Federal Railroad Administration – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized 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 proposed rule would update FRA's procedures for waivers and safety-related proceedings to define the two components of the statutory waiver and suspension standard, "in the public interest" and "consistent with railroad safety." By defining these terms, FRA intends to clarify the standard the agency will apply when evaluating petitions for regulatory relief. FRA also proposes to require petitions for relief to include evidence of meaningful consultation with appropriate stakeholders. Additionally, FRA proposes to make minor updates to agency rules of practice.

On October 1, 2024, FRA published a final rule amending its Accident/Incident Regulations governing reporting, classification, and investigations to codify FRA's policy for gathering information from, and consulting with, stakeholders during an accident/incident investigation. The published final rule contains errors in the preamble text. FRA is correcting those errors so that the final rule conforms to FRA's intent.

This document provides the public with notice that, on October 12, 2024, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) submitted a request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP) to install Construction Zone (CZ) transponders, which will result in the suspension of portions of its positive train control (PTC) system, to support the addition of Fitter Interlocking on the New Haven to Boston (NHB) line. This CZ is scheduled to be implemented December 7, 2024, for a duration not exceeding 30 days. As this RFA involves a request for FRA's approval of proposed material modifications to an FRA-certified PTC system, FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on Amtrak's RFA to its PTC system.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, this notice announces that FRA is forwarding the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized 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 30, 2024, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR. FRA received no comments in response to the notice.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) seeks public comment on potential changes to the list of organizations that are eligible to submit the names of individuals for appointment as Committee members to the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC), a Federal Advisory Committee that provides advice and recommendations to FRA on railroad safety matters through a consensus process.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized 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.

The Federal Railroad Administration has published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which details the application requirements and procedures to obtain grant funding for eligible projects under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program for Projects Not Located on the Northeast Corridor. The total funding available for awards under this NOFO is up to $1,057,596,637. The full text of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) can be found on FRA's website at https://railroads.dot.gov/ federal-state-partnership-intercity-passenger and at www.Grants.gov using the funding opportunity ID FR-FSP-24-003.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), on behalf of the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority), is issuing this notice to announce actions taken by the Authority that are final agency actions. The actions relate to the California High-Speed Rail (HSR) Palmdale to Burbank Project Section (Project). The Project will provide the public with electric-powered HSR service that provides predictable and consistent travel times between the Antelope Valley and the San Fernando Valley; provide connectivity to airports, mass transit systems, and the highway network in the Antelope Valley and the San Fernando Valley; and connect the Northern and Southern portions of the planned statewide HSR system. These actions grant permits, approvals, or authorizations for the Project.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is seeking comments on whether to grant a waiver of its Buy America requirements to the California High-Speed Rail Authority (the Authority) to use certain products that are not produced in the United States for use in the California Inaugural High-Speed Rail Service Project between Merced, California and Bakersfield, California (Project). FRA is funding the Project under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program (FSP Program); therefore, FRA's Buy America requirements apply to the Project. FRA's Buy America requirements include both FRA's statutory requirements, which require 100 percent of the manufactured products and steel and iron used in an FRA-funded project to be produced in the United States, and the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA), which requires that all construction materials used in the FRA- funded project be produced in the United States. FRA is not proposing to waive the applicable BABA requirements for construction materials used in the Project. The proposed waiver would apply to the aluminum car shells, signal systems, high-speed rail turnouts and fire alarm systems based on the domestic nonavailability of such products, as identified by the Authority. The Authority estimates that over 98 percent of the total direct dollar expenditures for the Project would be spent on domestically sourced products and labor, including 100 percent of the civil infrastructure costs.

This notice announces that FRA has received and reviewed an application package from the State of Ohio (State), Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) in conjunction with the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC), 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 (NEPA), and all or part of FRA's responsibilities for environmental review, consultation, or other actions required under any Federal environmental laws with respect to one or more railroad projects within the State. FRA has determined the application package to be complete and developed a draft MOU with the State outlining how the State will implement the Program with FRA oversight. The public is invited to comment on the State's request, including its application package and the proposed MOU, which includes the proposed assignments and assumptions of environmental review, consultation, and other activities.

This document provides the public with notice that, on August 15, 2024, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) submitted a request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-certified positive train control (PTC) system, the 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.