Action
Notice of proposed Buy America waiver and request for comment.
Summary
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is providing notice of a request from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to waive Buy America requirements for the purchase of components of high-speed track turnouts that do not meet FTA's Buy America requirements. The LIRR submitted the request in connection with three projects: (1) LIRR's 2015 State of Good Repair Program; (2) the East Side Access Project; and (3) LIRR's Jamaica Capacity Improvement Project. Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 5323(j)(3)(A), FTA is providing notice of the waiver request and is seeking public comment before deciding whether to grant the request. If granted, the waiver would apply only to the FTA-funded procurements in LIRR's 2015 State of Good Repair Program, the East Side Access Project, and LIRR's Jamaica Capacity Improvement Project, and only to the procurement of components--the turnouts will be manufactured in the United States. This proposed Buy America waiver does not include the turnout components for the Northeast Corridor Congestion Relief Project at Harold Interlocking, which is being addressed in a separate waiver request published by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), as FRA funds are being used for that project.