[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 66 (Thursday, April 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20607-20608]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07124]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2010-0032]


Metro-North Railroad's Request To Amend Its Positive Train 
Control System

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This document provides the public with notice that, on March 3 
and 15, 2023, Metro-North Railroad (MNR) submitted a request for 
amendment (RFA) to its FRA-certified positive train control (PTC) 
system, the Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System II (ACSES II), in 
order to support the construction of a new interlocking at Control 
Point 243 and associated adjacent signal system changes on MNR's New 
Haven Line in the vicinity of Norwalk, CT. The RFA proposes to 
establish an ACSES II Construction Zone (CZ) through the installation 
of transponders during the interlocking construction. This RFA does not 
propose any changes to safety critical elements of the ACSES II PTC 
system.

DATES: FRA will consider comments received by April 26, 2023. FRA may 
consider comments received after that date to the extent practicable 
and without delaying implementation of valuable or necessary 
modifications to a PTC system.

ADDRESSES: 
    Comments: Comments may be submitted by going to https://www.regulations.gov and following the online instructions for 
submitting comments.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and the 
applicable docket number. The relevant PTC docket number for this host 
railroad is Docket No. FRA-2010-0032. For convenience, all active PTC 
dockets are hyperlinked on FRA's website at https://railroads.dot.gov/train-control/ptc/ptc-annual-and-quarterly-reports. All comments 
received will be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov; 
this includes any personal information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gabe Neal, Staff Director, Signal, 
Train Control, and Crossings Division, telephone: 816-516-7168, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In general, Title 49 United States Code 
(U.S.C.) section 20157(h) requires FRA to certify

[[Page 20608]]

that a host railroad's PTC system complies with Title 49 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part 236, subpart I, before the technology 
may be operated in revenue service. Before making certain changes to an 
FRA-certified PTC system or the associated FRA-approved PTCSP, a host 
railroad must submit, and obtain FRA's approval of, an RFA to its PTC 
system or PTCSP under 49 CFR 236.1021.
    Under 49 CFR 236.1021(e), FRA's regulations provide that FRA will 
publish a notice in the Federal Register and invite public comment in 
accordance with 49 CFR part 211, if an RFA includes a request for 
approval of a material modification or discontinuance of a signal and 
train control system. Accordingly, this notice informs the public that, 
on March 15, 2023, MNR submitted an RFA to its Advanced Civil Speed 
Enforcement System II (ACSES II), which seeks FRA's approval to 
discontinue its PTC system temporarily for three months from September 
1, 2023, to December 1, 2023, while it installs a new interlocking and 
makes certain signal system changes. That RFA is available in Docket 
No. FRA-2010-0032.
    Interested parties are invited to comment on MNR's RFA to its PTC 
system by submitting written comments or data. During FRA's review of 
this railroad's RFA, FRA will consider any comments or data submitted 
within the timeline specified in this notice and to the extent 
practicable, without delaying implementation of valuable or necessary 
modifications to a PTC system. See 49 CFR 236.1021; see also 49 CFR 
236.1011(e). Under 49 CFR 236.1021, FRA maintains the authority to 
approve, approve with conditions, or deny a railroad's RFA to its PTC 
system at FRA's sole discretion.

Privacy Act Notice

    In accordance with 49 CFR 211.3, FRA solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its decisions. DOT posts these comments, 
without edit, including any personal information the commenter 
provides, to https://www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of 
records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at https://www.transportation.gov/privacy. See https://www.regulations.gov/privacy-notice for the privacy notice of regulations.gov. To facilitate 
comment tracking, we encourage commenters to provide their name, or the 
name of their organization; however, submission of names is completely 
optional. If you wish to provide comments containing proprietary or 
confidential information, please contact FRA for alternate submission 
instructions.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
Carolyn R. Hayward-Williams,
Director, Office of Railroad Systems and Technology.
[FR Doc. 2023-07124 Filed 4-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P


