Federal Railroad Administration 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its implementing regulations, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) hereby announces that it is seeking approval of the following proposed information collection activities. Before submitting this proposed information collection request (ICR) for clearance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified below.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on February 20, 2013.

A fatality occurred during a railroad switching operation that involved a railroad employee kicking cars and subsequently going between rolling equipment. In response, FRA is publishing this Safety Advisory 2013-03 to make recommendations to railroads regarding the adoption of car-handling procedures during flat switching operations at certain locations and to re-emphasize the importance of following procedures when going between rolling equipment due to the hazards involved. FRA previously made related recommendations to railroads and their employees regarding going between rolling equipment in Safety Advisory 2011-02.

FRA announces the fourth meeting of the Northeast Corridor Safety Committee, a Federal Advisory Committee mandated by Section 212 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA). The Committee is made up of stakeholders operating on the Northeast Corridor, and the purpose of the Committee is to provide annual recommendations to the Secretary of Transportation. NECSC meeting topics will include: Status of frequency spectrum recommendation to the Secretary, Northeast Corridor train inspection and testing, and a general discussion of safety issues.

FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that FRA will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental and related impacts of constructing and operating an intercity passenger rail service proposed by the private company, All Aboard FloridaOperations LLC (AAF), between Miami and Orlando, Florida, with intermediate stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Florida (Proposed Action). FRA will evaluate alternatives for construction and operation of the Proposed Action, which would include infrastructure improvements to existing rail corridor right-of- way between Miami and Cocoa, and the development of a new rail corridor between Cocoa and Orlando. FRA will also evaluate a No Action (No Build) Alternative. FRA is issuing this notice to solicit public and agency input into the development of the scope of the EIS and to advise the public that outreach activities conducted by FRA, AAF and its representatives will be considered in the preparation of the EIS. To ensure all significant issues are identified and considered, the public is invited to comment on the scope of the EIS, including the purpose and need, alternatives to be considered, impacts to be evaluated, and methodologies to be used in the evaluation.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on January 23, 2013.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its implementing regulations, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) hereby announces that it is seeking renewal of the following currently approved information collection activities. Before submitting these information collection requirements for clearance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified below.

FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2013-02 to alert railroads and other industry members about low-speed, wheel-climb derailments of certain passenger equipment designs having ``stiff'' suspension systems. These derailments have occurred when such equipment was negotiating track with a high degree of curvature and crosslevel variations (commonly referred to as ``track warp'') that were still within the limits set forth in FRA's Track Safety Standards. The findings from the derailment investigations conducted by FRA and the respective railroads highlight the need to ensure that passenger equipment suspension systems are suitable for more-demanding track conditions found in low-speed operating environments. To avoid similar low-speed, wheel-climb derailments, this notice recommends that railroads and other industry members evaluate the trackworthiness of certain passenger equipment to determine whether the suspension systems meet truck-equalization industry standards, prevent wheel climb, and control static wheel-load distribution under the conditions and within the limits described in the notice; and take appropriate action to address the derailment tendency, if any, of the evaluated equipment. In order to minimize the risk of suspension spring failure, this notice also recommends that railroads and other industry members assessing the fatigue life of suspension springs and their corresponding maintenance intervals use a fatigue-evaluation load equal to the equipment's full- capacity loading conditions.

FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that it will prepare a Service Level/Tier 1 EIS with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to study potential new and/or improved high- speed intercity passenger rail service along an 850-mile corridor extending from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to the south Texas cities of Laredo and Brownsville (proposed action). In addition to the Service Level EIS, the Texas Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study (Study) also includes preparation of a service development plan for the corridor for each of three sections of the corridor: Oklahoma City to Dallas/Fort Worth, Dallas/Fort Worth to San Antonio, and San Antonio to south Texas. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a partnering state agency in the development of the EIS. The Service Level EIS will evaluate a reasonable range of corridor alternatives and make decisions regarding the preferred corridor, location of train service termini, location of intermediate stops, the level of service, and future planning for projects to implement the service. Alternatives under consideration will include a No Action (No Build) alternative, as well as multiple build alternatives. The build alternatives may include infrastructure improvements in existing or prior rail corridors, the development of one or more new rail corridors, or a combination of both, as well as varying levels of service. FRA is issuing this Notice to solicit public and agency input in the development of the scope of the EIS and to advise the public that FRA and TxDOT will conduct outreach activities regarding the scope of the EIS. To ensure all significant issues are identified and considered, the public is invited to comment on the scope of the EIS, including the purpose and need, alternatives to be considered, impacts to be evaluated, and methodologies to be used in the evaluation.