Notice2025-11279
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 20, 2025
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Railroad Administration
Abstract
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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 117 (Friday, June 20, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 117 (Friday, June 20, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26411-26413]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-11279]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2025-0004]
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment
Request
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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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
August 19, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICR
should be submitted on <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> to Docket No. FRA-2025-0004.
All comments received will be posted without change to the docket,
including any personal information provided. Please refer to the
assigned OMB control number (2130-0633) in any correspondence
submitted. FRA will summarize comments received in a subsequent 30-day
notice and include them in its information collection submission to
OMB.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Arlette Mussington, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, at email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1776657b72636372397a6264647e79706378795773786339707861"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f293809e97868697dc9f8781819b9c95869d9cb2969d86dc959d84">[email protected]</span></a> or
telephone: (571) 609-1285 or Ms. Joanne Swafford, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, at email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#93f9fcf2fdfdf6bde0e4f2f5f5fce1f7d3f7fce7bdf4fce5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7a10151b14141f54090d1b1c1c15081e3a1e150e541d150c">[email protected]</span></a> 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.
See 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 through 1320.12. Specifically,
FRA invites
[[Page 26412]]
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. See 44 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. See 44 U.S.C. 3501.
The summary below describes the ICR that FRA will submit for OMB
clearance as the PRA requires.
Title: Fatigue Risk Management Program for Certain Passenger and
Freight Railroads.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0633.
Abstract: In 2022, FRA issued a final rule that revised 49 CFR part
270--System Safety Program (SSP) and part 271--Risk Reduction Program
(RRP) to require railroads subject to those rules \1\ to include a
fatigue risk management program (FRMP) as one part of their railroad
safety risk reduction programs.\2\ A railroad must adopt and implement
its FRMP through an FRMP plan that the railroad has submitted to FRA
for review and approval.\3\ These FRMP requirements are found at part
270, subpart E--Fatigue Risk Management Programs and at part 271,
subpart G--Fatigue Risk Management Programs.
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\1\ Part 270 applies to passenger rail operations (defined in 49
CFR 270.5 to mean ``intercity, commuter, or other short-haul
passenger rail service[s]''), and part 271 applies to Class I
freight railroads, railroads that FRA determines demonstrate
inadequate safety performance (ISP), and freight railroads that
elect to voluntarily comply with part 271. See 49 CFR 270.3 and
271.3(a).
\2\ 87 FR 35660-35675 (June 13, 2022). FRA issued the RRP, SSP,
and FRMP final rules to implement a mandate in the Rail Safety
Improvement Act of 2008 stating that FRA must require certain
railroads to develop and implement a railroad safety risk reduction
program that includes a fatigue management plan as one of its
components. 49 U.S.C. 20156(d)(2) and (f).
\3\ Sec. Sec. 270.409(a) and 271.609(a). A railroad must also
consult with its directly affected employees and use good faith and
best efforts to reach agreement with the employees on the contents
of its FRMP plan. Id.
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FRA will use the information collected to ensure that railroads are
developing and implementing an FRMP that meets regulatory requirements.
FRA will also use the collected information to determine whether a
railroad's FRMP is improving railroad safety through the reduction of
fatigue experienced by its safety-related railroad employees.
The purpose of an FRMP is to improve railroad safety through
structured, systematic, and proactive processes and procedures that a
railroad develops and implements to identify and mitigate the effects
of fatigue on its employees.\4\ A railroad must design its FRMP, in
part, to reduce fatigue experienced by its safety-related railroad
employees and to reduce the risk of railroad accidents, incidents,
injuries, and fatalities where the fatigue of any of these employees is
a contributing factor.\5\ As part of a railroad's SSP or RRP, each FRMP
must be an ongoing program that supports continuous safety
improvement.\6\ A railroad must include its FRMP in the annual internal
assessment of its SSP or RRP, and FRA also includes FRMPs in its
external audits of a railroad's RRP or SSP to ensure that the
railroad's FRMP processes and procedures comply with the FRMP
regulation.\7\
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\4\ Sec. Sec. 270.403(a) and 271.603.
\5\ Sec. Sec. 270.403(b)(1) and 271.603(b)(1).
\6\ Sec. Sec. 270.103(p)(1)(vii) and 271.101(a).
