Federal Railroad Administration 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice is to advise the public that FRA and the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) will jointly prepare a project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and project Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Palmdale to Bakersfield section of the Authority's proposed California High Speed Train (HST) System in compliance with relevant state and federal laws, in particular the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

This direct final rule complies with a statutory mandate that the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) issue a rule to require the ten States with the most highway-rail grade crossing collisions, on average, over the past three years, to develop State highway-rail grade crossing action plans. This rule is not intended for general application; instead, it only applies to the ten identified States with

FRA is amending the Federal Track Safety Standards to promote the safety of railroad operations over continuous welded rail (CWR). In particular, FRA is promulgating specific requirements for the qualification of persons designated to inspect CWR track, or supervise the installation, adjustment, or maintenance of CWR track. FRA is also clarifying the procedures associated with the submission of CWR plans to FRA by track owners. The final rule specifies that these plans should add focus on inspecting CWR for pull-apart prone conditions, and on CWR joint installation and maintenance procedures. This final rule will also make other changes to the requirements governing CWR.

FRA is proposing to standardize and establish Federal requirements for railroad bridges. This proposed rule would require track owners to implement bridge management programs that include annual inspections of railroad bridges. The proposed rule would also require track owners to know the safe capacity load of bridges and to conduct special inspections if the weather or other conditions warrant such inspections. Finally, the proposed rule would also require the audit of the bridge management programs and the inspections.

FRA announces the fortieth meeting of the RSAC, a Federal advisory committee that develops railroad safety regulations through a consensus process. The RSAC meeting topics will include opening remarks from the FRA Administrator and discussion of the FRA High-Speed Rail Safety Strategy. Status reports will be provided by the Locomotive Standards, Passenger Safety, Track Safety Standards, and Medical Standards Working Groups. Status updates will be provided on the following tasks arising out of the Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA): Positive Train Control, Passenger Hours of Service, Railroad Bridge Safety Management, and Conductor Certification. The Committee may also be asked to accept a task regarding another RSIA-mandated rulemaking

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its implementing regulations, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) hereby announces that it is seeking renewal of the following currently approved information collection activities. Before submitting these information collection requirements for clearance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified below.

FRA proposes regulations implementing a requirement of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 that certain passenger and freight railroads install positive train control systems. The proposal includes required functionalities of the technology and the means by which it would be certified. The proposal also describes the contents of the positive train control implementation plans required by the statute and contains the proposed process for submission of those plans for review and approval by FRA. These proposed regulations could also be voluntarily complied with by entities not mandated to install positive train control systems.

This notice rescinds the previous notice of intent issued on April 2, 2001 to prepare an environmental impact statement for a proposed rail corridor improvement project on the BNSF Railway main line between the City of Kelso and Martin's Bluff (south of Kalama, Washington).

FRA is removing 49 CFR part 265 because the relevant statutory authority for the regulation found in the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 has expired. FRA expects that removal of part 265 will reduce the administrative burden to government and industry, reduce government printing costs, and provide a more concise and useful Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its implementing regulations, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) hereby announces that it is seeking approval of the following information collection activities. Before submitting these information collection requirements for clearance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified below.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describe the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on April 16, 2009 (74 FR 17762).

In this document FRA informs the public at large of the agency's interim position on certain interpretive questions arising out of the complex and important amendments enacted in 2008 to the Federal railroad safety laws that govern such matters as how long an employee in a certain category may remain on duty and how long the employee must be given off duty before the employee may go on duty again. In addition, FRA proposes an interpretation of one very significant provision of those amended laws that differs from FRA's existing interpretation of the laws before the 2008 amendments. Finally, FRA requests public comment on both the interim interpretations and the proposed interpretation.

On April 16, 2009, President Obama, together with Vice President Biden and Secretary of Transportation LaHood, announced a new vision for developing high-speed rail in America. They called for a collaborative effort among the Federal Government, States, railroads, and other key stakeholders to help transform America's transportation system through a national network of high-speed rail corridors. This notice builds on this ``Vision for High-Speed Rail'' (available on FRA's Web site) by detailing the application requirements and procedures for obtaining funding for high-speed rail projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and the Department of Transportation Appropriations Acts of 2008 and 2009 (FY 2008/2009 DOT Appropriations Acts), while laying the foundation for a longer-term program to establish a network of high-speed rail corridors.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describe the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on April 6, 2009 (74 FR 15588).

FRA announces the thirty-ninth meeting of the RSAC, a Federal advisory committee that develops railroad safety regulations through a consensus process. The RSAC meeting topics will include opening remarks from the FRA Administrator and presentations on the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) Hazardous Materials Personal Protective Equipment Initiative, RSIA Highway-Rail Grade Crossings and Trespass Initiatives, and RSIA forthcoming rulemaking regarding maintenance-of-way employees. Status reports will be provided by the Passenger Safety, Track Safety Standards, and Medical Standards Working Groups. Status updates will be provided on the RSIA Positive Train Control Task, Hours of Service Task, and the Railroad Bridge Task. The Committee may also be asked to accept another RSIA-mandated task concerning critical incident programs. This agenda is subject to change, including the possible addition of further proposed tasks under the RSIA.