Federal Railroad Administration October 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2022-01 to emphasize the importance of, first, ensuring that portable derails are clearly visible to train crews and operators of other on-track equipment, particularly at night and in other low-light conditions; and, second, having processes in place to ensure portable derails are removed when not necessary for on-track safety. This Safety Advisory recommends that railroads, and railroad contractors, review and revise their on-track safety manuals, as necessary, to ensure they include procedures and rules for the use of portable derails.

On July 28, 2022, FRA published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would establish minimum safety requirements for the size of train crews, depending on the type of operation. FRA is announcing a public hearing to allow interested persons the opportunity to provide comments on the proposal. FRA is also announcing a second extension of the comment period, providing an 86-day extension to the original comment period, to allow time for interested parties to submit comments on the proposal or in response to views or information provided at the public hearing.

This document provides the public with notice that, on October 5, 2022, BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) submitted an updated request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP). 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.

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 July 5, 2022, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR.

This document provides the public with notice that, on September 20, 2022, Metro-North Railroad (MNCW) submitted a request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP). 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.