Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update, 19145-19146 [05-7315]

Agencies

• Federal Railroad Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 12, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19145-19146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-7315]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2000-7257; Notice No. 34]


Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity 
Update

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Announcement of Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) 
Working Group Activities.

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SUMMARY: The FRA is updating its announcement of RSAC's Working Group 
activities to reflect its current status.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Butera or Lydia Leeds, RSAC 
Coordinator, FRA, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW., Mailstop 25, Washington, DC 
20590, (202) 493-6212/6213 or Grady Cothen, Deputy Associate 
Administrator for Safety, FRA, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW., Mailstop 25, 
Washington, DC 20590, (202) 493-6302.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice serves to update FRA's last 
announcement of working group activities and status reports of October 
19, 2004, (69 FR 61550). The 25th full Committee meeting was held 
January 26, 2005.
    Since its first meeting in April of 1996, the RSAC has accepted 
nineteen tasks. Status for each of the tasks is provided below:

Open Tasks

    Task 96-4--Reviewing the appropriateness of the agency's current 
policy regarding the applicability of existing and proposed regulations 
to tourist, excursion, scenic, and historic railroads. This Task was 
accepted on April 2, 1996, and a Working Group was established. The 
Working Group monitored the steam locomotive regulation task. Planned 
future activities involve the review of other regulations for possible 
adaptation to the safety needs of tourist and historic railroads. 
Contact: Grady Cothen, (202) 493-6302.
    Task 97-1--Developing crashworthiness specifications to promote the 
integrity of the locomotive cab in accidents resulting from collisions. 
This Task was accepted on June 24, 1997. On April 14, 2004, the RSAC 
reached consensus on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). The NPRM 
is a new standard to increase the crashworthiness of conventional wide- 
and narrow-nose locomotives and codifies requirements for monocoque 
locomotives. On November 2, 2004, FRA published an NPRM in the Federal 
Register (69 FR 63990) proposing to establish comprehensive, minimum 
standards for locomotive crashworthiness. In that NPRM, FRA established 
a January 3, 2005, deadline for submission of written comments. FRA 
received a request to extend the comment period to give interested 
parties additional time to review, analyze, and submit comments on the 
NPRM. After considering the request, FRA extended the comment period 
until February 3, 2005. The Working Group will be asked to review the 
comments and offer recommendations for responding to them. Contact: 
Charles Bielitz, (202) 493-6314 or Darrell Tardiff, (202) 493-6037.
    Task 97-2--Evaluating the extent to which environmental, sanitary, 
and other working conditions in locomotive cabs affect the crew's 
health and the safe operation of locomotives, proposing standards where 
appropriate. This Task was accepted June 24, 1997.
    (Sanitation) (Completed)
    (Noise exposure) On June 27, 2003, the full RSAC gave consensus by 
ballot on the NPRM. The NPRM was published in the Federal Register on 
June 23, 2004. The comment period ended September 21, 2004. Task Force 
and Working Group meetings were held March 1, and March 2 and 3, 2005, 
respectively, to review the public comments and recommend a final rule. 
The Working Group reached agreement on all issues, and its report will 
be presented to the full Committee on May 18, 2005.
    (Cab Temperature) (Completed)

    Note: Additional related topics such as vibration may be 
considered by the Working Group in the future. Contact: Jeffrey 
Horn, (202) 493-6283.


    Task 97-3--Developing event recorder data survivability standards. 
This Task was accepted on June 24, 1997. On November 12, 2003, the RSAC 
gave consensus by ballot on the NPRM. The NPRM was published on June 
30, 2004. A public hearing was held September 30, and the comment 
period was extended until October 11. The Locomotive Event Recorder 
Working Group met on December 15-16, 2004, to discuss all comments 
received in response to the NPRM. FRA staff is drafting the final rule 
based on these discussions. The draft final rule will be circulated for 
review and ballot approval. Contact: Edward Pritchard, (202) 493-6247.
    Task 97-4 and Task 97-5--Defining Positive Train Control (PTC) 
functionalities, describing available technologies, evaluating costs 
and benefits of potential systems, and considering implementation 
opportunities and challenges, including demonstration and deployment. 
Task 97-6--Revising various regulations to address the safety 
implications of processor-based signal and train control technologies, 
including communications-based operating systems. These three Tasks 
were accepted on September 30, 1997, and assigned to a single Working 
Group.
    (Report to the Administrator) A Data and Implementation Task Force, 
formed to address issues such as assessment of costs and benefits and 
technical readiness, completed a report on the future of PTC systems. 
The report was accepted as RSAC's Report to the Administrator at the 
September 8, 1999, meeting. The FRA enclosed the report with a letter 
to Congress signed May 17, 2000.
    (Regulatory development) The Standards Task Force, formed to 
develop PTC standards, assisted in

