4910-06-P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket Nos. FRA–2010–0028, –0029, –0039, –0042, –0043, –0045, –0048, –0049, –
0051, –0054, –0056, –0057, –0058, –0059, –0060, –0061, –0062, –0064, –0065, and –
0070, and FRA–2011–0104]
Railroads’ Joint Request to Amend Their Positive Train Control Safety Plans
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation
(DOT).
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
SUMMARY: This document provides the public with notice that on June 7, 2024, 21
host railroads submitted a joint request for amendment (RFA) to their FRA-approved
Positive Train Control Safety Plans (PTCSP), to seek FRA’s approval of proposed
Onboard Software Version 6.5.4. As this joint RFA involves requests for FRA’s
approval of proposed material modifications to FRA-certified PTC systems, FRA is
publishing this notice and inviting public comment on the railroads’ joint RFA to their
PTCSPs.
DATES: FRA will consider comments received by [INSERT DATE 20 DAYS AFTER
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER]. FRA may consider
comments received after that date to the extent practicable and without delaying
implementation of valuable or necessary modifications to PTC systems.
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 numbers for the host railroads that filed a joint

RFA to their PTCSPs are cited above and in the Supplementary Information section of
this notice. For convenience, all active PTC dockets are hyperlinked on FRA’s website at
https://railroads.dot.gov/research-development/program-areas/traincontrol/ptc/railroads-ptc-dockets. 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, e-mail:
Gabe.Neal@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In general, Title 49 United States Code
(U.S.C.) section 20157(h) requires FRA to certify 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 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 of a signal or
train control system. Accordingly, this notice informs the public that 21 host railroads’
recent, joint RFA to their PTCSPs is available in their respective public PTC dockets.
This notice provides an opportunity for public comment.
On June 7, 2024, the following 21 host railroads jointly submitted an RFA to their
respective PTCSPs for their Interoperable Electronic Train Management Systems (IETMS): Alaska Railroad; The Belt Railway Company of Chicago; BNSF Railway;
Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain); Canadian National Railway; Canadian
Pacific Railway; Central Florida Rail Corridor; Consolidated Rail Corporation; CSX
Transportation, Inc.; Kansas City Southern Railway; Kansas City Terminal Railway;

National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); New Mexico Rail Runner Express;
Norfolk Southern Railway; North County Transit District; Northeast Illinois Regional
Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra); Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation
District; South Florida Regional Transportation Authority; Southern California Regional
Rail Authority (Metrolink); Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis; and Union
Pacific Railroad. This RFA requests FRA’s authorization for these railroads to
implement I-ETMS Onboard Software Version 6.5.4, which includes changes to the IETMS human-machine interface. Their joint RFA is available in Docket Numbers FRA–
2010–0028, –0029, –0039, –0042, –0043, –0045, –0048, –0049, –0051, –0054, –0056, –
0057, –0058, –0059, –0060, –0061, –0062, –0064, –0065, and –0070, and FRA–2011–
0104.
Interested parties are invited to comment on this RFA by submitting written
comments or data. During FRA’s review of these railroads’ joint 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 PTC systems. 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 these railroads’ joint RFA to their PTCSPs 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/privacynotice 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, D.C.

Carolyn R. Hayward-Williams,
Director, Office of Railroad Systems and Technology.
[FR Doc. 2024-13481 Filed: 6/18/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 6/20/2024]