03-22470. Notice of Application for Approval of Discontinuance or Modification of a Railroad Signal System or Relief From Requirements

Pursuant to Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 235 and 49 U.S.C. 20502(a), the following railroad has petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) seeking approval for the discontinuance or modification of the signal system or relief from the requirements of 49 CFR part 236 as detailed below.

Applicant: Kansas City Southern Railway, Mr. Calvin R. Jones, Manager of Engineering Projects, Signal Department, 4601 Shreveport-Blanchard Highway, Shreveport, Louisiana 71107-5799.

Kansas City Southern Railway seeks approval of the proposed modification of the traffic control system, on the main track and controlled siding near milepost 604.5, on the Transcontinental Division, Beaumont Subdivision, in Benson, Louisiana. The proposed changes consist of the following:

1. Removal of the North and South Benson control points and the associated power-operated switch machines and controlled signals;

2. Installation of an electrically locked, hand-operated switch and repeater cut section at North Benson; and

3. Installation of an electrically locked, hand-operated switch and back to back, intermediate signals at South Benson.

The reason given for the proposed changes is that Benson Business Track is approximately 4,600 feet and is used primarily to store cars and seldom used to meet trains, and the removed equipment could be better utilized at another location.

Any interested party desiring to protest the granting of an application shall set forth specifically the grounds upon which the protest is made, and contain a concise statement of the interest of the party in the proceeding. Additionally, one copy of the protest shall be furnished to the applicant at the address listed above.

All communications concerning this proceeding should be identified by the docket number and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT Central Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401 (Plaza Level), 400 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Communications received within 45 days of the date of this notice will be considered by the FRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be considered as far as practicable. All written communications concerning these proceedings are available for examination during regular business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) at the above facility. 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.

FRA wishes to inform all potential commenters that anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.

FRA expects to be able to determine these matters without an oral hearing. However, if a specific request for an oral hearing is accompanied by a showing that the party is unable to adequately present his or her position by written statements, an application may be set for public hearing.

Issued in Washington, DC on August 27, 2003.

Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program Development.