System Safety Program, 53849-53905 [2016-18301]

Agencies

• Federal Railroad Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 156 (Friday, August 12, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 53849-53905]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-18301]



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Vol. 81

Friday,

No. 156

August 12, 2016

Part V





Department of Transportation





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Federal Railroad Administration





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49 CFR Part 270





 System Safety Program; Final Rule

Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 156 / Friday, August 12, 2016 / 
Rules and Regulations

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

49 CFR Part 270

[Docket No. FRA-2011-0060, Notice No. 3]
RIN 2130-AC31


System Safety Program

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this final rule to mandate that commuter and 
intercity passenger railroads develop and implement a system safety 
program (SSP) to improve the safety of their operations. A SSP is a 
structured program with proactive processes and procedures, developed 
and implemented by commuter and intercity passenger railroads to 
identify and mitigate or eliminate hazards and the resulting risks on 
each railroad's system. A railroad has the flexibility to tailor a SSP 
to its specific operations. A SSP will be implemented after receiving 
approval by FRA of a submitted SSP plan. FRA will audit a railroad's 
compliance with its SSP.

DATES: This final rule is effective October 11, 2016. Petitions for 
reconsideration must be received on or before October 3, 2016. Comments 
in response to petitions for reconsideration must be received on or 
before November 15, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Petitions for reconsideration and comments on petitions for 
reconsideration: Any petitions for reconsideration or comments on 
petitions for reconsideration related to this Docket No. FRA-2011-0060, 
Notice No. 3, may be submitted by any of the following methods:
     Web site: The Federal eRulemaking Portal, 
www.regulations.gov. Follow the Web site's online instructions for 
submitting comments.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W12-140, Washington, 
DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery: Docket Management Facility, Room W12-140 on 
the ground level of the West Building, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for this 
rulemaking (2130-AC31). Note that all petitions and comments received 
will be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including 
any personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading 
in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document for Privacy 
Act information related to any submitted petitions, comments or 
materials.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents, 
petitions for reconsideration, or comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov at any time or visit the Docket Management 
Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Room W12-140, on the Ground level of the West Building, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Knote, Staff Director, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office 
of Railroad Safety, Passenger Rail Division; telephone: 631-965-1827; 
email: Daniel.Knote@dot.gov; Robert Adduci, Senior System Safety 
Engineer, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad 
Administration, Office of Railroad Safety, Passenger Rail Division; 
telephone: 781-447-0017; email: Robert.Adduci@dot.gov; Larry Day, 
Passenger Rail Safety Specialist, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Railroad Safety, Passenger 
Rail Division; telephone: 909-782-0613; email: Larry.Day@dot.gov; or 
Matthew Navarrete, Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Chief Counsel; telephone: 
202-493-0138; email: Matthew.Navarrete@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents for Supplementary Information

I. Executive Summary
    A. Purpose of Rulemaking
    B. Summary of Major Provisions
    C. Summary of the Costs and Benefits
II. Background and History
    A. System Safety Program--Generally
    B. System Safety Program Overview and Related Actions
    i. System Safety at FRA
    ii. Federal Transit Administration's Part 659 and MAP-21 Program
    iii. FRA's Confidential Close Call Reporting System and Clear 
Signal for Action Program
    C. FRA's Railroad Safety Advisory Committee
III. Statutory Background
    A. Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008
    B. Related Risk Reduction Rulemaking
    C. System Safety Information Protection
    i. Exemption From Freedom of Information Act Disclosure
    ii. Discovery and Other Use of Risk Analysis Information in 
Litigation
    1. The Statutory Mandate
    2. The Study and Its Conclusions
    D. Consultation Requirements
    E. Related Fatigue Management Plans Rulemaking
IV. Guidance Manual
V. Discussion of Specific Comments and Conclusions
VI. Section-by-Section Analysis
VII. Regulatory Impact and Notices
    A. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 and DOT Regulatory Policies 
and Procedures
    B. Regulatory Flexibility Act and Executive Order 13272
    C. Federalism
    D. International Trade Impact Assessment
    E. Paperwork Reduction Act
    F. Environmental Assessment
    G. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995
    H. Energy Impact
    I. Privacy Act

