Notice2025-03361
Notice of Petition for Extension of Waiver of Compliance
Primary source
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Published
March 3, 2025
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Railroad Administration
Abstract
This document provides the public notice that by letter dated October 25, 2024, BNSF Railway (BNSF) petitioned FRA for an extension of relief from certain 2-year periodic testing requirements for its solid-state microprocessor-based equipment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 40 (Monday, March 3, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 40 (Monday, March 3, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11086-11087]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-03361]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket Number FRA-2007-27287]
Notice of Petition for Extension of Waiver of Compliance
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This document provides the public notice that by letter dated
October 25, 2024, BNSF Railway (BNSF) petitioned FRA for an extension
of relief from certain 2-year periodic testing requirements for its
solid-state microprocessor-based equipment.
DATES: FRA must receive comments on the petition by May 2, 2025. FRA
will consider comments received after that date to the extent
practicable.
ADDRESSES:
Comments: Comments related to this docket may be submitted by going
to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and following the online instructions
for submitting comments.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number. All comments received will be posted without change to
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>; this includes any personal information.
Please see the Privacy Act heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this document for Privacy Act information related to any
submitted comments or materials.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and follow the
online instructions for accessing the docket.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Johnson, Railroad Safety
Specialist, FRA Signal, Train Control, and Crossings Division,
telephone: 406-210-3608, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d4a7b7bba0a0fabefabebbbcbaa7bbba94b0bba0fab3bba2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0a7969657e7e246024606562647965644a6e657e246d657c">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under part 211 of title 49 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR), this document provides the public notice that by
letter dated October 25, 2024, BNSF petitioned FRA for an extension of
a waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal railroad
safety regulations contained at 49 CFR part 236, Rules, Standards, and
Instructions Governing the Installation, Inspection, Maintenance, and
Repair of Signal and Train Control Systems, Devices, and Appliances.
The relevant Docket Number is FRA-2007-27287.
Specifically, BNSF seeks an extension of relief from the 2-year
periodic testing requirements in Sec. Sec. 236.377, Approach locking;
236.378, Time locking; 236.379, Route locking; 236.380, Indication
locking; and 236.381, Traffic locking, for its solid-state
microprocessor-based equipment. The existing waiver in this docket
extends the testing requirements to at least once every four years.
In support of its request, BNSF states that ``[s]ince this waiver
has been active, microprocessor-based signal systems have proven to be
safer and more reliable than traditional relay-based signal systems due
to the significant reduction in possible points of failure.'' BNSF
contends that the regulation's 2-year requirement ``provides no safety
benefit over testing on a four-year interval given that BNSF's
microprocessor-based equipment operates using programmed logic that,
once installed, does not change.'' In its petition, BNSF further
explains that conducting periodic testing less frequently improves
safety by ``reducing the amount of disruption to signal circuits and
train operations, as well as reducing potential employee exposures by
spending less time foul of track.'' Since 2009, when the waiver in this
docket was initially granted, BNSF reports zero false proceed signal
incidents due to microprocessor-based equipment controlling the
locking.
A copy of the petition, as well as any written communications
concerning the petition, is 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. FRA does not anticipate
scheduling a public hearing in connection with these proceedings since
the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party
desires an opportunity for oral comment and a public hearing, they
should notify FRA, in writing, before the end of the comment period and
specify the basis for their request.
Communications received by May 2, 2025 will be considered by FRA
before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be
considered if practicable.
Privacy Act
Anyone can search the electronic form of any written communications
and comments received into any of FRA's 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 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>.
[[Page 11087]]
Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2025-03361 Filed 2-28-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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