Special Safety Inquiry; Railroad Radio Communications

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. RSSI-94-1, Notice No. 1]

Special Safety Inquiry; Railroad Radio Communications

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of

Transportation (DOT).

Action: Notice of special safety inquiry.

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SUMMARY: As provided for in the Rail Safety Enforcement and Review Act,

the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is examining use of radio

communications in railroad operations. Based on the results of this

inquiry, FRA will submit a report to Congress expressing its views on

the subject. In order to permit interested parties to help inform FRA

and share their views on radio communications, FRA is issuing this

notice soliciting both written and oral comments on the subject.

DATES: (1) A public hearing will begin at 10 a.m. on March 29, 1994,

and continue throughout the day until concluded.

(2) Prepared statements to be made at the hearing should be

submitted to the Docket Clerk at least two working days before the

hearing date (close of business March 25, 1994). Parties not meeting

that deadline may be denied the opportunity to present oral testimony;

however, their written statements will be included in the record of

this proceeding.

(3) Persons not desiring to testify, but wishing to submit written

comments for inclusion in the safety inquiry docket should submit them

by April 11, 1994.

ADDRESSES: (1) Hearing location--Room 3442, Nassif building, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. (2) Docket Clerk, Office of

Chief Counsel (RCC-30), Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC

20590 at 202-366-0000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Edward R. English, Office of

Safety Enforcement, RRS-10, Federal Railroad Administration, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590 at 202-366-9252.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the railroad industry, safety

communication takes various forms. It includes written materials such

as operating rule books and timetables, verbal exchanges such as

telegraph and telephone messages, and visual displays such as signal

flags and wayside signal systems. High quality communications are

essential to both efficient and safe railroad operations.

In recent years, reliance on radios to transmit railroad

communications has become wide spread in the railroad industry. Radios

are currently being used to digitally transmit safety information such

as information regarding brake pipe pressure communicated through end

of train (EOT) telemetry systems (an issue under consideration in a

separate FRA proceeding). Likewise, reliance on radios to orally

transmit safety information has replaced older methods such as

telegraph and telephone delivery of messages. Use of radio

communication has become an indispensable part of railroad operations,

and the need for high quality radio communications continues to

increase.

This safety inquiry is being conducted against the background of an

earlier examination of the subject in 1987. However, circumstances have

changed during the intervening period. Subsequent to FRA's earlier

safety inquiry, improvements and changes to railroad radio

communications systems have narrowed the gap in the need for corrective

measures. Channel spectrum diversity integrated into railroad radio

equipment now provides the user breadth of choice in interline

operations. No longer are trains equipped with radios that are limited

to use on one railroad. New technology has been developed making radio

equipment failure relatively rare as compared to the commonplace

failures of the past.

Nevertheless, some problems persist. Concerned about the need for

high quality of railroad communications transmitted by radio, Congress

directed in the Rail Safety Enforcement and Review Act of 1992 (RSERA)

that FRA conduct a safety inquiry concerning this issue. Section 11 of

RSERA provides that FRA examine the following issues and report on the

need for regulatory action and the specific plans for taking such

action if action is appropriate:

(1) The advantages and disadvantages of requiring that every

locomotive (and every caboose, where applicable) be equipped with a

railroad voice communications system capable of permitting a person in

the locomotive (or caboose) to engage in clear two-way communications

with persons on following and leading trains and with train dispatchers

located at railroad stations;

(2) A requirement that replacement radios be made available at

intermediate terminals;

(3) The effectiveness of radios in ensuring timely emergency

response;

(4) The effect of interference and other disruptions of radio

communications on safe railroad operations;

(5) How advanced communications technologies such as digital radio

can be implemented to best enhance the safety of railroad operations;

(6) The status of Advanced Train Control Systems (ATCS) that are

being developed, and the implications of such systems for effective

railroad communications; and

(7) The need for minimum Federal standards to ensure that such

systems provide for positive train separation and are compatible

nationwide.

FRA's focus at the public hearing will be directed towards the

first five of these issues, which relate to voice radio communications

and the use of digital data communication as a substitute. Public

comment is requested on--

The safety-related purposes for which voice radio is

currently employed by the railroads (e.g., communication of movement

authorities, communication of various types of emergency information);

The extent to which existing technology and procedures

serve these purposes (including channel allocation, congestion of

primary frequencies, clarity of transmissions, compliance with FRA's

Radio Standards and Procedures, etc.); and

The alternatives available to railroads and FRA to improve

safety-related voice communications or substitute other means of

communication (including enhancements or substitutions of technology,

improved maintenance, availability of backup transceivers, and better

use of available frequencies).

Although existing types of voice radio communications are the focus

of the public hearing announced in this notice, this safety inquiry

also comprehends the issues of Advanced Train Control Systems and other

next-generation train control technologies that may facilitate positive

train separation and speed control to prevent collisions and overspeed

derailments on America's railroads. FRA recognizes that wireless

telecommunications science is providing new opportunities for railroads

to transmit business data, including train movement authorizations,

customer work order information, and locomotive health monitoring

information. The North American rail industry is continuing to develop

the ATCS project incorporating these functions, including train

control.

In keeping with the direction of the RSERA, FRA has engaged in

extensive consultations with rail labor, the railroads, the supply

industry and other interested parties regarding train control issues.

For instance, FRA has held two roundtable discussions on the status of

the ATCS project and is planning a third. These roundtables have also

explored possibilities for incremental or building-block approaches to

enhanced train control. The transcripts of the roundtable discussions

will be placed in the docket of this inquiry.

Because other avenues for addressing the train control subsets of

the radio communications issue are available, FRA does not plan to

entertain discussion of the train control issues at the public hearing,

except to the extent parties that have not participated in other forums

may wish to address these issues at the conclusion of the hearing.

However, the public is invited to submit written comments on the role

of train control in railroad safety in response to this notice.

Authority: Sections 202, 208, 84 Stat. 971, 974 (45 U.S.C. 431,

437): Section 1.49(m) of the Regulations of the Office of the

Secretary of Transportation (49 CFR 1.49(m)); 49 CFR 211.61

.Issued in Washington, DC, on March 7, 1994.

Jolene M. Molitoris,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 94-5767 Filed 3-10-94; 8:45 am]

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