Notice2024-21654
Quarterly Reports of Positive Train Control System Performance
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
September 23, 2024
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Railroad Administration
Abstract
The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that FRA has determined it is in the public interest for railroads to continue submitting reports of their positive train control (PTC) systems' performance to FRA on a quarterly basis as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act currently requires, and as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved through March 31, 2027.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 184 (Monday, September 23, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77580-77581]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-21654]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Quarterly Reports of Positive Train Control System Performance
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that FRA
has determined it is in the public interest for railroads to continue
submitting reports of their positive train control (PTC) systems'
performance to FRA on a quarterly basis as the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act currently requires, and as the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) has approved through March 31, 2027.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gabe Neal, Staff Director, Signal,
Train Control, and Crossings Division, telephone: 816-516-7168, email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#296e484b4c07674c4845694d465d074e465f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2f684e4d4a01614a4e436f4b405b01484059">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 15, 2021, President Joseph R.
Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which
included the Passenger Rail Expansion and Rail Safety Act of 2021.\1\
Section 22414 of the Passenger Rail Expansion and Rail Safety Act of
2021 requires PTC-mandated host railroads \2\ and other railroads
subject to FRA's PTC regulations \3\ to submit Reports of PTC System
Performance on Form FRA F 6180.152 \4\ to FRA on a quarterly basis,
instead of biannually as otherwise required by FRA's regulations at 49
CFR 236.1029(h).\5\
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\1\ Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58,
135 Stat. 429 (Nov. 15, 2021).
\2\ I.e., host railroads subject to Title 49 United States Code
(U.S.C.) 20157.
\3\ Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 236, subpart
I.
\4\ OMB Control No. 2130-0553. The Quarterly Report of PTC
System Performance (Form FRA F 6180.152) is available in FRA's
eLibrary at <a href="https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/quarterly-report-ptc-system-performance-form-fra-f-6180152">https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/quarterly-report-ptc-system-performance-form-fra-f-6180152</a>.
\5\ 49 U.S.C. 20157(m).
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Section 22414 of the Passenger Rail Expansion and Rail Safety Act
of 2021 requires FRA, by November 15, 2024, to reduce the frequency
with which host railroads must submit Reports of PTC System Performance
(Form FRA F 6180.152) to not less frequently than twice per year,
unless FRA determines that quarterly reporting is in the public
interest and publishes a justification for such determination in the
Federal Register. 49 U.S.C. 20157(m)(3)(B); 49 CFR 1.89. FRA has
determined that it is in the public interest for host railroads to
continue submitting Reports of PTC System Performance (Form FRA F
6180.152) to FRA on a quarterly basis, rather than reverting to a
lesser or biannual frequency, and the purpose of this notice is to
provide the necessary justification under Section 22414. See 49 U.S.C.
20157(m)(3)(B).
As background, 49 U.S.C. 20157(m) and 49 CFR 236.1029(h) require
each applicable host railroad to submit certain metrics about PTC
system performance to FRA on behalf of the host railroad itself and
each of its applicable tenant railroads. The metrics include, for
example, the number of PTC system initialization failures, cut outs,
and malfunctions during the reporting period, with subtotals that
identify whether the source or cause of the initialization failures,
cut outs, and malfunctions was the onboard subsystem, the wayside
subsystem, the communications subsystem, the back office subsystem, or
a non-PTC component.\6\
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\6\ 49 U.S.C. 20157(m)(2)(A)-(C); 49 CFR 236.1029(h)(1)(i)-
(iii).
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In addition, railroads' Reports of PTC System Performance (Form FRA
F 6180.152) must encompass positive performance-related information in
addition to failure-related information. For example, railroads report
the number of enforcements by the PTC system in which it is reasonable
to assume an accident or incident was prevented.\7\ These statistics
enable FRA to evaluate PTC technology's positive impact on rail safety
and the extent to
[[Page 77581]]
which PTC systems are meeting their desired objectives.
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\7\ 49 U.S.C. 20157(m)(2)(E); 49 CFR 236.1029(h)(1)(v).
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In October 2021, OMB initially approved Form FRA F 6180.152 when it
was a biannual reporting requirement under FRA's regulations, 49 CFR
236.1029(h), Biannual Report of PTC System Performance. In October
2022, OMB approved Form FRA F 6180.152, as modified by 49 U.S.C.
20157(m), simply to shift to a quarterly frequency as required. Most
recently, in March 2024, OMB re-approved Form FRA F 6180.152 for a
three-year period through March 31, 2027, in its current form, the
Quarterly Report of PTC System Performance.
FRA has had the benefit of receiving railroads' Reports of PTC
System Performance (Form FRA F 6180.152) on a quarterly basis for the
last six quarters. FRA has found that the quarterly frequency has
improved FRA's ability to oversee the performance and reliability of
PTC systems effectively. For example, FRA has been able to monitor more
closely industry-wide and system-by-system trends in PTC system
reliability, without needing to wait six months for the next set of
performance-related statistics. FRA also utilizes the data it receives
in railroads' Quarterly Reports of PTC System Performance to inform and
perform other necessary oversight, including inspections, targeted
audits, and program reviews. The quarterly frequency enables FRA to
direct its resources to areas, including specific PTC-governed track
segments, that show the potential for a possible unsafe condition or
where PTC system failures are occurring at a relatively high rate or
trending upwards. The quarterly frequency enables FRA to intervene more
promptly than it would be able to with less frequent reporting.
Also, railroads' Quarterly Reports of PTC System Performance must
contain a summary of any actions the host railroad and its tenant
railroads are taking to reduce the frequency and rate of initialization
failures, cut outs, and malfunctions, such as any actions to correct or
eliminate systemic issues and specific problems.\8\ Requiring railroads
to provide this data to FRA on a quarterly basis, rather than a
biannual basis, helps ensure that both host railroads and tenant
railroads are regularly taking actions to improve the performance of
their PTC systems and enables FRA to monitor and track railroads'
corrective actions regularly throughout the year.
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\8\ 49 U.S.C. 20157(m)(2)(H); 49 CFR 236.1029(h)(2).
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As noted above, OMB has approved the Quarterly Report of PTC System
Performance (Form FRA F 6180.152) through March 31, 2027. Before that
expiration date, FRA will issue the requisite 60-day and 30-day notices
in the Federal Register to solicit public comment pursuant to the
Paperwork Reduction Act.
Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-21654 Filed 9-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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