99-28553. Petition for Grandfathering of Non-Compliant Equipment; National Railroad Passenger Corporation  

  • [Federal Register Volume 64, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 2, 1999)]
    [Notices]
    [Page 59230]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 99-28553]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
    
    Federal Railroad Administration
    [Docket No. FRA-1999-6404]
    
    
    Petition for Grandfathering of Non-Compliant Equipment; National 
    Railroad Passenger Corporation
    
        In accordance with 49 CFR 238.203(f), notice is hereby given that 
    the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) has petitioned the 
    Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for grandfathering of non-
    compliant equipment for use on specified rail lines.
        Section 238.203 of title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
    addresses static end strength requirements for passenger rail 
    equipment. Paragraph (a)(1) provides that all passenger equipment 
    (subject to limited exceptions) shall resist a minimum static end load 
    of 800,000 pounds applied on the line of draft without permanent 
    deformation of the body structure. Paragraph (d)(2) provides that 
    ``[a]ny passenger equipment placed in service on a rail line or lines 
    before November 8, 1999 that does not comply with the requirements of 
    paragraph (a)(1) may continue to be operated on that particular line or 
    (those particular lines) if the operator of the equipment files a 
    petition seeking grandfathering approval under paragraph (d)(3) before 
    November 8, 1999. Such usage may continue while the petition is being 
    processed, but in no event later than May 8, 2000, unless the petition 
    is approved.''
        Amtrak has petitioned for grandfathering of Talgo articulated 
    trainsets for operation on the rail lines between Vancouver, British 
    Columbia and Eugene, Oregon; between Las Vegas, Nevada and Los Angeles, 
    California; and between San Diego, California and San Luis Obispo, 
    California. The equipment consists of five trainsets of twelve cars 
    each and five spare cars for a total of sixty-five cars. In support of 
    its petition, Amtrak states that, ``the Talgo trainsets provide a level 
    of safety to passengers and crew in case of collision that is 
    comparable to that of passenger equipment presently in use in North 
    America.''
        Interested parties are invited to participate in this proceeding by 
    submitting written views, data or comments. FRA does not anticipate 
    scheduling a public hearing in connection with this proceeding, 
    however, 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 this proceeding should be identified 
    with Docket Number FRA-1999-6404 and must be submitted to the Docket 
    Clerk, DOT Central Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401, 400 
    Seventh, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Communications received within 
    30 days of publication of the notice will be considered by FRA before 
    final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be 
    considered to the extent possible. Amtrak's petition and all written 
    communications concerning this proceeding are available for examination 
    during regular business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) at DOT Central Docket 
    Management Facility, Room PL-401 (Plaza Level), 400 Seventh, SW., 
    Washington, DC 20590-0001. 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://dms.dot.gov.
        In a related notice published in today's Federal Register, FRA has 
    given notice that Amtrak has filed with FRA a petition for exemption 
    under 49 U.S.C. 24305(f) from its statutory domestic preference to 
    permit Amtrak to purchase one of the Talgo trainsets referenced in 
    Amtrak's grandfathering petition. A thirty day comment period is also 
    being provided for this separate proceeding.
    
        Issued in Washington, DC, on October 25, 1999.
    Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
    Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
    Development.
    [FR Doc. 99-28553 Filed 11-1-99; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
11/02/1999
Department:
Federal Railroad Administration
Entry Type:
Notice
Document Number:
99-28553
Pages:
59230-59230 (1 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Docket No. FRA-1999-6404
PDF File:
99-28553.pdf