I. Executive Summary

A. Purpose of Rulemaking

    This rule requires commuter and intercity passenger railroads 
(passenger railroads) to develop and implement a system safety program 
(SSP). A SSP is a structured program with proactive processes and 
procedures, developed and implemented by passenger railroads. These 
processes and procedures will identify then mitigate or eliminate 
hazards and the resulting risks on the railroad's system. A SSP 
encourages a railroad and its employees to work together to proactively 
identify hazards and to jointly determine what, if any, action to take 
to mitigate or eliminate the resulting risks. The rule provides each 
railroad with a certain amount of flexibility to tailor its SSP to its 
specific operations. The SSP rule is part of FRA's efforts to 
continuously improve rail safety and to satisfy the statutory mandate 
in the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA), secs. 103 and 109, 
Public Law 110-432, Division A, 122 Stat. 4848 et seq., codified at 49 
U.S.C. 20156, 20118, and 20119.
    On September 7, 2012, FRA published a notice of proposed rulemaking 
(NPRM) to address the following mandates for commuter and intercity 
passenger railroads. 77 FR 55372, Sept. 7, 2012. Section 103 (49 U.S.C. 
20156) of RSIA enacted a statutory provision directing the Secretary of 
Transportation (Secretary) to issue a regulation requiring certain 
railroads, including passenger railroads, to develop, submit to the 
Secretary for review and approval, and implement a railroad safety risk 
reduction program. FRA is establishing separate safety risk reduction 
program rules for passenger

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railroads (SSP) and certain freight railroads (Risk Reduction Program) 
to account for the significant differences between passenger and 
freight operations. Section 109 (codified at 49 U.S.C. 20118 and 20119) 
of RSIA enacted a statutory provision authorizing the Secretary to 
issue a regulation protecting from discovery and admissibility into 
evidence in litigation documents generated for the purpose of 
developing, implementing, or evaluating a safety risk reduction 
program. This final rule implements these statutory mandates with 
respect to the system safety program covered by part 270. The Secretary 
has delegated such statutory responsibilities to the Administrator of 
FRA. See 49 CFR 1.89.

