Department of Transportation
Federal Railroad Administration
- [Docket No. FRA-2026-1589]
AGENCY:
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 December 14, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICR should be submitted on www.regulations.gov to Docket No. FRA-2026-1589. All comments received will be posted without change to the docket, including any personal information provided. Please refer to the assigned OMB control number (2130-0010) 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.
www.regulations.govFOR 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).
44 U.S.C. 3501-3520
5 CFR part 1320FRA finds 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: Track Safety Standards.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0010.
Abstract: The Track Safety Standards regulations under 49 CFR part 213 prescribe minimum safety requirements for railroad track that is part of the general railroad system of transportation. FRA uses this information collection to enhance rail safety by monitoring and enforcing compliance with regulatory requirements. While the requirements prescribed in this part generally apply to specific track conditions existing in isolation, a combination of track conditions, none of which individually amounts to a deviation from the requirements in this part, may require remedial action to provide safe operations over that track. Qualified persons inspect track and take action to allow safe passage of trains and ensure compliance with the prescribed standards.
In this 60-day notice, FRA has adjusted the previously approved burden hours. While some reported burdens have increased, the overall burden hours have decreased from the previously approved 234,294 hours to ( printed page 65292) 234,274 hours. In general, the revised estimates reflect that the total number of notifications under 49 CFR 213.5, Responsibility for compliance, decreased from 15 to 7 notices annually and petitions under 49 CFR 213.17, Waivers, decreased from 10 to 3 annually.
In addition, FRA projects zero submissions under § 213.110, Gage restraint measurement systems, as no railroads currently use this technology to comply with Federal regulations. The burden table has been updated accordingly.
Type of Request: Extension without change (with changes in estimates) of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Businesses (Railroads).
Form(s): N/A.
Respondent Universe: 773.
Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
Reporting Burden:
| CFR section | Respondent universe | Total annual responses | Average time per response | Total annual burden hours | Wage rate 1 | Total cost equivalent U.S.D. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (A) | (B) | (C = A * B) | (D = C * wage rates) | |||
| 213.4 Excepted track: | ||||||
| —(f) Notification to FRA 10 days prior to removal of excepted track | 773 railroads | 16 notices | 10 minutes | 2.67 | $94.50 | $252.32 |
| 213.5 Responsibility for compliance: | ||||||
| —(c) Notification to FRA of assignment of track to another person | 773 railroads | 7 notices | 1 hour | 7 | 94.50 | 661.50 |
| 213.7 Designation of qualified persons to supervise certain renewals and inspect track: | ||||||
| —(e) Designations | 773 railroads | 2,500 names | 10 minutes | 416.67 | 94.50 | 39,375.32 |
| 213.17 Waivers: | ||||||
| —(a) Waivers | 773 railroads | 3 petitions | 2 hours | 6 | 94.50 | 567.00 |
| 213.57 Curves; elevation and speed limitations: | ||||||
| —(e) Request to FRA for vehicle type approval | 773 railroads | 4 requests | 8 hours | 32 | 94.50 | 3,024.00 |
| —(f) Written notification to FRA prior to implementation of higher curving speeds | 773 railroads | 4notifications | 2 hours | 8 | 94.50 | 756.00 |
| —(g) Written consent of track owners obtained by railroad providing service over that track | 773 railroads | 4 written consents | 45 minutes | 3 hours | 94.50 | 283.50 |
| 213.110 Gage restraint measurement systems: | ||||||
| —(a), (g), (h), (j), and (n) Implementing gage restraint measurement systems (GRMS), vehicle output and exception reports, data integrity and inspection records | FRA anticipates zero submissions under § 213.110 for the three-year renewal period as GRMS is not currently used for regulatory compliance. | |||||
| 213.118 Continuous welded rail (CWR); plan review and approval: | ||||||
| —(a) through (c) Revised plans with procedures for CWR | 438 railroads | 10 plans | 4 hours | 40 | 94.50 | 3,780 |
| —(d) Notification to FRA and railroad employees of CWR plan effective date | 438 railroads | 750 notices | 15 seconds | 3.13 hours | 94.50 | 295.79 |
| —(e) Written submissions after plan disapproval | 438 railroads | 5 written submissions | 2 hours | 10 | 94.50 | 945.00 |
| —(e) Final FRA disapproval and plan amendment | 438 railroads | 5 amended plans | 1 hour | 5 hours | 94.50 | 472.50 |
| 213.234 Automated inspection of track constructed with concrete crossties: | ||||||
| —(e) Exception reports listing all exception to § 213.109(d)(4) | 30 railroads | 125 reports | 15 minutes | 31.25 | 74.13 | 2,316.56 |
| —(f) Recordkeeping requirements | 30 railroads | 2,000 records | 30 minutes | 1,000 | 94.50 | 94,500.00 |
| —(g) Procedure for integrity of data—Track owners to institute procedures for maintaining the integrity of the data collected by the measurement system | 30 railroads | 30 revised procedures | 2 hours | 60 | 127.05 | 7,623.00 |
