Operating Certain Railroad Tank Cars in Excess of 263,000 Pounds Gross Rail Load; Approval

On May 14, 2010, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a final rule amending the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to incorporate provisions contained in several widely used or longstanding special permits that have an established safety record. 75 FR 27205 (Final Rule). The Final Rule titled, Hazardous Materials: Incorporation of Special Permits into Regulations, in part, amended the HMR to allow certain rail tank cars, transporting hazardous materials, to exceed the gross weight on rail limitation of 263,000 pounds upon approval of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). This document provides notice of FRA's approval pursuant to the Final Rule of the operation of certain tank cars in hazardous materials service that exceed 263,000 pounds and weigh up to 286,000 pounds gross rail load (GRL).