B. Summary of Major Provisions

    A SSP is implemented by a written SSP plan. The SSP regulation sets 
forth various elements that a railroad's SSP plan is required to 
contain to properly implement a SSP. The main components of a SSP are 
the risk-based hazard management program and risk-based hazard 
analysis. A properly implemented risk-based hazard management program 
and risk-based hazard analysis will identify the hazards and resulting 
risks on the railroad's system, require railroads to develop methods to 
mitigate or eliminate, if practicable, these hazards and risks, and set 
forth a plan to implement these methods. As part of its risk-based 
hazard analysis, a railroad will consider various technologies that may 
mitigate or eliminate the identified hazards and risks.
    As part of its SSP plan, a railroad will also be required to 
describe the various procedures, processes, and programs it has in 
place that support the goals of the SSP. These procedures, processes, 
and programs include, but are not limited to, the following: A 
maintenance, inspection, and repair program; rules compliance and 
procedures review(s); SSP employee/contractor training; and a public 
safety outreach program. Since railroads should already have most of 
these procedures, processes, and programs in place, railroads will most 
likely only have to identify and describe such procedures, processes, 
and programs to comply with the regulation.
    A SSP can be successful only if a railroad engages in a robust 
assessment of the hazards and resulting risks on its system. However, a 
railroad may be reluctant to reveal such hazards and risks if there is 
the possibility that such information may be used against it in a court 
proceeding for damages. Congress directed FRA to conduct a study to 
determine if it was in the public interest to withhold certain 
information, including the railroad's assessment of its safety risks 
and its statement of mitigation measures, from discovery and admission 
into evidence in proceedings for damages involving personal injury and 
wrongful death. See 49 U.S.C. 20119. Furthermore, Congress authorized 
FRA, by delegation from the Secretary, to prescribe a rule, subject to 
notice and comment, to address the results of the study. See 49 U.S.C. 
20119(b). FRA contracted to have the study performed and the SSP NPRM 
addressed the study's results and set forth proposed protections for 
certain information from discovery, admission into evidence, or use for 
other purposes in a proceeding for damages. 77 FR 55406, Sept. 7, 2012.
    To minimize the information protected, information that is 
generated solely for the purpose of developing, implementing, or 
evaluating a SSP is protected from (1) discovery, or admissibility into 
evidence, or use for other purposes in a proceeding for damages 
involving personal injury, wrongful death, or property damage, and (2) 
State discovery rules and sunshine laws which could be used to require 
the disclosure of such information. Information that is compiled or 
collected for a purpose unrelated to the railroad's SSP is not 
protected. Under section 109 of RSIA, the information protection 
provision is not effective until one year after its publication.
    In addition to protection from discovery, 49 U.S.C. 20118 specifies 
that certain risk reduction records obtained by the Secretary also are 
exempt from the public disclosure requirements of the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA). Records protected under this exemption may only 
be disclosed if disclosure is necessary to enforce or carry out any 
Federal law, or disclosure is necessary when a record is comprised of 
facts otherwise available to the public and FRA has determined that 
disclosure would be consistent with the confidentiality needed for 
SSPs. FRA therefore believes that railroad risk reduction records in 
FRA's possession would generally be exempted from mandatory disclosure 
under FOIA. Unless one of the two exceptions provided by section 20118 
would apply, FRA would withhold disclosing any such records in response 
to a FOIA request. See 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(3) and 49 CFR 7.13(c)(3).
    A SSP will affect almost all facets of a railroad's operations. To 
ensure all employees directly affected by a SSP have an opportunity to 
provide input on the development, implementation, and evaluation of a 
railroad's SSP, a railroad must consult in good faith and use best 
efforts to reach agreement with all directly affected employees on the 
contents of the SSP plan and amendments to the plan. In an appendix, 
the rule provides guidance regarding what constitutes ``good faith'' 
and ``best efforts.''
    This rule will become effective 60 days after the publication of 
the final rule except the protection of certain information discussed 
above will not become effective until one year after the final rule is 
published. A railroad is required to submit its SSP plan to FRA for 
review not more than 180 days after the applicability date of the 
discovery protections, i.e., 485 days after the effective date of the 
final rule, or not less than 90 days before commencing operations, 
whichever is later. Within 90 days of receipt of the SSP plan, FRA will 
review the plan and determine if it meets all the requirements in the 
regulation. If, during the review, FRA determines that the railroad's 
SSP plan does not comply with the requirements, FRA will notify the 
railroad of the specific points in which the plan is deficient. The 
railroad will then have 90 days to correct these deficient points and 
resubmit the plan to FRA. Whenever a railroad amends its SSP, it is 
required to submit an amended SSP plan to FRA for approval and provide 
a cover letter describing the amendments. A similar approval process 
and timeline would apply whenever a railroad amends its SSP.
    FRA will work with the railroad and other necessary stakeholders 
throughout the development of its SSP to help the railroad properly 
tailor the program to its specific operation.

C. Summary of the Costs and Benefits

    Most of the passenger railroads affected by this rulemaking already 
participate in the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) 
system safety program and are currently participating in the APTA audit 
program. Railroads that are still negotiating contracts or not 
participating directly with APTA, have developed, or are in the process 
of developing an APTA system safety program. Since the majority of 
intercity passenger or commuter railroads already have APTA system 
safety programs, there will not be a significant cost for these 
railroads to implement the regulatory requirements in this final rule. 
Thus, the economic impact of the final rule is generally incremental in 
nature for documentation of existing information and inclusion of 
certain

