Notice2021-16740
Petition for Approval: Canadian National Railway
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
August 5, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Railroad Administration
Abstract
This document provides the public notice that on July 23, 2021, Canadian National Railway (CN) petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to transition from phase 2 to phase 3 of a previously approved Test Program and associated temporary suspension of some visual track inspections. The Test Program is 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 148 (Thursday, August 5, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 148 (Thursday, August 5, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 42976]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16740]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2020-0014]
Petition for Approval: Canadian National Railway
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of petition for approval to move to phase 3 of track
inspection test program.
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SUMMARY: This document provides the public notice that on July 23,
2021, Canadian National Railway (CN) petitioned the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) to transition from phase 2 to phase 3 of a
previously approved Test Program and associated temporary suspension of
some visual track inspections. The Test Program is 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#0178746b68606f662f7b69606f6641656e752f666e77"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="166f637c7f777871386c7e7778715672796238717960">[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#c0a1a1b2afaeeeadafafb2a580a4afb4eea7afb6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b9d8d8cbd6d797d4d6d6cbdcf9ddd6cd97ded6cf">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 3, 2020, FRA conditionally approved
the Test Program and CN'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 rationale 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-2020-0014-0004">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0014-0004</a>
(Test Program); <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0014-0002">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0014-0002</a> (FRA's approval decision); <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0014-0003">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0014-0003</a> (FRA's published notice of approval).
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As approved, the Test Program included four separate phases over 12
months, as outlined in Exhibit C of the Program.\2\ Accordingly, CN
began the Test Program on April 19, 2020. On December 6, 2020, CN
transitioned from phase 1 to phase 2. Subsequently, CN requested, and
FRA approved, an extension of the Test Program until February 19, 2022.
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\2\ <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0014-0004">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2020-0014-0004</a>.
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CN is requesting to transition from phase 2 to 3 on October 24,
2021. In support of its request, CN states that it has met the Test
Program conditions required to move to phase 3 and has met the Test
Program's baseline safety metric of less than 0.19 unprotected geometry
defects per 100 miles tested as established in phase 1 of the Test
Program. Specifically, for the 90 days prior to petitioning to move to
phase 3, CN achieved an average of 0.15 unprotected geometry defects
per 100 miles tested.
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 September 7, 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. 2021-16740 Filed 8-4-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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