Notice2021-15935
Petition for Approval Extension: Canadian Pacific Railway Company
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 27, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Railroad Administration
Abstract
This document provides the public notice that on July 7, 2021, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to extend an existing temporary suspension of some visual track inspections to allow for continuation of a previously- approved Test Program designed to test track inspection technologies (i.e., an autonomous track geometry measurement system) and new operational approaches to track inspections (i.e., combinations of autonomous inspection and traditional visual inspections).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 141 (Tuesday, July 27, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 27, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40230-40231]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15935]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2020-0056]
Petition for Approval Extension: Canadian Pacific Railway Company
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of petition for extension of approval of track
inspection test program.
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SUMMARY: This document provides the public notice that on July 7, 2021,
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) petitioned the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) to extend an existing temporary suspension of some
visual track inspections to allow for continuation of a previously-
approved Test Program designed to test track inspection technologies
(i.e., an autonomous track geometry measurement system) and new
operational approaches to track inspections (i.e., combinations of
autonomous inspection and traditional visual inspections).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yu-Jiang Zhang, Staff Director, Track
and Structures Division, Office of Railroad Safety, FRA, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 493-6460 or
email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a6dfd3cccfc7c8c188dccec7c8c1e6c2c9d288c1c9d0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d9a0acb3b0b8b7bef7a3b1b8b7be99bdb6adf7beb6af">[email protected]</span></a>; Aaron Moore, Attorney, Office of Chief
Counsel, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590,
telephone (202) 493-7009 or email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#97f6f6e5f8f9b9faf8f8e5f2d7f3f8e3b9f0f8e1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4928283b2627672426263b2c092d263d672e263f">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 22, 2020, FRA conditionally approved
the Test Program and CP's petition under 49 CFR 211.51 to suspend
Sec. Sec. 213.233(b)(3) and 213.233(c) as applied to operations under
the Test Program. A copy of the Test Program, FRA's conditional
approval of the Test Program, and a previously published Federal
Register notice explaining FRA's rational for approving the Test
Program and related suspension are available for review in the
docket.\1\
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\1\ <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0056-0001">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0056-0001</a>
(Test Program); <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0056-0002">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0056-0002</a> (FRA's approval decision); <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0056-0004">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0056-0004</a> (FRA's published notice of approval).
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As approved, the Test Program includes three separate phases over
the course of 12 months as outlined in Exhibit C of the Program.\2\ CP
began the Test Program on August 7, 2020. Accordingly, the Test Program
is currently set to expire on August 7, 2021.
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\2\ See <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0056-0001">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0056-0001</a>.
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CP is requesting to extend the Test Program until April 6, 2022 to
complete the Program. CP cites the impact of COVID-19 as the primary
reason for requesting the extension, noting that the railroad's efforts
to safeguard the health of its employees and variety of restrictions
associated with COVID-19 have ``impacted logistics, training, and
change management activities associated with the Test Program.'' In
support of its request, CP states that it will continue to comply with
all other conditions and requirements of FRA's July 22, 2020, approval
letter. CP further notes that for phase 3 of the Test
[[Page 40231]]
Program, it intends to take a more conservative approach than that
provided for in FRA's approval letter by continuing manual visual
inspections at the frequency specified in phase 2 of the Test Program.
A copy of the petition, as well as any written communications
concerning the petition, if any, are available for review online at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings
by submitting written views, data, or comments.
All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the
appropriate docket number and may be submitted by any of the following
methods:
<bullet> Website: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
Communications received by August 26, 2021 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 <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, as described in the system
of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/privacy">https://www.transportation.gov/privacy</a>. See also <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/privacy-notice">https://www.regulations.gov/privacy-notice</a> for the privacy notice of <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>.
Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-15935 Filed 7-26-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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