Positive Train Control Systems, 104510 [2024-30594]

Agencies

• Federal Railroad Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 246 (Monday, December 23, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 104510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30594]



[[Page 104510]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

49 CFR Part 236

[Docket No. FRA-2023-0064, Notice No. 2]
RIN 2130-AC95


Positive Train Control Systems

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

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: On October 28, 2024, FRA published an NPRM proposing to amend 
certain regulations governing positive train control (PTC) systems. 
Through oversight and continued engagement with the industry, FRA has 
found that its existing PTC regulations do not adequately address 
temporary situations during which PTC technology is not enabled, 
including after certain initialization failures or in cases where a PTC 
system needs to be temporarily disabled to facilitate repair, 
maintenance, infrastructure upgrades, or capital projects. FRA expects 
PTC systems to be reliable and robust, further reducing the occurrence 
of initialization failures and outages. The NPRM proposes to establish 
strict parameters and operating restrictions under which railroads may 
continue to operate safely in certain necessary scenarios when PTC 
technology is temporarily not governing rail operations. By this 
notice, FRA is extending the NPRM's comment period, which will close on 
December 27, 2024, by 15 days.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule published October 28, 
2024, at 89 FR 85462, is extended. Comments should be received on or 
before January 11, 2025.

ADDRESSES: 
    Comments: Comments related to Docket No. FRA-2023-0064, Notice No. 
1, may be submitted by going to https://www.regulations.gov and 
following the online instructions for submitting comments.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name, docket 
name, and docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for 
this rulemaking (2130-AC95). Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided. 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 https://www.regulations.gov and follow the 
online instructions for accessing the docket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gabe Neal, Staff Director, Signal, 
Train Control, and Crossings Division, telephone: 816-516-7168, email: 
[email protected]; or Senya Waas, Senior Attorney Adviser, telephone: 
202-875-4158, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a November 13, 2024, letter, the American 
Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) requested a 60-
day extension of the NPRM's comment period.\1\ ASLRRA stated it needed 
sufficient time to review the proposed rule and its impact on its 
member railroads that are directly and indirectly subject to the PTC 
mandate. In addition, in a November 25, 2024, letter, the Association 
of American Railroads (AAR) also requested a 60-day extension of the 
NPRM's comment period, in order for its members to have adequate time 
to review the proposed rule.
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    \1\ 89 FR 85462 (Oct. 28, 2024).
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    The comment period for this NPRM is scheduled to close on December 
27, 2024. As FRA is granting an extension in response to ASLRRA's and 
AAR's requests, the comment period is now extended to January 11, 2024, 
which is a total of 15 days. Although ASLRRA and AAR each requested a 
60-day extension, FRA believes that a 15-day extension will provide 
sufficient time for ASLRRA, AAR, and other interested parties to review 
the NPRM.

Privacy Act

    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these 
comments, without edit, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the 
system of records notice, DOT/ALL-14 FDMS, accessible through 
www.dot.gov/privacy. To facilitate comment tracking and response, we 
encourage commenters to provide their name, or the name of their 
organization; however, submission of names is completely optional. 
Whether or not commenters identify themselves, all timely comments will 
be fully considered. If you wish to provide comments containing 
proprietary or confidential information, please contact the agency for 
alternate submission instructions.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 20103, 20107, 20133, 20141, 20302-20303, 
20306, 20701-20702, 21301-21302, 21304; 28 U.S.C. 2461, note; and 49 
CFR 1.89.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
Allison Ishihara Fultz,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2024-30594 Filed 12-20-24; 8:45 am]
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