Federal Railroad Administration April 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document provides the public with notice that, on April 11, 2023, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) submitted a request to field test its trains that have been equipped with MBTA's Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System II (ACSES II) technology on its South Coast Rail commuter rail lines. MBTA states that the tests will be performed and operation verified for all ACSES II PTC functions. FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on MBTA's request to test its PTC system.

This document provides the public with notice that, on April 7, 2023, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) submitted a request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-certified positive train control (PTC) system in order to support the implementation of PTC on its commuter rail network. On MBTA's North Side, the PTC System in the area is being reconfigured and must be taken out of service during the recommissioning of Automatic Train Control (ATC) and the subsequent recommissioning of MBTA's Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System II (ACSES II). FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on the railroad's RFA to its PTC system.

This document provides the public with notice that, on April 11, 2023, Metro-North Railroad (MNR) submitted a request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP). As this RFA involves 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. MNR state that this RFA is for an update to MNR's PTC Onboard Software, release OBC 5.04.000, correcting existing defects. With the successful completion of Factory and Field Testing and Supplier Safety Certification, MNR confirms the changes meet all technical requirements, provide an equivalent or greater level of safety than the existing PTC System in service, and does not adversely impact interoperability with tenant railroads.

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 January 20, 2023, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR.

This document provides the public with notice that on March 22, 2023, twenty host railroads submitted a joint request for amendment (RFA) to their FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plans (PTCSP) reflecting the updated PTC onboard software, I-ETMS On-Board 6.5.0 and On-Board 6.5.1. This RFA includes modifications to the associated PTC Concept of Operations and PTC System Description documents, change or addition of system safety-critical functionality, modification to target safety levels and changes to the human-machine interface which requires amendments to PTC training for train crews. The functionality changes include: updates to Train Restriction Types to address the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) final rule which restricts operating speeds of High-Hazard Flammable Train; the addition of a new system safety critical function, PTC Suspension, that prevents the generation and enforcement of targets within the limits of a PTC Suspension area with the exception of navigation failure and synchronization errors; and updates to the onboard display to show prompting to the train crew whenever a system fault related to braking prediction calculation exits. As this joint RFA involves requests for FRA's approval of the proposed material modifications to FRA-certified positive train control (PTC) systems, FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on railroads' joint RFA to their PTCSPs.

FRA is providing notice of its intent to review a quiet zone located in Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Wilton Manors, Dania Beach, Hollywood, and Hallandale Beach, Florida (Cities). Based on a high rate of reported accidents/incidents and related injuries and fatalities that occurred between January and December 2022, FRA has made a preliminary determination that the safety systems and measures implemented within the quiet zone do not fully compensate for the absence of routine sounding of locomotive horns due to a substantial increase in risk. In addition, FRA has made a preliminary determination of significant risk with respect to loss of life or serious personal injury within the quiet zone. Therefore, FRA intends to review existing conditions within the quiet zone to determine whether the quiet zone should be terminated or whether additional safety measures may be necessary to ensure motorist and pedestrian safety.

FRA is proposing to amend its Passenger Equipment Safety Standards to modernize Tier I and Tier III safety appliance requirements; update the pre-revenue compliance documentation and testing requirements; establish crashworthiness requirements for individual Tier I-compliant vehicles equipped with crash energy management (CEM); establish standards for Tier III inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) and movement of defective equipment (MODE); incorporate general safety requirements from FRA's Railroad Locomotive Safety Standards for Tier III trainsets; and provide for periodic inspection of emergency lighting to ensure proper functioning.