Federal Railroad Administration 2021 – 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 August 23, 2021, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR.

FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that it is issuing a Final General Conformity Determination (FCD) for the Burbank to Los Angeles Section of the California High-Speed Rail (HSR) System.

This notice details the application requirements and procedures to obtain grant funding for eligible projects under the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Program (Partnership Program). This notice solicits applications for Partnership Program funds made available by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The opportunity described in this notice is made available under Assistance Listings Number 20.326, ``Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair.''

FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that a draft General Conformity Determination for the San Jose to Merced Section of the California High-Speed Rail (HSR) System is available for public and agency review and comment.

FRA announces the sixty-first meeting of the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC or Committee), a Federal Advisory Committee that develops railroad safety regulations through a consensus process. The meeting will take place via videoconference.

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.

This document provides the public with notice that the North County Transit District (SDNX) submitted its Positive Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP), Version 3.0, dated September 30, 2021, to FRA's Secure Information Repository. SDNX asks FRA to approve its amendment to its PTCSP and issue a Positive Train Control System Certification as a Mixed System for SDNX's Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS).

This document provides the public with notice that on August 22, 2021, CSX Transportation (CSX) submitted its Test Request for Trip Optimizer Air Brake Control (TO Air Brake Control), Revision 1, dated August 22, 2021, to FRA. CSX asks FRA to approve its Test Request so that it may test its TO Air Brake Control on track that has been equipped with positive train control (PTC).

This document provides the public with notice that three host railroads recently submitted requests for amendments (RFA) to their FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plans (PTCSP). As these RFAs may involve requests for FRA's approval of proposed material modifications to FRA-certified positive train control (PTC) systems, FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on railroads' RFAs to their PTCSPs.

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 June 29, 2021, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR.

This document provides the public with notice that the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) submitted a request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP) on August 5, 2021. As this RFA may involve a request for FRA's approval of proposed material modifications to an FRA-certified positive train control (PTC) system, FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on the railroad's RFA to its PTCSP.

FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that a draft General Conformity Determination for the Burbank to Los Angeles Section of the California High-Speed Rail (HSR) System is available for public and agency review and comment.

FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2021-01 to make the rail industry, including railroads and railroad employees, aware of a recently identified interface design issue relating to how positive train control (PTC) systems in use throughout the United States interface with locomotive and cab car braking systems. This recently identified interface design issue allows a train crewmember to circumvent a PTC enforcement by manually cutting out the pilot valve/ brake stand, commonly known as the cut-out valve, prior to the PTC system initiating the brakes. This interface design issue poses a significant safety risk by allowing a PTC system to be disabled and unable to initiate the brakes to prevent a train-to-train collision, over-speed derailment, incursion into an established work zones, or the movement of a train through a switch left in the wrong position. This Safety Advisory recommends that all railroads operating with PTC systems immediately remind crewmembers that circumventing a PTC enforcement is subject to civil penalty or disqualification for the locomotive engineer or conductor responsible; audit the designs of PTC systems as implemented on all types of locomotives and cab cars; assess the extent to which the design of the system could allow a locomotive or cab car's PTC system to be circumvented by a crewmember; develop and implement a plan to mitigate and/or correct this design issue; and provide FRA with a schedule for completion of the identified actions.

This notice details the application requirements and procedures to obtain grant funding for eligible projects under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, and related Trespass Prevention projects. The opportunities described in this notice are made available under Assistance Listings Number 20.325, ``Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements.''

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.