Notice2026-07886
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
April 23, 2026
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 91 Issue 78 (Thursday, April 23, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 78 (Thursday, April 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21866-21867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-07886]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2026-0595]
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
June 22, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICR
should be submitted on <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> 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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#99f3f6f8f7f7fcb7eaeef8fffff6ebfdd9fdf6edb7fef6ef"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8ee4e1efe0e0eba0fdf9efe8e8e1fceaceeae1faa0e9e1f8">[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: 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.
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\1\ 56 FR 33722 (1991); 59 FR 50086 (1994).
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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
[[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.
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\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.
\3\ Totals may not add due to rounding.
Reporting Burden
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Respondent Average time
CFR section universe Total annual responses per response Total annual Wage rates \2\ Total cost
(railroads) (minutes) burden hours equivalent in U.S.D
............ (A)............................ (B) (C = A * B) .............. (D = C * wage rates)
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234.7 Accidents involving grade crossing signal failure
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--(a) Telephone notification to the 784 2 phone calls.................. 2 0.10 $83.32 $8.33
NRC.
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234.9 Grade crossing signal system failure reports
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--Report to FRA on Form 6180.83, 784 250 reports.................... 10 42 83.32 3,499.44
``Highway-Rail Grade Crossing
Warning System Activation Failure
Report''.
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Subpart C Response to Credible Reports of Warning System Malfunction at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings
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--234.105/106/107 Activation 784 30,000 notifications........... 5 2,500 83.32 208,300.00
failure, partial and false
activation. Notifications to
required parties.
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234.109 Recordkeeping
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--Recordkeeping.................... 784 30,000 records................. 5 2,500 83.32 208,300.00
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Total \3\...................... 784 60,252 responses............... N/A 5,042 .............. 420,107.77
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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.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.
Christopher S. Van Nostrand,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2026-07886 Filed 4-22-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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