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elements not already addressed by railroads in their existing programs.
    FRA estimated costs in the following areas: Documenting the SSP 
plan and the safety certification process; SSP training; preparing for 
and providing information in response to external audits; providing 
mitigation method information to FRA; preparing technology analysis 
results and providing them to FRA; providing an annual assessment of 
SSP performance and improvement plans; consulting with directly 
affected employees and preparing consultation statements, amending SSP 
plans; retaining records; and conducting internal SSP assessments.
    FRA also addressed the use and costs of data protection, which is 
an important element of this rule. While the rule may protect from 
discovery some information that in the absence of the rule would not be 
protected, FRA concludes that the benefits of the protections justify 
the costs. Without the protections, railroads' risk-based hazard 
analysis and mitigations may be less robust, which may lead to a less 
safe environment than with the protections in place. No specific or net 
incremental costs are incurred by the protections (record keeping and 
reporting paperwork costs are accounted for in the rule). The 
information protections are important to ensure the effectiveness of a 
SSP at almost no additional regulatory cost to the railroad. This means 
that the information protections provide an incentive to the railroad 
to be forthright about identified risks, without concern the 
information may be used in litigation against them.
    Total estimated twenty-year costs associated with implementation of 
the final rule, for existing passenger railroads, range from $2.0 
million (discounted at 7%) to $2.9 million (discounted at 3%).
    FRA believes that there will be new, startup passenger railroads 
that will be formed during the twenty-year analysis period. FRA is 
aware of two passenger railroads that intend to begin operations in the 
near future. FRA assumed that one of these railroads would begin 
developing its SSP in Year 2, and that the other would begin developing 
its SSP in Year 3. FRA further assumed that one additional passenger 
railroad would be formed and begin developing its SSP every other year 
after that, in Years 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19. Total estimated 
twenty-year costs associated with implementation of the final rule, for 
startup passenger railroads, range from $297 thousand (discounted at 
7%) to $485 thousand (discounted at 3%).
    Total estimated twenty-year costs associated with implementation of 
the final rule, for existing passenger railroads and startup passenger 
railroads, range from $2.3 million (discounted at 7%) to $3.4 million 
(discounted at 3%).
    The estimated costs for existing and startup passenger railroads to 
implement this rule do not include costs of mitigations that railroads 
may implement to address hazards, as the cost of hazard mitigation will 
vary greatly depending on what hazard is being eliminated or mitigated. 
FRA expects that railroads will implement the most cost-effective 
mitigations to eliminate or mitigate hazards.
    Properly implemented SSPs may be successful in optimizing the 
returns on railroad safety investments. Railroads can use them to 
proactively identify potential hazards and resulting risks at an early 
stage, thus minimizing associated casualties and property damage or 
avoiding them altogether. Railroads can also use them to identify a 
wide array of potential safety issues and solutions, which in turn may 
allow them to simultaneously evaluate various alternatives for 
improving overall safety with resources available. This results in more 
cost effective investments. In addition, system safety planning may 
help railroads maintain safety gains over time. Without a SSP plan to 
guide them, railroads could adopt countermeasures to safety problems 
that become less effective over time as the focus shifts to other 
issues. With SSP plans, those safety gains are likely to continue for 
longer time periods. SSP plans can also be instrumental in reducing 
casualties resulting from hazards that are not well addressed through 
conventional safety programs.
    During the course of daily operations, hazards are routinely 
discovered. Railroads must decide which hazards to address and how, 
with the limited resources available for this purpose. Without a SSP 
plan in place, the decision process might become arbitrary. In the 
absence of the information protections provided by the final rule, 
railroads might also be reluctant to keep detailed records of known 
hazards. With a SSP plan in place, railroads may be better able to 
identify and implement the most cost-effective measures to reduce 
accidents and incidents and resulting casualties.
    The SSP NPRM Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) was performed on a 
breakeven basis. The approach has been modified for the final rule due 
to the lack of empirical evidence currently available to estimate all 
relevant regulatory costs, namely those from risk analysis and risk 
mitigation. These costs are not reasonably predictable until the data 
protections are in place and each railroad produces and implements 
their SSP plans assessing their hazards and risk levels. The pool of 
potential safety benefits is large as evidenced by the totality of 
accidents and incidents experienced on passenger railroads that this 
final rule could impact. FRA expects that railroads can achieve 
sufficient safety benefits to justify quantified and unquantified 
costs.
    SSPs under the APTA program are currently voluntary. This rule 
focuses on a robust risk-based hazard analysis and mitigation, and the 
oversight required to achieve full compliance. Passenger railroads must 
demonstrate a robust SSP and the means to implement the SSP and assure 
compliance. Railroad management and employees will be accountable to 
achieve the safety goals in their SSPs, but there will also be FRA 
oversight to monitor and demand corrective actions if and when 
necessary.
    As documented in the RIA, FRA expects that regulatory costs under 
the SSP final rule will be modest and only incremental in relation to 
the railroads' non-regulatory costs because the rule provides 
information to the industry on what FRA's expectations are for a robust 
SSP. Railroads should be able to assemble a SSP plan to satisfy the 
rule by packaging what they currently have under the APTA program that 
complies with the SSP rule's provisions, along with (1) greater 
emphasis on eliminating or reducing hazards and the resulting risks, 
(2) rigorous analysis process, and (3) commitment to achieve the 
railroad's safety goal through setting priorities of its risk reduction 
efforts of mitigation. The SSP final rule would also address any gaps 
in those plans that do not meet the requirements of this rule. The few 
railroads that are not under the APTA program have their own SSPs or 
are developing such with FRA's assistance. For instance, when a hazard 
analysis is performed, this rule requires the railroad to demonstrate 
the processes and procedures it used to carry-out the analysis and 
mitigation. This means that, for the most part, FRA would only require 
actions to address gaps in the SSP plans, such as providing a clear or 
more robust description of the methods and processes they will use. 
These actions are expected to maintain and improve the economic benefit 
that can be achieved through the use of a robust SSP. However, it is 
difficult to provide a precise cap on the regulatory costs and benefits 
because the type and level of hazards and corresponding risk are not

