Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below. Before submitt...
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION:
Notice of information collection; request for comment.
SUMMARY:
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below. Before submitting this ICR to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified in the ICR.
DATES:
Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 22, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICR should be submitted on
https://www.regulations.gov
to Docket No. FRA-2026-0595. All comments received will be posted without change to the docket, including any personal information provided. Please refer to the assigned OMB control number (2130-0534) in any correspondence submitted. FRA will summarize comments received in response to this notice in a subsequent notice, made available to the public, and include them in its information collection submission to OMB for approval.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Joanne Swafford, Information Collection Clearance Officer, at email:
joanne.swafford@dot.gov
or telephone: (757) 897-9908.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520, and its implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, require Federal agencies to provide 60 days' notice to the public to allow comment on information collection activities before seeking OMB approval of the activities.
See44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 through 1320.12. Specifically, FRA invites interested parties to comment on the following ICR regarding: (1) whether the information collection activities are necessary for FRA to properly execute its functions, including whether the activities will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FRA's estimates of the burden of the information collection activities, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used to determine the estimates; (3) ways for FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and (4) ways for FRA to minimize the burden of information collection activities on the public, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
See44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1).
FRA believes that soliciting public comment may reduce the administrative and paperwork burdens associated with the collection of information that Federal regulations mandate. In summary, comments received will advance three objectives: (1) reduce reporting burdens; (2) organize information collection requirements in a “user-friendly” format to improve the use of such information; and (3) accurately assess the resources expended to retrieve and produce information requested.
See44 U.S.C. 3501.
The summary below describes the ICR that FRA will submit for OMB clearance as the PRA requires:
Title:
Grade Crossing Signal System Safety Regulations.
OMB Control Number:
2130-0534.
Abstract:
FRA believes that highway-rail grade crossing (grade crossing) accidents resulting from warning system failures can be reduced. To ensure safety, railroads are required to take certain actions when they are notified of an activation failure.[1]
These required actions are set forth in 49 CFR part 234. An activation failure is defined as the failure of a grade crossing warning system to indicate the approach of a train at least 20 seconds prior to the train's arrival at the crossing or to indicate the presence of a train occupying the crossing. Specifically, railroads must report to FRA every impact between on-track railroad equipment and an automobile, bus, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, farm vehicle, or pedestrian at a highway-rail grade crossing involving an activation failure. Notification must be provided to the National Response Center (NRC) within 24 hours of occurrence at the stipulated toll-free telephone number. In addition, railroads must report to FRA each activation failure of a highway-rail grade warning system within 15 days. Form FRA F 6180.83, “Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Warning System Activation Failure Report,” must be used for this purpose and completed using the instructions printed on the form. With this information, FRA can identify the causes of activation failures and investigate them to determine whether periodic maintenance, inspection, and testing standards are effective.
In this 60-day notice, FRA is updating the existing Form FRA F 6180.83, “Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Warning System Activation Failure Report.” While the proposed revisions do not reduce the 10-minute average response time, they streamline the form and are intended to obtain additional clarity from responses provided in the “Corrective Action” section. FRA is proposing the following edits to Form FRA F 6180.83. First, a new data field with the phrase, “Loss of Shunt Involved,” and a “Yes” or “No” checkbox would be added under “DOT Crossing Number” in the top right block on the form. In addition, in the top right block, the data field for the reporting employee's signature would be removed. With the change from the form being submitted via mail to the use of a dedicated email to submit the form to FRA, a signature is no longer necessary. In the “Classification” section, a fillable text box has been added to the “Current Active Warning Devices” data field to allow users to provide additional information when selection “7—Other (Describe)” is checked.
Under “Corrective Action,” the boxes for “Cause of Failure Codes” would be removed and replaced with a drop-down list of failure codes that can be selected. Lastly, cause code “j PTC/Wireless Device” would be added to
( printed page 21867)
cause codes for “3 Equipment”, and cause code “i Train Crew Non-Compliance with Rules” would be added to cause codes under “4 Human Factor”.
FRA has made no changes to the previously approved burden of 5,042 hours and 60,252 responses.
Type of Request:
Extension without change of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public:
Businesses (railroads).
Form(s): FRA F 6180.83.
Respondent Universe:
784 railroads.
Frequency of Submission:
On occasion/monthly.
Reporting Burden
CFR section
Respondent universe
(railroads)
Total annual
responses
Average time
per response
(minutes)
Total annual
burden hours
Wage
rates 2
Total cost
equivalent in U.S.D
(A)
(B)
(C = A * B)
(D = C * wage rates)
234.7 Accidents involving grade crossing signal failure
—(a) Telephone notification to the NRC
784
2 phone calls
2
0.10
$83.32
$8.33
234.9 Grade crossing signal system failure reports
—Report to FRA on Form 6180.83, “Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Warning System Activation Failure Report”
784
250 reports
10
42
83.32
3,499.44
Subpart C Response to Credible Reports of Warning System Malfunction at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings
—234.105/106/107 Activation failure, partial and false activation. Notifications to required parties
784
30,000 notifications
5
2,500
83.32
208,300.00
234.109 Recordkeeping
—Recordkeeping
784
30,000 records
5
2,500
83.32
208,300.00
Total 3
784
60,252 responses
N/A
5,042
420,107.77
Total Estimated Annual Responses:
60,252.
Total Estimated Annual Burden:
5,042 hours.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent:
$420,107.77.
FRA informs all interested parties that it may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, a collection of information that does not display a currently valid OMB control number.
2.
The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 2024 STB Full Year Wage A&B data series using the appropriate employee group hourly wage rate that includes a 75-percent overhead charge. For Transportation (Other than Train & Engine) staff, this cost amounts to $83.32 per hour.