[[Page 19146]]

developing draft recommendations for performance-based standards for 
processor-based signal and train control systems. The NPRM was approved 
by consensus at the full RSAC meeting held on September 14, 2000. The 
NPRM was published in the Federal Register on August 10, 2001. A 
meeting of the Working Group was held December 4-6, 2001, in San 
Antonio, Texas, to formulate recommendations for resolution of issues 
raised in the public comments. Agreement was reached on most issues 
raised in the comments. A meeting was held May 14-15, 2002, in Colorado 
Springs, Colorado, at which the Working Group approved creation of 
teams to further explore the ``base case'' issue. Briefing of the full 
RSAC on the ``base case'' issue was completed on May 29, 2002, and 
consultations continued within the working group. The full Working 
Group met October 22-23, 2002, and again March 4-6, 2003. Resolution of 
the remaining issues was considered by the Working Group at the July 8-
9, 2003, meeting. The Working Group achieved consensus on 
recommendations for resolution of a portion of the issues in the 
proceeding. The full Committee considered the Working Group 
recommendations by mail ballots scheduled for return on August 14, 
2003; however, a majority of the members voting did not concur. FRA has 
proceeded with preparation of a final rule. FRA completed the final 
rule and placed it in review and clearance within the Executive Branch 
on September 29, 2003. After the rule was withdrawn and resubmitted, 
OMB completed review of the final rule on December 29, 2004. The final 
rule was published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2005, (70 FR 
11051). Contact: Grady Cothen, (202) 493-6302.
    Task 03-01--Passenger Safety. This Task was accepted on May 20, 
2003, and a Working Group was established. Prior to embarking on 
substantive discussions of a specific task, the Working Group set forth 
in writing a specific description of the task. The Working Group will 
report any planned activity to the full Committee at each scheduled 
full RSAC meeting, including milestones for completion of projects and 
progress toward completion. At the first meeting held September 9-10, 
2003, a consolidated list of issues was completed. At the second 
meeting held November 6-7, 2003, five task groups were established: 
crashworthiness/glazing; emergency preparedness; mechanical--general 
issues; mechanical--safety appliances; and track/vehicle interaction. 
The task groups met and reported on activities for Working Group 
consideration at the third meeting held May 11-12, 2004, and a fourth 
meeting was held October 26-27, 2004. Initial recommendations on 
mechanical issues (revisions to 49 CFR Part 238) were approved by the 
full Committee on January 26, 2005. At the Working Group meeting of 
March 9-10, 2005, the Working Group received and approved the consensus 
report of the Emergency Preparedness Task Force related to emergency 
egress and rescue access. These recommendations will be presented to 
the full Committee on May 18, 2005. Contact: Charles Bielitz, (202) 
493-6314.
    Task 05-01--Review of Roadway Worker Protection issues. This Task 
was accepted on January 26, 2005, to review 49 CFR 214, Subpart C, 
Roadway Worker Protection, and related sections of Subpart A; recommend 
consideration of specific actions to advance the on-track safety of 
railroad employees and contractors engaged in maintenance-of-way 
activities throughout the general system of railroad transportation, 
including clarification of existing requirements. A Working Group will 
be established and will report to the RSAC any specific actions 
identified as appropriate. The first meeting of the Working Group has 
been set for April 12-14, 2005. The Working Group will report planned 
activity to the full Committee at each scheduled Committee meeting, 
including milestones for completion of projects and progress toward 
completion. Contact: Christopher Schulte, (202) 493-6251.

Completed Tasks

    Task 96-1--(Completed) Revising the Freight Power Brake 
Regulations.
    Task 96-2--(Completed) Reviewing and recommending revisions to the 
Track Safety Standards (49 CFR Part 213).
    Task 96-3--(Completed) Reviewing and recommending revisions to the 
Radio Standards and Procedures (49 CFR Part 220).
    Task 96-5--(Completed) Reviewing and recommending revisions to 
Steam Locomotive Inspection Standards (49 CFR Part 230).
    Task 96-6--(Completed) Reviewing and recommending revisions to 
miscellaneous aspects of the regulations addressing Locomotive Engineer 
Certification (49 CFR Part 240).
    Task 96-7--(Completed) Developing Roadway Maintenance Machines (On-
Track Equipment) Safety Standards.
    Task 96-8--(Completed) This Planning Task evaluated the need for 
action responsive to recommendations contained in a report to Congress 
entitled, Locomotive Crashworthiness & Working Conditions.
    Task 97-7--(Completed) Determining damages qualifying an event as a 
reportable train accident.
    Task 00-1--(Completed--task withdrawn) Determining the need to 
amend regulations protecting persons who work on, under, or between 
rolling equipment and persons applying, removing or inspecting rear end 
marking devices (Blue Signal Protection).
    Task 01-1--(Completed) Developing conformity of FRA's regulations 
for accident/incident reporting (49 CFR Part 225) to revised 
regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 
(OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor, and to make appropriate revisions to 
the FRA Guide for Preparing Accident/Incident Reports (Reporting 
Guide).
    Please refer to the notice published in the Federal Register on 
March 11, 1996, (61 FR 9740) for more information about the RSAC.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 5, 2005.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 05-7315 Filed 4-11-05; 8:45 am]
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