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known, which is why FRA could not estimate benefits quantitatively.
    A benefit (not quantified) of this rule is that it may promote more 
cost-effective investment of railroad resources. However, FRA does not 
know to what extent. Therefore, FRA focused on the passenger railroad 
accidents and incidents this rule will impact. FRA analyzed passenger 
operation-related accident costs--the costs of accidents this final 
rule could affect. Between 2001 and 2010, on average, passenger 
railroads had 3,724 accidents, resulting in 208 fatalities, 3,340 other 
casualties, and $20.6 million in damage to railroad track and equipment 
each year. Total quantified twenty-year accident costs total between 
$33 billion (discounted at 7%) and $51 billion (discounted at 3%). Of 
course, these accidents also resulted in damage to other property, 
delays to both railroads and highway users, emergency response and 
clean-up costs, and other costs not quantified in this analysis. In 
conclusion, FRA is confident that the accident reduction benefits 
should justify the $2.3 million (discounted at 7%) to $3.4 million 
(discounted at 3%) implementation cost over the first twenty years of 
the final rule.

                            Table 1--Total Costs (Over 20-Year Period) and Annualized
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                                                                                    Discounted      Discounted
                                                                  Current dollar      value 7         value 3
                                                                       value          percent         percent
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Total...........................................................      $4,743,039      $2,327,224      $3,412,651
Annualized......................................................         237,152         219,674         229,384
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    This rule will certainly have benefits incremental to the APTA 
program. However, FRA could not estimate the benefits of the final rule 
as SSPs are mostly an organizational structure and program to manage 
safety through hazard analysis and mitigation. FRA cannot accurately 
estimate the rule's incremental safety benefits because FRA cannot 
reliably predict the specific risks each railroad will identify or the 
specific actions they will take to mitigate such risks relative to the 
APTA program.

