Notice2025-16937
Notice of Petition for Inclusion in Waiver of Compliance
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 4, 2025
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Railroad Administration
Abstract
This document provides the public notice that Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS) petitioned FRA for relief from certain regulations concerning calibration of air flow method (AFM) indicators.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 169 (Thursday, September 4, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 169 (Thursday, September 4, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42787-42788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-16937]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket Number FRA-2016-0086]
Notice of Petition for Inclusion in 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 Norfolk Southern
Corporation (NS) petitioned FRA for relief from certain regulations
concerning calibration of air flow method (AFM) indicators.
DATES: FRA must receive comments on the petition by October 6, 2025.
FRA
[[Page 42788]]
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: Steve Zuiderveen, Railroad Safety
Specialist, FRA Motive Power & Equipment Division, telephone: 202-493-
6337, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c3b0b7a6b5a6adedb9b6aaa7a6b1b5a6a6ad83a7acb7eda4acb5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6310170615060d4d19160a0706111506060d23070c174d040c15">[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 July 1, 2025 NS petitioned FRA for inclusion in a waiver
of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal railroad safety
regulations contained at 49 CFR parts 229 (Railroad Locomotive Safety
Standards) and 232 (Brake System Safety Standards for Freight and Other
Non-Passenger Trains and Equipment: End-of-Train Devices). FRA assigned
the petition Docket Number FRA-2016-0086.
Specifically, NS seeks to join the relief granted in this docket
from Sec. 229.29(b), Air brake system calibration, maintenance, and
testing and Sec. 232.205(c)(1)(iii), Class I brake test--initial
terminal inspection. The existing relief allows participating railroads
to test extending the AFM test intervals from 92 days to 184 days on
locomotives equipped with the New York Air Brake (NYAB) CCB-II and
Fastbrake air brake systems.\1\
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\1\ As of FRA's November 26, 2024 letter, the railroads
participating in the relief in this docket are BNSF Railway Company,
CSX Transportation, and CPKC.
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To justify the waiver request, NS states that participating in the
waiver will reduce the risk exposure to its mechanical workers by
eliminating over 4,000 AFM calibrations. Further, NS notes that testing
performed during this program ``has shown AFM calibration performed
using the required 92-day test interval adversely affects the integrity
of the airflow reading.'' NS adds that it has prepared a test plan and
installed the appropriate software on its fleet of 2,004 CCB-II and
CCB-IIe locomotives.
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 October 6, 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>.
Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2025-16937 Filed 9-3-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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