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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 5 / Friday, January 8, 2021 / Notices

The applicable date of this notice
is January 8, 2021.

DATES:

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James Payne, Staff Director, HighwayRail Crossing and Trespasser Programs
Division (telephone: 202–493–6005,
email: [email protected]); or
Kathryn Gresham, Attorney Adviser,
Office of the Chief Counsel (telephone:
202–493–6063, email:
[email protected]).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Applying the fatality rate and injury
rate to the probable number of fatalities
and injuries predicted to occur at each
of the 48,607 identified crossings, and
the predicted cost of the associated
injuries and fatalities, FRA calculates
the NSRT to be 15,488. Accordingly,
this updated NSRT value will serve as
one threshold of permissible risk for
quiet zones established across the
nation pursuant to 49 CFR part 222.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety,
Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021–00155 Filed 1–7–21; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA–2020–0027–N–39]

Proposed Agency Information
Collection Activities; Comment
Request
Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.

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AGENCY:

Under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice
announces that FRA is forwarding the

SUMMARY:

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Background
The NSRT is an average of the risk
indexes for gated public crossings
nationwide where train horns are
routinely sounded. FRA developed this
risk index to serve as one threshold of
permissible risk for quiet zones
established across the nation under 49
CFR part 222, Use of Locomotive Horns
at Public Highway-Rail Grade Crossings.
Thus, a community trying to establish
and/or maintain its quiet zone, under 49
CFR part 222, can compare the Quiet
Zone Risk Index calculated for its
specific crossing corridor to the NSRT to
determine whether sufficient measures
have been taken to compensate for the
excess risk that results from prohibiting
routine sounding of the locomotive
horn. In the alternative, a community
can establish its quiet zone in

Information Collection Request (ICR)
abstracted below to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and comment. The ICR describes
the information collection and its
expected burden. On October 5, 2020,
FRA published a notice providing a 60day period for public comment on the
ICR.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before February
8, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed ICR
should be sent within 30 days of
publication of this notice to
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
Find this particular ICR by selecting
‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open
for Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Kim Toone, Information Collection
Clearance Officer, Federal Railroad
Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
(telephone: (202) 493–06132) or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRA,
44 U.S.C. 3501–3520, and its
implementing regulations, 5 CFR part
1320, require Federal agencies to issue
two notices seeking public comment on
information collection activities before
OMB may approve paperwork packages.

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comparison to the Risk Index With
Horns, which is defined in 49 CFR 222.9
as a measure of risk to the motoring
public when locomotive horns are
routinely sounded at every public
highway-rail grade crossing within a
quiet zone.
FRA has periodically updated the
NSRT since 2006. FRA last updated the
NSRT in 2019 to be 13,811. 84 FR
22562, May 17, 2019.
New NSRT
Using collision data over a 5-year
period from 2015 to 2019, FRA has
recalculated the NSRT based on
formulas identified in 49 CFR part 222,
appendix D. In making this
recalculation, FRA noted the total
number of gated crossings nationwide
where train horns are routinely sounded
was 48,607.

See 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8
through 1320.12. On October 5, 2020,
FRA published a 60-day notice in the
Federal Register soliciting comment on
the ICR for which it is now seeking
OMB approval. See 85 FR 62798. FRA
received no comments in response to
this 60-day notice.
Before OMB decides whether to
approve the proposed collection of
information, it must provide 30 days for
public comment. Federal law requires
OMB to approve or disapprove
paperwork packages between 30 and 60
days after the 30-day notice is
published. 44 U.S.C. 3507(b)–(c); 5 CFR
1320.10(b); see also 60 FR 44978, 44983,
Aug. 29, 1995. OMB believes the 30-day
notice informs the regulated community
to file relevant comments and affords
the agency adequate time to digest
public comments before it renders a
decision. 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995.
Therefore, respondents should submit
their respective comments to OMB
within 30 days of publication to best
ensure having their full effect.
Comments are invited on the
following ICR regarding: (1) Whether the
information collection activities are
necessary for FRA to properly execute
its functions, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) the accuracy of FRA’s estimates of
the burden of the information collection
activities, including the validity of the

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public has the proper permissible risk
threshold to evaluate risk resulting from
prohibiting routine locomotive horn
sounding at highway-rail grade
crossings located in quiet zones. This is
the ninth update to the NSRT and it is
increasing from 13,811 to 15,488.

