BNSF Railway has petition FRA for a waiver of compliance from 49 CFR part 49 CFR 213.113, Defective rails. Specifically, BNSF proposes that following the application of joint bars in accordance with remedial action code C, the track segment be operated as follows:
• Trains may continue to run at the
maximum allowable speed for the track
class until a maximum of 15 million
gross tons (MGT) have traversed the
track segment;
• after 15 MGT have traversed the
segment, operating speed will be
reduced to 50 miles per hour (mph)
thereafter until the defective rail is
replaced; and
• if the rail defect progresses to a
100% fracture, operating speed will be
reduced to 10 mph thereafter until the
defective rail is replaced.
Interested parties may submit comments on the waiver until November 13, 2020. All comments must include the docket number.