II. Background and History

A. System Safety Program--Generally

    On September 7, 2012, FRA published an NPRM proposing to require 
commuter and intercity passenger railroads to develop and implement a 
SSP to improve the safety of their operations. 77 FR 55372, Sept. 7, 
2012. The NPRM was proposed as part of FRA's efforts to continuously 
improve rail safety and to satisfy the statutory mandates in 49 U.S.C. 
20156, 20118, and 20119.
    Railroads operate in a dynamic, fast-paced environment that at one 
time posed extreme safety risks. Through concerted efforts by 
railroads, labor organizations, the U.S. DOT, and many other entities, 
railroad safety has vastly improved. Even though FRA has issued safety 
regulations and guidance that address many aspects of railroad 
operations, gaps in safety exist, and hazards and risks may arise from 
these gaps. FRA believes that railroads are in an excellent position to 
identify many of these gaps and take the necessary action to mitigate 
or eliminate the arising hazards and resulting risks. Rather than 
prescribing the specific actions the railroads need to take, FRA 
believes it will be more effective to allow the railroads to use their 
knowledge of their unique operating environment to identify the gaps 
and determine the best methods to mitigate or eliminate the hazards and 
resulting risks. A SSP provides a railroad with the tools to 
systematically and continuously evaluate its system to identify hazards 
and the resulting risks gaps in safety and to mitigate or eliminate 
these hazards and risks.
    There are many programs that are similar to a SSP. Most notably, 
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published a final rule 
requiring each certificate holder operating under 14 CFR part 121 to 
develop and implement a safety management system (SMS). 80 FR 1308, 
Jan. 8, 2015. An SMS is a comprehensive, process-oriented approach to 
managing safety throughout the organization. An SMS includes an 
organization-wide safety policy; formal methods for identifying 
hazards, controlling, and continually assessing risk; and promotion of 
safety culture. Under FAA's final rule an SMS has four components: 
Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance, and Safety 
Promotion. Id. Similar components can also be found in this SSP rule.
    The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has also set forth guidelines 
for a System Safety Program. In July 1969, DoD published ``System 
Safety Program Plan Requirements'' (MIL-STD-882). MIL-STD-882 is DoD's 
standard practice for system safety, with the most recent version, MIL-
STD-882E, published on May 11, 2012. DoD, MIL-STD-882E, Department of 
Defense Standard Practice System Safety. MIL-STD-882 is used by many 
industries in the U.S. and internationally and certainly could be of 
use to a railroad when trying to determine which methods to use to 
comply with the SSP rule. In fact, MIL-STD-882 is cited in FRA's safety 
regulations for railroad passenger equipment, 49 CFR part 238, as an 
example of a formal safety methodology to use in complying with certain 
analysis requirements in that rule. See 49 CFR 238.103 and 238.603.

B. System Safety Program Overview and Related Actions

i. System Safety at FRA
    As discussed in the NPRM, system safety is not a new concept to 
FRA. See 77 FR 55374. This final rule responds to the statutory 
mandates set forth in RSIA and is based on lessons learned from past 
experience with various elements of system safety, as well as 
recommendations from the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC).
ii. Federal Transit Administration's Part 659 and MAP-21 Program
    As discussed in the NPRM, the Federal Transit Administration has 
set forth a regulation that covers State-conducted oversight of the 
safety and security of rail fixed guideway systems that were not 
regulated by FRA. See 77 FR 55375, Sept. 7, 2012; 49 CFR part 659. On 
March 16, 2016, FTA published the State Safety Oversight (SSO) final 
rule. 81 FR 14230, Mar. 16, 2016. The SSO rule replaces part 659 and 
implements certain provisions of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 
21st Century Act, Public Law 112-141 (2012). Many of the same concepts 
from part 659 are incorporated in the SSP final rule.
    MAP-21 made a number of fundamental changes to the statutes that 
authorize FTA programs at 49 U.S.C. ch. 53. On October 3, 2013, FTA 
published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking 
comment

[[Page 53854]]