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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 5 / Friday, January 8, 2021 / Notices
methodology and assumptions used to
determine the estimates; (3) ways for
FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information being
collected; and (4) ways to minimize the
burden of information collection
activities on the public, including the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
The summary below describes the ICR
that FRA will submit for OMB clearance
as the PRA requires:
Title: Design and Evaluation of a
Robust Manual Locomotive Operating
Mode.
OMB Control Number: 2130–0623.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is
to design and evaluate a prototype
locomotive operating mode that allows
an engineer to ‘‘manually’’ control a
train by providing a desired speed target
while the control system determines the
throttle notch changes required. This
research addresses DOT’s safety
strategic goal. Information collected
from this research will be used by
researchers and equipment designers to
evaluate the merit of a prototype display
and control configuration maximizing
the use of both automation and human
capabilities. The information will also
assist the Federal government in
recommending display design standards
to the rail industry for future displays
and the results may help design future
displays and controls for locomotives.
The ICR, which was previously
approved by OMB, will be extended as
the study was not completed by the
anticipated completion date.
Type of Request: Extension without
change of a current information
collection.
Affected Public: Railroad Engineers,
College Student Volunteers.
Respondent Universe: 20 Engineers/
10 Volunteers.
Frequency of Submission: Once.
Total Estimated Annual Responses:
90.
Total Estimated Annual Burden: 272.
Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR
1320.5(b) and 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), FRA
informs all interested parties that a
respondent is not required to respond
to, conduct or sponsor a collection of
information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520.
Brett A. Jortland,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2021–00099 Filed 1–7–21; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket Number FRA–2000–7137]

Petition for Waiver of Compliance
Under part 211 of title 49 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR), this
document provides the public notice
that on December 21, 2020, San Diego
Trolley Incorporated (SDTI) petitioned
the Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA) to renew a waiver of compliance
from certain provisions of the Federal
railroad safety regulations contained at
various parts of 49 CFR. FRA assigned
the petition Docket Number FRA–2000–
7137.
Specifically, SDTI seeks a five-year
extension of its existing waiver of
compliance with modifications. The
waiver applies to certain portions of
SDTI’s rail fixed guideway urban transit
operations which employ temporal
separation to safely share track with the
general railroad system’s San Diego &
Imperial Valley Railroad (SDIV).
Contiguous to the shared trackage are
portions with limited connections to the
general railroad system, which include
a small shared corridor with BNSF
Railway and Coaster commuter train
service, which also shares a storage yard
with SDTI. FRA granted SDTI its initial
waiver on January 19, 2001, and the
most recent update to the waiver was
FRA’s May 1, 2020, approval of SDTI’s
new absolute block arrangement on its
Blue Line.
In this petition, SDTI seeks an
extension of its relief from the following
parts and sections in 49 CFR: part 217,
Railroad Operating Rules (except for
217.9(d)); 218.27(a), Workers on track
other than main track (as granted in part
and denied in part in FRA’s January 19,
2001, letter); part 219, Control of
Alcohol and Drug Use; part 220,
Railroad Communications (as granted in
part in FRA’s January 19, 2001, letter);
part 221, Rear End Marking Device—
Passenger, Commuter and Freight
Trains; 223.9(c), Requirements for new
or rebuilt equipment and 223.15(c),
Requirements for existing passenger
cars; part 225, Railroad Accidents/
Incidents: Reports Classification, and
Investigations (for employee injuries
only); part 228, subpart F, Substantive
Hours of Service Requirements for Train
Employees Engaged in Commuter or
Intercity Rail Passenger Transportation,
and relevant recordkeeping sections of
subpart B, Records and Reporting; the
following sections of part 229, Railroad
Locomotive Safety Standards: 229.46–
229.59, 229.61, 229.65, 229.71, 229.77,
229.125, and 229.135; 231.14,

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Passenger-train cars without end
platforms; the following sections of part
238, Passenger Equipment Safety
Standards: 238.112, 238.113, 238.114,
238.115(b)(4), 238.203, 238.205,
238.207, 238.209, 238.211, 238.213,
238.215, 238.217, 238.219, 238.231,
238.233, 238.237, and part 238, subpart
D in its entirety, sections 238.301
through 238.319; part 239, Passenger
Train Emergency Preparedness; part
240, Locomotive Engineer Certification;
and part 242, Qualification and
Certification of Conductors.
A copy of the petition, as well as any
written communications concerning the
petition, is available for review online at
www.regulations.gov.
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 parties desire
an opportunity for oral comment and a
public hearing, 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:
• Website: http://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: 202–493–2251.
• Mail: Docket Operations Facility,
U.S. Department of Transportation
(DOT), 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W12–
140, Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey
Ave. SE, Room W12–140, Washington,
DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
Holidays.
Communications received by
February 22, 2021 will be considered by
FRA before final action is taken.
Comments received after that date will
be considered if practicable.
Anyone can 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.).
Under 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

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