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The Noise Control Act of 1972 requires EPA to promulgate regulations setting the standards for noise emissions from railroad equipment and facilities, and it requires FRA (as delegated by the Secretary) to enforce those standards. EPA’s noise emission standards and FRA’s compliance regulations for train operations were issued in the 1970s and are not suitable for high-speed train operations above 160 miles per hour. EPA and FRA anticipate any change for these higher speed operations to be consistent with international practice. In the absence of a rule change, implementation of higher-speed train operations may be impractical or restricted to a limited number of market participants and types of technologies, or both. Accordingly, FRA expects this rulemaking to be an enabling, deregulatory action.