2020-22299. Petition for Waiver of Compliance  

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    Under part 211 of title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), this document provides the public notice that on September 23, 2020, Colebrookdale Railroad 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 232, Brake System Safety Standards for Freight and Other Non-Passenger Trains and Equipment; End-Of-Train Devices. FRA assigned the petition Docket Number FRA-2020-0080.

    Colebrookdale Railroad is the operator of a tourist train over 8.6 miles of track owned by the Eastern Berks Gateway Railroad. Colebrookdale Railroad operates four historic passenger cars with Westinghouse UC air brakes. The UC valves are required to be clean, repaired, lubricated, and tested every 15 months. See 49 CFR part 232, appendix B; Association of American Railroads Standard S-045. The petitioner seeks a waiver to extend this requirement to every 30 months to save costs and extend the operating seasons.

    The petitioner states that the UC valves are inspected by a certified brake shop in Leetsdale, Pennsylvania. Further, the Colebrookdale Railroad has never had a brake valve failure in seven years of operation, nor experienced an Initial Terminal Test or a Class III brake test failure, in any weather conditions. Additionally, improvements in gasket material and lubrication have increased the reliability of these older valves over the years.

    A copy of the petition, as well as any written communications concerning the petition, is available for review online at www.regulations.gov.

    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 (DOT), 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 November 23, 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.

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    Issued in Washington, DC.

    John Karl Alexy,

    Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer.

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    [FR Doc. 2020-22299 Filed 10-7-20; 8:45 am]

    BILLING CODE 4910-06-P

Document Information

Published:
10/08/2020
Department:
Federal Railroad Administration
Entry Type:
Notice
Document Number:
2020-22299
Pages:
63653-63653 (1 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Docket Number FRA-2020-0080
PDF File:
2020-22299.Pdf