Notice2025-17587
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
September 12, 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 175 (Friday, September 12, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 175 (Friday, September 12, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44286-44289]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-17587]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2025-0060]
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.
[[Page 44287]]
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
November 12, 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-2025-0060.
All comments received will be posted without change to the docket,
including any personal information provided. Please refer to the
assigned OMB control number (2130-0017) 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. Arlette Mussington, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, at email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1a7b68767f6e6e7f34776f696973747d6e75745a7e756e347d756c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="09687b656c7d7d6c27647c7a7a60676e7d6667496d667d276e667f">[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#0b61646a65656e25787c6a6d6d64796f4b6f647f256c647d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1c76737d727279326f6b7d7a7a736e785c787368327b736a">[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 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: U.S. DOT Crossing Inventory.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0017.
Abstract: On January 6, 2015, FRA published a final rule that
requires railroads that operate one or more trains through highway-rail
or pathway crossings to submit information to the U.S. DOT National
Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory (``Crossing Inventory'') about the
crossings through which they operate.\1\ This final rule, mandated by
sec. 204 of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, requires railroads
to submit information about previously unreported and new highway-rail
and pathway crossings to the Crossing Inventory and to periodically
update existing crossing data.
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\1\ This final rule was subsequently amended on June 10, 2016,
in response to a petition for reconsideration submitted by the
Association of American Railroads. See 81 FR 37521.
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In this 60-day notice, after a thorough review, FRA has made
multiple adjustments to its estimates that increased the previously
approved burden hours from 8,663 to 9,857 hours and decreased the
number of responses from 421,758 to 225,145. This burden increase is
the result of changes described in the sections summarized below.
Under 49 CFR 234.403, which describes the submission of Crossing
Inventory data generally, FRA adjusted the burden estimates to reflect
more accurately the estimated number of hours and average time per
response associated with submissions for the next three-year reporting
period, resulting in an increase of 1,490 hours.
Under Sec. 234.405, which describes the process to submit initial
data to the Crossing Inventory for previously unreported crossings, FRA
decreased the estimated burden by 57 hours. These regulations have been
in effect since June 2016 and railroads have been submitting crossing
data to the Crossing Inventory for previously unreported crossings
since that time. Based on crossing data submitted to the Crossing
Inventory during the previous three-year reporting period, FRA does not
anticipate any initial submission of crossing data for previously
unreported crossings.
Under Sec. 234.411, which describes the type of changes requiring
submission of updated information to the Crossing Inventory, FRA
adjusted the burden estimates to reflect more accurately the number of
railroads that have reported a crossing sale or closure over the past
three years, and the average response time, decreasing the burden
estimate by 81 hours.
Finally, under Sec. 234.413, which describes railroad
recordkeeping requirements, FRA has made multiple adjustments. FRA
decreased the burden hours by 158 hours to reflect more accurately the
number of records that must be kept and maintained. This reduction is
the result of a significant decrease in the number of annual responses.
FRA also increased the burden hours by 54 hours to reflect more
accurately the burden associated with maintaining lists of locations
where copies of records required by subpart F of part 234 may be
accessed and copied.
Type of Request: Extension without change (with changes in
estimates) of a current information collection.
Affected Public: Businesses (railroads), States, and the District
of Columbia (DC).
Form(s): FRA F 6180.71.
Respondent Universe: 646 railroads, 50 States, and DC.
Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
Reporting Burden
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Total annual
CFR section part 234, subpart F Respondent universe Total annual responses Average time per Total annual Wage rate dollar cost
response burden hours \2\ equivalent
........................ (A)..................... (B)................. (C) = A * B ........... (D) = C *
wage rates
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234.403 Submission of data to the
Crossing Inventory, generally:
[[Page 44288]]
--(a) and (c) Highway-rail and 50 States + DC & 646 500 forms............... 30 minutes.......... 250 $89.13 $22,282.50
pathway crossing data submitted on railroads.
the inventory form.
--Grade Crossing Inventory System 50 States + DC & 646 30,000 updates.......... 5 minutes........... 2,500 89.13 222,825.00
update of designated data railroads.
submitted by railroads & States/DC.
--Excel lists of submitted data-- 50 States + DC & 646 1,000 lists............. 5 minutes........... 83.33 89.13 7,427.50
(bulk uploads). railroads.
