80 FR 13462 - Petition for Waiver of Compliance

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 49 (March 13, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 49 (Friday, March 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13462-13463]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05753]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket Number FRA-2015-0015]


Petition for Waiver of Compliance

    In accordance with Part 211 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR), this document provides the public notice that by a document 
dated February 16, 2015, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District 
(SMART) has petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a 
waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the Federal railroad 
safety regulations contained at 49 CFR part 236, Rules, Standards, and 
Instructions Governing the Installation, Inspection, Maintenance and 
Repair of Signal and Train Control Systems, Devices, and Appliances. 
FRA assigned the petition Docket Number FRA-2015-0015.
    Specifically, SMART seeks temporary relief from the requirements of 
49 CFR 236.0, Applicability, minimum

[[Page 13463]]

requirements, and penalties. SMART proposes to perform acceptance 
testing of new Diesel Multiple Units (DMU), at speeds of up to 79 mph 
on trackage without a block signal system, as required in 49 CFR 
236.0(c)(2).
    SMART is scheduled to receive its pilot two-car set of DMUs in 
February 2015. SMART's Enhanced Automatic Train Control (E-ATC) system 
is not scheduled to be commissioned until 2016. SMART seeks permission 
to perform limited non-revenue testing of its new fleet of DMUs at a 
speed not to exceed 79 mph, solely on a remote 6.3-mile segment of 
track, absent the installation of a block signal system. SMART is 
seeking to perform testing under this temporary waiver until its E-ATC 
system is fully commissioned.
    SMART has submitted a test plan with its petition, outlining the 
safety procedures which would be in place during the testing.
    A copy of the petition, as well as any written communications 
concerning the petition, is available for review online at 
www.regulations.gov and in person at the U.S. Department of 
Transportation's (DOT) Docket Operations Facility, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. The Docket Operations 
Facility is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal Holidays.
    Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings 
by submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate 
scheduling a public hearing in connection with these proceedings since 
the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party 
desires an opportunity for oral comment, they should notify FRA, in 
writing, before the end of the comment period and specify the basis for 
their request.
    All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the 
appropriate docket number and may be submitted by any of the following 
methods:
     Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Operations Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W12-140, Washington, DC 
20590.
     Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal Holidays.
    Communications received by April 27, 2015 will be considered by FRA 
before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be 
considered as far as practicable.
    Anyone is able to search the electronic form of any written 
communications and comments received into any of our dockets by the 
name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the document, 
if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). 
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its processes. DOT posts these comments, 
without edit, including any personal information the commenter 
provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records 
notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at www.dot.gov/privacy. 
See also http://www.regulations.gov/#!privacyNotice for the privacy 
notice of regulations.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 10, 2015.
Ron Hynes,
Director of Technical Oversight.
[FR Doc. 2015-05753 Filed 3-12-15; 8:45 am]
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