| —(h)(3) Training—Track owners to provide annual training in handling rail seat deterioration exceptions to all persons designated as fully qualified under § 213.7 and whose territories are subject to the requirements of § 213.234. | 30 railroads | 2,250 records | 5 minutes | 187.50 | 74.13 | 13,899.38 |
| 213.237 Inspection of rail: | ||||||
| —(b)(2) Detailed request to FRA to change designation of a rail inspection segment or establish a new segment | 65 railroads | 4 requests | 15 minutes | 1 hour | 94.50 | 94.50 |
| —(b)(3) Notification to FRA and all affected employees of designation's effective date after FRA's approval/conditional approval | 65 railroads | 16 notices | 15 minutes | 4 hours | 94.50 | 378.00 |
| —(d) Notice to FRA that service failure rate target in paragraph (a) of this section is not achieved | 65 railroads | 4 notices | 15 minutes | 1 hour | 94.50 | 94.50 |
| —(d) Explanation to FRA as to why performance target was not achieved and provision to FRA of remedial action plan | 65 railroads | 4 letters of explanation/plans | 15 minutes | 1 hour | 94.50 | 94.50 |
| ( printed page 65293) | ||||||
| 213.238 Qualified operator: | ||||||
| —Qualified operators—Written or electronic of qualification | 3 railroads + 5 testing entities | 250 records | 5 minutes | 20.83 | 94.50 | 1,968.44 |
| 213.240 Continuous rail testing: | ||||||
| —(b) Procedures for conducting continuous testing | 12 railroads | 4 procedures | 8 hours | 32 | 94.50 | 3,024.00 |
| —(c) Type of rail test (continuous or stop-and-verify)—Record | 12 railroads | 25,000 documents/records | 2 seconds | 13.89 | 94.50 | 1,312.61 |
| —(c) Type of rail test (continuous or stop-and-verify)—Documented changes | 12 railroads | 100 documents | 1 minute | 1.67 | 94.50 | 157.82 |
| —(g) Annual reports to FRA | 12 railroads | 12 reports | 4 hours | 48 | 94.50 | 4,536.00 |
| 213.241 Inspection records: | ||||||
| —Inspection records | 773 railroads | 1,375,000 records | 10 minutes | 229,166.67 | 94.50 | 21,656,250.32 |
| Subpart G Train operations at track classes 6 and higher: | ||||||
| 213.303 Responsibility for compliance: | ||||||
| —(b) Notification of assignment to FRA | 4 railroads | 5 notices | 30 minutes | 2.50 | 94.50 | 236.25 |
| 213.305 Designation of qualified individuals; general qualifications: | ||||||
| —(c)(4) Written authorization for remedial actions | 4 railroads | 20 written documents | 30 minutes | 10 | 94.50 | 945.00 |
| —(e) Designation records | 4 railroads | 200 records | 10 minutes | 33.33 | 94.50 | 3,149.69 |
| 213.317 Waivers: | ||||||
| —(a) and (b) Waivers | 4 railroads | 2 petitions | 8 hours | 16 | 94.50 | 1,512.00 |
| 213.329 Curves; elevation and speed limitations: | ||||||
| —FRA approval of qualified vehicle types based on results of testing | 4 railroads | 6 (2 cover letters + 2 technical reports + 2 diagrams) | 16.75 | 33.50 | 94.50 | 3,165.75 |
| —(f) Written notification to FRA 30 days prior to implementation of higher curving speeds | 4 railroads | 2 notices | 2 hours | 4 | 94.50 | 378.00 |
| —(g) Written consent of other affected track owners by railroad | 4 railroads | 2 written consents | 45 minutes | 1.50 | 94.50 | 141.75 |
| 213.333 Automated vehicle-based inspection systems: | ||||||
| —(d) Track Geometry Measurement System (TGMS) output/exception reports | 4 railroads | 48 reports | 5 minutes | 4 | 94.50 | 378.00 |
| 213.341 Initial inspection of new rail and welds: | ||||||
| —(b) and (d) Inspection records | 4 railroads | 800 records | 2 minutes | 26.67 | 94.50 | 2,520.32 |
| 213.343 Continuous welded rail (CWR): | ||||||
| —(a) through (e) Procedures for installations and adjustments of CWR | 4 railroads | 4 plans | 4 hours | 16 | 94.50 | 1,512.00 |
| —(h) Recordkeeping requirements | 4 railroads | 8,000 records | 2 minutes | 266.67 | 94.50 | 24,050.97 |
| 213.345 Vehicle/track system qualification: | ||||||
| —(a) through (c) Vehicle qualification program for all vehicle types operating at track Class 6 speeds or above | 4 railroads | 2 program plans | 120 hours | 240 | 94.50 | 25,200.32 |
| —(d) Previously qualified vehicle types. Qualification programs | 4 railroads | 2 program plans | 8 hours | 16 | 94.50 | 1,512.00 |
| —(h) Written consent of other affected track owners by railroad | 4 railroads | 4 written consents | 30 minutes | 2 | 127.05 | 254.10 |
| 213.369 Inspection records: | ||||||
| —(d) Record of inspection of track | 4 railroads | 15,000 record sets | 10 minutes | 2,500 | 94.50 | 236,250.00 |
| Total 2 | 773 railroads | 1,432,204 responses | 234,274 | 22,136,497.69 | ||
| 1 The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 2024 Surface Transportation Board Full Year Wage A&B data series using the employee groups 100 (Executives, Officials, and Office Staff Assistants) $72.60, 200 (Professional and Administrative) $54.00, and 400 (Maintenance of Equipment & Stores) $42.36. The total burden wage rates (Straight time plus 75%) used in the table are $94.50 ($54 × 1.75 = $94.50), $127.05 (72.60 × 1.75 = $127.05) and $74.13 ($42.36 × 1.75 = $74.13). | ||||||
| 2 Totals may not add up due to rounding. | ||||||
Total Estimated Annual Responses: 1,432,204.
Total Estimated Annual Burden: 234,274 hours.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent: $22,136,497.69.
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.
(Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.)
Christopher S. Van Nostrand,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2026-20995 Filed 10-13-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P