--Changes/corrections to Crossing 50 States + DC & 646 80,000 records.......... 5 minutes........... 6,666.67 89.13 594,200.00
Inventory data submitted via API railroads.
computer program.
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--(b) Written requests by States/DC FRA anticipates zero submissions over the next three-year period.
& railroads for FRA Crossing
Inventory Guide.
--(d) Reporting Crossing Inventory FRA anticipates zero submissions over the next three-year period.
data by State agencies/DC on
behalf of railroads: Written
notices to FRA.
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--(e)(1) Consolidated reporting by 646 railroads........... 15 Notices.............. 1 hour.............. 15 89.13 1,336.95
parent corporations on behalf of
their subsidiary railroads:
Written notice to FRA.
--(e)(2) Immediate notification to 646 railroads........... 2 notices............... 1 hour.............. 2 89.13 178.26
FRA by parent corporations of any
changes to lists of subsidiary
railroads.
234.405 Submission of initial data to
the Crossing Inventory for
previously unreported crossings:
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--(a)(1) Assigning Crossing FRA anticipates zero submissions over the next three-year period.
Inventory number to each
previously unreported highway-rail
and pathway crossing.
--(a)(2) Primary operating railroad FRA anticipates zero submissions over the next three-year period.
providing assigned Crossing
Inventory number to other
railroads operating through
crossing.
--(c) Duty of all operating FRA anticipates zero submissions over the next three-year period.
railroads: Notification to FRA of
previously unreported crossing
through which it operates.
--(d) Incomplete submission by FRA anticipates zero submissions over the next three-year period.
State agency/DC: Written
certification by primary operating
railroad that State/DC has not
provided requested crossing
information. Provide copies of
written request to each operating
railroad.
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234.407 Submission of initial data to
the Crossing Inventory for new
crossings:
--(a) and (b) Submission of initial 646 railroads........... 54 assigned inventory 5 minutes........... 4.50 89.13 401.09
data to the Crossing Inventory for numbers.
new crossings: Providing assigned
Crossing Inventory numbers for new
highway-rail and pathway crossings
through which they operate by
primary operating railroads to
each railroad that operates one or
more trains through the crossing.
234.409 Submission of periodic
updates to the Crossing Inventory:
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--(a) Submission of periodic The estimated paperwork burden for this requirement is included under Sec. 234.403. Consequently, there is no
updates to the Crossing Inventory additional burden associated with this requirement.
by primary operating railroad.
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234.411 Changes requiring submission
of updated information to the
Crossing Inventory:
--(a) Notification/report by 646 railroads........... 228 notices/reports..... 5 minutes........... 19 89.13 1,693.47
railroad to primary operating
railroad of sale of all or part of
a highway-rail or pathway crossing
on or after June 10, 2016.
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--(b) Crossing closure: Submission The estimated paperwork burden for this requirement is included under Sec. 234.403. Consequently, there is no
of Crossing Inventory form by additional burden associated with this requirement.
primary operating railroad that
closes highway-rail and pathway
crossing.
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--(c) Primary operating railroad 646 railroads........... 1,200 forms............. 5 minutes........... 100 89.13 8,913.00
submission of Crossing Inventory
form for change in crossing
characteristics.
234.413 Recordkeeping:
--(a) and (b) Railroad duplicate 646 railroads........... 500 duplicate copies.... 1 minute............ 8.33 89.13 742.75
copy of each inventory form
submitted in hard copy to the
Crossing Inventory.
[[Page 44289]]
--Copy of electronic confirmation 646 railroads........... 111,000 copies.......... 5 seconds........... 154.17 89.13 13,740.88
received from FRA after electronic
submission of crossing data to
Crossing Inventory.
--(c) List of locations where a 646 railroads........... 646 lists............... 5 minutes........... 53.83 89.13 4,798.17
copy of any record required by
this subpart may be accessed and
copied.
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Total.......................... 50 States + DC & 646 225,145 responses....... N/A................. 9,857 ........... 878,539.56
railroads.
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Total Estimated Annual Responses: 225,145.
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\2\ The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 2023 Surface
Transportation Board Full Year Wage A&B data series using the
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).
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Total Estimated Annual Burden: 9,857 hours.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent:
$878,539.56.
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. 2025-17587 Filed 9-11-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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