Westinghouse Air Brake Company; Public Hearing

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Waiver Petition Docket Number H-92-3]

Westinghouse Air Brake Company; Public Hearing

On January 15, 1997, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)

published a notice in the Federal Register announcing Westinghouse Air

Brake Company's (WABCO) request to amend the conditions of a waiver

which had been granted in 1992 for their EPIC microprocessor-based

locomotive braking equipment. The current waiver authorizes 1,000

locomotives equipped

[[Page 18164]]

with EPIC braking equipment to be exempt from time interval

requirements of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 229.29.

Specifically, the waiver extends the required time interval for

cleaning, testing, and inspecting locomotive air brake valves from 736

calendar days to five years. WABCO requests that the waiver condition

which limits the number of locomotives to 1,000, be adjusted to include

all locomotives in the United States that are equipped with EPIC 3102

and EPIC II electronic brake equipment. The EPIC 3101 series electronic

brake equipment is not included in this request.

As a result of the comments received by FRA concerning this waiver

petition, FRA has determined that a public hearing is necessary before

a final decision is made on this petition. Accordingly, a public

hearing is hereby set for 10:00 a.m. on May 12, 1997, in the 9th floor

conference room, 1120 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005.

Interested parties are invited to present oral statements at this

hearing.

The hearing will be informal and conducted in accordance with Rule

25 of FRA's Rules of Practice (49 CFR part 211.25) by a representative

designated by FRA. FRA's representative will make an opening statement

outlining the scope of the hearing, as well as any additional

procedures for the conduct of the hearing. The hearing will be a non-

adversary proceeding in which all interested parties will be given the

opportunity to express their views regarding this waiver petition,

without cross-examination. After all initial statements have been

completed, those persons wishing to make a brief rebuttal will be given

an opportunity to do so in the same order in which initial statements

were made.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on March 31, 1997.

Phil Olekszyk,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Compliance and Program

Implementation.

[FR Doc. 97-9454 Filed 4-11-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-06-P