Federal Railroad Administration December 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, this notice announces that FRA is forwarding the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the information collection and its expected burden. On October 16, 2020, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below. Before submitting this ICR to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified in the ICR.

FRA is proposing to revise its regulations governing changes to positive train control (PTC) systems and reporting on PTC system functioning. First, recognizing that the railroad industry intends to enhance further FRA-certified PTC systems to continue improving rail safety and PTC technology's reliability and operability, FRA proposes to modify the process by which a host railroad must submit a request for amendment (RFA) to FRA before making certain changes to its PTC Safety Plan (PTCSP) and FRA-certified PTC system. Second, to enable more effective FRA oversight, FRA proposes to: Expand an existing reporting requirement by increasing the frequency from annual to biannual; broaden the reporting requirement to encompass positive performance-related information, not just failure-related information; and require host railroads to utilize a new, standardized Biannual Report of PTC System Performance (Form FRA F 6180.152). Overall, the proposed amendments would benefit the railroad industry, the public, and FRA, by reducing unnecessary costs, facilitating innovation, and improving FRA's ability to oversee PTC system performance and reliability, while not negatively affecting rail safety.

This notification of determination announces FRA's minimum annual random drug and minimum annual random alcohol testing rates for covered service and maintenance-of-way (MOW) employees for calendar year 2021.

The FRA, on behalf of the Authority, is issuing this notice to announce actions taken by the Authority that are final. By this notice, the FRA is advising the public of the time limit to file a claim seeking judicial review of the actions. The actions relate to a proposed railroad project, the California High-Speed Rail Project Merced to Fresno Project Section: Central Valley Wye in Merced, Madera, Fresno, and Stanislaus Counties, California. The Merced to Fresno Project Section: Central Valley Wye provides an approximately 51-mile portion of the larger 800-mile California High-Speed Rail (HSR) system planned throughout California. These actions grant approvals for project implementation pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other laws, regulations, and executive orders.

FRA is revising its regulations governing brake inspections, tests, and equipment. The changes include the incorporation of relief from various provisions provided in long-standing waivers related to single car air brake tests, end-of-train devices, helper service, and brake maintenance. FRA is also extending the time that freight rail equipment can be ``off-air'' before requiring a new brake inspection. In addition, FRA is making various modifications to the existing brake- related regulations to improve clarity and remove outdated or unnecessary provisions. FRA expects the revisions will benefit railroads and the public by reducing unnecessary costs, creating consistency between U.S. and Canadian regulations, and incorporating the use of newer technologies demonstrated to maintain or increase safety. The rule will reduce the overall regulatory burden on railroads.

FRA's accident/incident reporting regulation requires railroads to report to FRA all rail equipment accidents/incidents above the monetary reporting threshold (reporting threshold) applicable to that calendar year. In this final rule, FRA amends this regulation to modify the way it calculates periodic adjustments to the reporting threshold and the way it communicates each calendar year's threshold to railroads. This final rule will improve the accuracy of accident/ incident data gathered from the railroads.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, 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. These ICRs describe the information collections and their expected burdens. On September 16, 2020, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICRs.