[Federal Register: April 6, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 65)]
[Notices]               
[Page 16778]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06ap99-140]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. RSAC-91-1, Notice No. 16]

 
Railroad Safety Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

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

action: Notice of Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (``RSAC'') 
meeting.

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summary: FRA announces the next meeting of the RSAC, a Federal Advisory 
Committee that develops railroad safety regulations through a consensus 
process. The meeting will address a wide range of topics, including 
possible adoption of specific recommendations for regulatory action.

dates: The meeting of the RSAC is scheduled to commence at 9:30 a.m. 
and conclude at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 15, 1999.

addresses: The meeting of the RSAC will be held at The Wyndham Hotel, 
1400 M Street NW, Washington, DC. The meeting is open to the public on 
a first-come, first-served basis and is accessible to individuals with 
disabilities. Sign language interpreters will be available for 
individuals with hearing impediments.

for further information contact: Vicky McCully, RSAC Coordinator, FRA, 
400 7th Street, SW, Stop 25, Washington, D.C. 20590, (202) 493-6305 or 
Grady Cothen, Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and 
Program Development, FRA, 400 7th Street, SW, Stop 25, Washington, D.C. 
20590, (202) 493-6302.

supplementary information:
    Pursuant to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(Pub. L. 92-463), FRA is giving notice of a meeting of the Railroad 
Safety Advisory Committee (``RSAC''). The meeting is scheduled to begin 
at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 15, 1999. The 
meeting will be held at The Wyndham Hotel, 1400 M Street, NW, 
Washington, DC. All times noted are Eastern Standard Time.
    RSAC was established to provide advice and recommendations to the 
FRA on railroad safety matters. The Committee consists of 48 individual 
representatives, drawn from among 27 organizations representing various 
rail industry perspectives, and 2 associate non-voting representatives 
from the agencies with railroad safety regulatory responsibility in 
Canada and Mexico. Staff of the National Transportation Safety Board 
and Federal Transit Administration also participate in an advisory 
capacity.
    During this meeting, the Cab Working Conditions Working Group will 
brief the RSAC on the primary elements of its recommendations for a 
proposed standard for locomotive sanitary conditions. The Working Group 
will also provide a status report on recommendations for hearing 
conservation program requirements for locomotive cab employees.
    The Track Safety Working Group will present an overview of its 
proposed recommendations for amendments to the Track Safety Standards 
to provide for the use of Gage Restraint Measurement System (GRMS) 
technology and its proposed standards relating to the safety of persons 
operating maintenance-of-way equipment.
    The Locomotive Crashworthiness Working Group intends to present to 
the RSAC for consideration, recommended standards for freight, 
passenger and switching locomotives.
    The RSAC will receive a status report from the Accident/Incident 
Working Group, tasked with evaluating the concept of a reportable train 
accident, specifically the means by which the railroad property damage 
threshold is calculated.
    A report providing status information will be presented by the 
Positive Train Control (PTC) Working Group, tasked with: (1) 
facilitating understanding of current PTC technologies, definitions, 
and capabilities; (2) addressing issues regarding the feasibility of 
implementing fully integrated PTC systems; and (3) facilitating 
implementation of software based signal and operating systems through 
consideration of revisions to the Rules, Standards and Instructions to 
address processor-based technology and communication-based 
architectures.
    Please refer to the notice published in the Federal Register on 
March 11, 1996 (61 FR 9740) for more information about the RSAC.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on March 30, 1999.
George A. Gavalla,
Acting Associate Administrator for Safety.
[FR Doc. 99-8424 Filed 4-5-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-M