[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 248 (Wednesday, December 27, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67014-67015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-31329]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 67015]]
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[FRA Docket Nos. H-94-7, RST-94-4, and SA-94-14]
National Railroad Passenger Corporation; Petition for Exemption
or Waiver for Test Program and High Speed Revenue Passenger Service
In accordance with 49 CFR 211.51, notice is hereby given that the
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) has submitted to the
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) a petition, dated December 5,
1994 for a waiver of compliance with specific requirements of certain
parts of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations in order to
conduct a series of tests and enter one or more new high speed
trainsets of advanced design into revenue service. Please note that
this equipment is expected to be delivered to Amtrak beginning in the
late spring of 1997.
The purpose of this notice is to identify and briefly describe the
separate elements of the petition and afford an opportunity for
interested parties to comment on these.
In explanation of why this petition had three docket numbers
assigned to it, please consider the following tabulation:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Item Description Docket No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request 1.............. High Cant Deficiency H-94-7.
for Test Purposes.
Request 2.............. High Speed for H-94-7.
Stability Tests.
Request 3.............. High Cant Deficiency RST-94-4.
for Revenue
Operations.
Request 4.............. High Speed for Revenue RST-94-4.
Service.
Request 5.............. Request for a RST-94-4.
Procedure to Increase
Speeds Beyond
Presently Authorized
Speeds.
Request 6.............. Hand Brakes, Side and SA-94-14.
End Handholds and
Uncoupling Levers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is evident from this compilation that the petition includes two
separate phases: Requests 1 and 2 concern testing activities that will
occur and be finished within periods of limited duration. This type of
operation is assigned an ``H'' series docket number by FRA. Requests 3
through 5 and also 6, addressing proposed future revenue operation of
the new equipment, are not temporary in nature and relief, if granted,
will continue into the future.
Request 1: (Note: The tests anticipated under Requests 1 and 2 are
intended to occur first, at the Transportation Technology Center in
Colorado and second, if concluded successfully there, to be repeated at
various locations in the Northeast Corridor.) Petitioner requests
relief from compliance with Sec. 213.57(b), Curves, elevation and speed
limitations, of the Federal track safety standards which currently
limits train operating speeds in the negotiation of curved track to a
value producing not more than three inches of underbalance. Curve
negotiation at various train speeds producing up to 12 inches of cant
deficiency (underbalanced superelevation) is to be investigated to
evaluate vehicle/track response characteristics in this operating
regime. Amtrak states that instrumented wheelsets, accelerometers and
other suitable instrumentation will figure in these tests.
Request 2: Lateral suspension performance will be examined to see
if truck lateral instability (hunting) occurs within the trainset's
operating speed regime up to 165 mph. In order to do this, the
petitioner needs to be provided with permission to exceed the train
operating speed limit of 110 mph (Sec. 213.9).
Request 3: Predicated upon successful completion of the cant
deficiency tests described in Request 1, above, Amtrak is today asking
for a permanent waiver of compliance with Sec. 213.57(b) in order to
operate the new trainsets in revenue service at curving speeds
developing up to nine inches of cant deficiency.
Request 4: Amtrak wants to run the new trains in revenue service at
speeds of up to 150 mph over Class 6 track. Again, and if test results
are supportive, compliance with Sec. 213.9 will have to be waived.
Request 5: Once the curving safety of the new vehicles has been
established, Amtrak wants the latitude to set cant deficiency limits
for other curves without further test. Agency response to this request
may become a policy matter in that relief from compliance with specific
sections of the track safety standards may have been provided already
in response to treatment of Requests 3 and 4.
Request 6: The trainsets will not be built as individual cars which
can be coupled and uncoupled in a conventional manner. Uncoupling
levers will only be at the ends of the trainset. Since an entire
consist will always be handled as a single unit, intermediate cars will
not be equipped with standard side or end handholds. Amtrak believes
that relevant provisions of Sec. 231.12(b),(c) & (d), Passenger-train
cars with wide vestibules, should not apply. The trainsets will be
provided with spring-actuated parking brakes which, it is claimed, will
eliminate the need for a manually operated hand brake.
FRA is seeking information and comments on this proposed test and
revenue passenger service program from interested parties. FRA will
take these comments into account in arriving at a final specification
of conditions governing the conduct of the entire project. Such
comments may also have value in supporting FRA's responses to future
requests for approval to operate trains through curves at speeds
producing more than the current standard of three inches of
underbalance.
All interested parties are invited to participate in this
proceeding through written submission. FRA does not anticipate
scheduling an opportunity for oral comment because the facts do not
appear to warrant it. An opportunity to present oral comments will be
provided, however, if within 45 days of the publication date of this
notice, the party submits a written request for a hearing that
demonstrates that his or her position cannot be properly presented by
written statements.
All written communications concerning this petition should
reference ``FRA General Docket Nos. H-94-7/RST-94-4/SA-94-14'' and
should be submitted in triplicate to the Docket Clerk, Office of Chief
Counsel, FRA, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20590.
Comments received not later than 45 days following publication of
this notice will be considered in this proceeding and in evaluating any
future proposals by Amtrak or other railroad entity for similar
programs. All comments received will be available for examination by
interested persons at anytime during regular working hours (9 a.m.-5
p.m.), in Room 8201, Nassif Building, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC
20590. Issued in Washington, DC on December 21, 1995.
Phil Olekszyk,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Compliance and Program
Implementation.
[FR Doc. 95-31329 Filed 12-26-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
