Federal Railroad Administration 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FRA announces that OMB approved the information collection requests (ICRs) identified below for 3 years.

FRA proposes to eliminate the requirement that certain locomotives display a badge or tag to demonstrate the railroad has certified the locomotives comply with noise emission standards. This proposed rule would reduce economic burdens on the rail industry by removing the badge or tag requirement.

FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public it intends to grant the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) a waiver from FRA's Buy America requirement to use certain non-domestic components of a fire alarm system that Lake Electric, Inc. will provide for the Locomotive and Railcar Maintenance Facility project in Charlotte, NC. Lake Electric, Inc. is an electrical contractor for the Locomotive and Railcar Maintenance Facility project.

This notice announces that FRA has received and reviewed an application from the State of California (State) acting through its California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and California High- Speed Rail Authority (Authority) requesting participation in the Surface Transportation Project Delivery Program (Program). Under the Program, FRA may assign, and the State may assume, responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), and all or part of FRA's responsibilities for environmental review, consultation, or other actions required under Federal environmental laws with respect to one or more railroad projects within the State. FRA invites the public to comment on the State's request, including its application and the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which outlines how the State would implement the Program, with FRA oversight. The State's application and the draft MOU are available for public inspection in the docket. FRA will use the public comments to inform its decision on whether to approve or deny the State's application.

In response to a petition for reconsideration of a final rule, FRA is amending its regulations on Training, Qualification, and Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad Employees by delaying the regulations' implementation dates an additional year. FRA previously delayed the regulations' implementation dates for one year in a final rule published May 3, 2017 (May 2017 Final Rule).

This document provides notice of FRA's intent to issue a Safety Advisory addressing railroad operations under temporary signal suspensions. The Safety Advisory would identify existing industry best practices railroads utilize when implementing temporary signal suspensions and would recommend that railroads conducting rail operations under temporary signal suspensions develop and implement procedures and practices consistent with the identified best practices. The Safety Advisory would also recommend that railroads take certain other actions to ensure the safety of railroad operations during temporary signal suspensions. FRA believes that actions consistent with the draft Safety Advisory will reduce the risk of serious injury or death both to railroad employees and members of the public. FRA invites public comment on all aspects of the draft Safety Advisory.

This request for information notice replaces the version published in the Federal Register on March 22, 2018 (83 FR 12646), to make technical corrections to the prior version. FRA requests information and comment on the future of automation in the railroad industry. FRA is interested in hearing from industry stakeholders, the public, local and State governments, and any other interested parties on the potential benefits, costs, risks, and challenges to implementing automated railroad operations. FRA also seeks comment on how the agency can best support the railroad industry's development and implementation of new and emerging technologies in automation that could lead to safety improvements or increased efficiencies in railroad operations.

This notice details the application requirements and procedures to obtain grant \1\ funding for eligible projects under the Law Enforcement Strategies for Reducing Trespassing Pilot Grant Program. The opportunities described in this notice are available under Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number 20.301, ``Rail Safety Grants.''

This notice details the application requirements and procedures to obtain grant \1\ funding for eligible projects under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program. CRISI Program funding is provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, Div. K, Tit I, Public Law 115-31, (Appropriations Act). The opportunities described in this notice are available under Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 20.325, ``Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements.''

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that FRA is forwarding the Information Collection Requests (ICRs) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describe the information collections and their expected burden. On October 11, 2017, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICRs.