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[Federal Register: October 25, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 207)]
[Notices]               
[Page 63908-63909]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25oc00-144]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

 
Notice of Application for Approval of Discontinuance or 
Modification of a Railroad Signal System or Relief From the 
Requirements of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 236

    Pursuant to Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 235 and 
49 U.S.C. App. 26, the following railroads have petitioned the Federal 
Railroad Administration (FRA) seeking approval for the discontinuance 
or modification of the signal system or relief from the requirements of 
49 CFR part 236 as detailed below.
    Docket No. FRA-2000-7634.
    Applicant: Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, Mr. William G. 
Peterson, Director Signal Engineering, 4515 Kansas Avenue, Kansas City, 
Kansas 66106.
    Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) seeks conditional 
relief from the requirements of Title 49 CFR, part 236, Sec. 236.102(b) 
of the Rules, Standards, and Instructions, for the entire BNSF system, 
to the extent that those searchlight signal mechanisms, that have 
circuitry designed to automatically detect a sticking mechanism and 
automatically protect for the safety of train movements, not be 
required to be inspected and the mechanical movement of the mechanism 
observed operating to all positions, at least once every six months.
    Applicants' justification for relief: Stuck mechanism circuits used 
in Vital Harmon Logic Controllers (VHLC), Wayside Interface Units 
(WIU), Microprocessor based coded track and control equipment, and 
relay based stuck mechanism circuits, continuously monitor searchlight 
mechanisms.
    Any interested party desiring to protest the granting of an 
application shall set forth specifically the grounds upon which the 
protest is made and contain a concise statement of the interest of the 
Protestant in the proceeding. Additionally, one copy of the protest 
shall be furnished to the applicant at the address listed above.
    All communications concerning this proceeding should be identified 
by the docket number and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT 
Central Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590-
0001. Communications received within 45 days of the date of this notice 
will be considered by FRA before final action is taken. Comments 
received after that date will be considered as far as

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practicable. All written communications concerning these proceedings 
are available for examination during regular business hours (9 am-5 pm) 
at the above address. All documents in the public docket are also 
available for inspection and copying on the internet at the docket 
facility's web sit at <A HREF="http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://dms.dot.gov">http://dms.dot.gov</A>.
    FRA expects to be able to determine these matters without an oral 
hearing. However, if a specific request for an oral hearing is 
accompanied by a showing that the party is unable to adequately present 
his or her position by written statements, an application may be set 
for public hearing.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on October 18, 2000.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 00-27317 Filed 10-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P

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