\7\ Sec. Sec. 270.303, 270.305, 270.405, 271.401, 271.501, and
271.605.
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In this 60-day notice, FRA has made multiple adjustments to the
estimated paperwork burdens. FRA's estimate of all burden hours under
this ICR has decreased from 1,440 hours to 436 hours, and the number of
estimated responses decreased from 55 to 12. These adjustments reflect
that most railroads have submitted their initial FRMP plans to FRA.
This submission reflects burden estimates for only those railroads that
must develop and implement a new FRMP or that are amending their
existing plans. Because FRMPs are included as part of a railroad's
broader SSP or RRP, the estimated paperwork burdens associated with
regulatory requirements related to railroad internal assessments and
FRA external audits that involve an FRMP are covered under OMB Control
Numbers 2130-0599 and 2130-0610.
Type of Request: Extension without change (with changes in
estimates) of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Businesses.
Form(s): N/A
Respondent Universe: 6 Class I railroads, 15 ISP railroads, and 35
passenger rail operations.
Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
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\8\ The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 2023 Surface
Transportation Board Full Year Wage A&B data series using employee
group 200 (Professional Administrative Staff) hourly wage rate of
$50.93. The total burden wage rate (straight time plus 75%) used in
the table is $89.13 ($50.93 x 1.75 = $89.13).
Reporting Burden
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Average time Total annual
CFR section Respondent universe Total annual responses per response Total annual Wage rate \8\ dollar cost
(hours) burden hours equivalent
...................... (A)..................... (B) (C) = A * B .............. (D) = C * wage
rates
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270.407 Requirements for a Fatigue Risk Management Program (FRMP)
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270.407 An FRMP shall include an The estimated paperwork burden for this regulatory requirement is covered under Sec. 270.409.
analysis of fatigue risks and
mitigation strategies.
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270.409 Requirements for an FRMP plan
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270.409(a) through (d)--........... 35.................... 1....................... 77.5 77.5 $89.13 $6,907.58
New FRMP Plan as part of its SSP Passenger rail
containing the following elements:. operations.
<bullet> Analysis of fatigue risk.
<bullet> Mitigation strategies....
<bullet> Evaluation--processes to
monitor the overall effectiveness
of the FRMP.
<bullet> FRMP implementation plan.
<bullet> Consultation with
directly affected employees on
FRMP plan contents.
--Initial meeting with FRA to 35 Passenger rail 1....................... 16 16 89.13 1,426.08
review FRMP plan.. operations.
--Amendments to FRMP plans already 35 Passenger rail 2....................... 20 40 89.13 3,565.20
approved (Sec. 270.405(d)). operations.
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271.607 Requirements for an FRMP
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271.607 An FRMP shall include an The estimated paperwork burden for this regulatory requirement is covered under Sec. 271.609.
analysis of fatigue risks and
mitigation strategies.
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271.609 Requirements for an FRMP Plan
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271.609(a) through (d)--........... 6 Class I railroads... FRA anticipates there will be no new Class I FRMPs submitted over the next three-year
New FRMP Plan as part of its RRP period.
containing the following elements:.
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<bullet> Analysis of fatigue risk. 15 ISP railroads...... 2....................... 76 152 89.13 13,547.76
<bullet> Mitigation strategies....
<bullet> Evaluation--processes to
monitor the overall effectiveness
of the FRMP.
<bullet> FRMP implementation plan.
<bullet> Consultation with
directly affected employees on
FRMP plan contents.
--Initial meeting with FRA to 6 Class I railroads... FRA anticipates there will be no new Class I FRMPs submitted over the next three-year
review FRMP plan. period.
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15 ISP railroads...... 2....................... 16 30 89.13 2,673.90
--Amendments to FRMP plans already 6 Class I railroads... 2....................... 40 80 89.13 7,130.40
approved (Sec. 271.605(d)).
15 ISP railroads...... 2....................... 20 40 89.13 3,565.20
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Totals......................... 35 Passenger rail 12 responses............ N/A 436 .............. 38,816
operations; 6 Class I
railroads; and 15 ISP
railroads.
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Total Estimated Annual Responses: 12.
Total Estimated Annual Burden: 436.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent: $38,816.
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. 2025-11279 Filed 6-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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