE, W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal Holidays.
    Communications received by February 24, 2020 will be considered by 
FRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date 
will be considered if practicable.
    Anyone can 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 document, if 
submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). 
Under 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,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-00231 Filed 1-9-20; 8:45 am]
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