on the implementation of these changes. See 78 FR 61251, Oct. 3, 2013. 
The ANPRM sought comment on several provisions within the Public 
Transportation Safety Program (National Safety Program) authorized at 
49 U.S.C. 5329, and the transit asset management (National TAM System) 
requirements authorized at 49 U.S.C. 5326. Id. Specifically, FTA sought 
comment on its initial interpretations, proposals, and questions 
regarding: (1) The requirements of the National Safety Program relating 
to the National Public Transportation Safety Plan, the Public 
Transportation Agency Safety Plan, and the Public Transportation Safety 
Certification Training Program; (2) the requirements of the National 
TAM System, including four proposed options under consideration for 
defining and measuring state of good repair; and (3) the relationship 
between safety, transit asset management, and state of good repair. Id. 
at 61252. FTA also sought comment on its intent to propose adoption of 
the SMS \1\ approach as the method to develop and implement the 
National Safety Program. Id. While many of the requirements of the 
National Safety Program and the National TAM System apply equally to 
all modes of public transportation, FTA intends to focus, initially, on 
rail transit systems' implementation of and compliance with these 
requirements. Id. at 61251.
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    \1\ As discussed previously, FAA has published a final rule 
requiring each certificate holder operating under 14 CFR part 121 to 
develop and implement an SMS. See 80 FR 1308.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the ANPRM, FTA made it clear that if another Federal agency 
(e.g., FRA) regulates the safety of a particular mode of 
transportation, FTA, as part of the rulemaking pursuant to MAP-21, does 
not intend to set forth duplicative, inconsistent, or conflicting 
regulations. 78 FR 61251, Oct. 3, 2013. FTA specifically highlighted 
that it does not intend to promulgate safety regulations that will 
apply to either commuter rail systems that are regulated by FRA. Id. 
Further, FTA's regulatory jurisdiction is explicitly limited by two 
statutory provisions. Id. at 61253. First, FTA is prohibited from 
promulgating safety performance standards for rolling stock that is 
already regulated by another Federal agency, e.g., FRA. See 49 U.S.C. 
5329(b)(2)(C)(i). Second, the requirements of the State Safety 
Oversight Program will not apply to rail transit systems that are 
subject to regulation by FRA. See 49 U.S.C. 5329(e)(1) and (e)(2).
    On February 5, 2016, FTA published an NPRM proposing requirements 
for the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan. 81 FR 6344. The NPRM 
proposed ``requirements for the adoption of Safety Management Systems 
(SMS) principles and methods; the development, certification, and 
update of Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans; and the 
coordination of Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan elements with 
other FTA programs and proposed rules, as specified in 49 U.S.C. 
5329.'' Id. at 6344-45. The NPRM reaffirms FTA's intent not to 
promulgate safety regulations that would apply to commuter rail systems 
that are regulated by the FRA. Id. at 6345, 6346, 6351, 6353, 6361, and 
6369. FTA clarifies that, primarily, due to the information protections 
set forth in this FRA SSP rule, a public transportation provider cannot 
use its SSP for other modes of transportation aside from a commuter 
rail operation that falls under this SSP rule. Id. at 6351.
    Since FRA is publishing the SSP final rule after FTA published the 
NPRM for Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (the FTA Agency 
Safety Plan NPRM), but before the FTA Agency Safety Plan final rule, 
railroads and other interested stakeholders will have the opportunity 
to compare the SSP final rule with the FTA Agency Safety Plan NPRM.
iii. Risk Reduction Program Rulemaking
    FRA is currently developing, with the assistance of the RSAC, a 
separate risk reduction rule, referred to as the risk reduction program 
(RRP), that would implement the requirements of sections 20156, 20118, 
and 20119 for Class I freight railroads and railroads with inadequate 
safety performance. The RRP NPRM was published in the Federal Register 
on February 27, 2015. 80 FR 10949. The RRP rulemaking is discussed 
infra in the ``Statutory Background'' section.
iv. FRA's Confidential Close Call Reporting System and Clear Signal for 
Action Program
    FRA also has established two voluntary, independent programs that 
exemplify the philosophy of risk reduction: The Confidential Close Call 
Reporting System (C3RS) and the Clear Signal for Action (CSA) 
program.\2\ FRA has developed these programs in the belief that, in 
addition to process and technology innovations, human factors-based 
solutions can make a significant contribution to improving safety in 
the railroad industry.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ The history and structure of C3RS and CSA program were 
discussed extensively in the SSP NPRM. 77 FR 55375-76.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The C3RS and CSA program embody many of the concepts and principles 
found in a SSP: Proactive identification of hazards and risks, analysis 
of those hazards and risks, and implementation of appropriate action to 
eliminate or mitigate the hazards and risks. While FRA does not require 
any railroad to implement a C3RS or CSA program as part of their SSP, 
FRA does believe that these types of programs would prove useful in the 
development of a SSP and encourages railroads to include such programs 
as part of their SSP.

C. FRA's Railroad Safety Advisory Committee

    The SSP rule was developed with the assistance of the RSAC.\3\ This 
rule incorporates the majority of RSAC's recommendations. FRA decided 
not to incorporate certain recommendations because they were 
unnecessary or duplicative and their exclusion would not have a 
substantive effect on the rule. The rule also contains elements that 
were not part of RSAC's recommendations. The majority of these elements 
are added to provide clarity and to conform to Federal Register 
formatting requirements. However, FRA notes the areas in which the 
exclusion of the RSAC recommendations or the inclusion of elements not 
part of the RSAC recommendations do have a substantive effect on the 
rule and will provide an explanation for doing so.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ The history, structure, and SSP-related proceedings were 
discussed extensively in the SSP NPRM. 77 FR 55376-78.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. Statutory Background

A. Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008

    In section 103 of the RSIA, Congress enacted a statutory provision 
directing the Secretary to issue a regulation requiring certain 
railroads to develop, submit to the Secretary for review and approval, 
and implement a railroad safety risk reduction program. This statutory 
mandate is codified at 49 U.S.C. 20156 (section 20156). The Secretary 
has delegated this statutory responsibility to the FRA Administrator. 
See 49 CFR 1.89, 77 FR 49965, 49984, Aug. 17, 2012; see also 49 U.S.C. 
103(g). The railroads required to be subject to such a regulation 
include the following:
    (1) Class 1 railroads;
    (2) Railroad carriers with inadequate safety performance, as 
determined by the Secretary; and
    (3) Railroad carriers that provide intercity rail passenger or 
commuter rail passenger transportation (passenger railroads).

[[Page 53855]]

    The SSP rule implements sections 20156, 20118, and 20119 as they 
apply to railroad carriers that provide intercity rail passenger or 
commuter rail passenger transportation (passenger railroads). The SSP 
rule is a risk reduction program in that it requires a passenger 
railroad to assess and manage risk and to develop proactive hazard 
management methods to promote safety improvement. The rule contains 
provisions that, while not explicitly required by the statutory safety 
risk reduction program mandate, are necessary to properly implement the 
mandate and are consistent with the intent behind the mandate. Further, 
as mentioned previously, many of the elements in the rule are modeled 
after the APTA System Safety Manual; therefore, the majority of 
railroads will have already implemented those elements. The rule also 
implements section 20119, which addresses the protection of information 
in railroad safety risk analyses and will be discussed further in the 
rule.

B. Related Risk Reduction Rulemaking

    As discussed, supra, the RRP NPRM proposes implementing the 
requirements of sections 20156, 20118, and 20119 for Class I freight 
railroads and railroads with inadequate safety performance. To avoid 
duplicative requirements, as proposed, the RRP rule would not apply to 
any passenger railroad already required to comply with the SSP rule. 
Establishing separate safety risk reduction rules for passenger 
railroads and Class I freight railroads will allow those rules to 
account for the significant differences between passenger and freight 
operations. For example, passenger operations generate risks uniquely 
associated with the passengers that utilize their services. The SSP 
rule can be tailored specifically to these types of risks, which are 
not independently generated by freight railroads. Further, freight 
railroads may generate risks uniquely associated with the 
transportation of hazardous materials and the proposed RRP rule can be 
specifically tailored to these types of risks, which are not 
independently generated by passenger railroads.
    Some overlap may exist between certain components of the SSP and 
RRP rules. Most significantly, the SSP and RRP final rules most likely 
will contain similar provisions implementing the consultation 
requirements of section 20156(g) and responding to the information 
protection study section 20119(a) mandated. There was significant 
discussion during the SSP and RRP RSAC processes on how to implement 
these statutory mandates. FRA worked with the General Passenger Safety 
Task Force's System Safety Task Group and the RRP Working Group to 
receive input regarding how information protection and the consultation 
process should be addressed, with the understanding that the same 
language would be included in both the SSP and RRP NPRMs for review and 
comment. Based on the comments received in response to the SSP NPRM, 
FRA has revised the consultation process requirement and the 
information protections. These revisions are discussed further in the 
discussion of comments section.

C. System Safety Information Protection

    Section 20119(b) authorizes FRA to issue a rule protecting risk 
analysis information generated by railroads. These provisions would 
apply to information generated by passenger railroads pursuant to a 
SSP.
i. Exemption From Freedom of Information Act Disclosure
    In section 20118, Congress determined that for risk reduction 
programs to be effective, the risk analyses must be shielded from 
production in response to FOIA requests. FOIA is a Federal statute 
establishing certain requirements for the public disclosure of records 
held by Federal agencies. See 5 U.S.C. 552. Formal rules for making 
FOIA requests to DOT agencies are set forth in 49 CFR part 7. 
Generally, FOIA requires a Federal agency to make most records 
available upon request, unless a record is protected from mandatory 
disclosure by one of nine exemptions. One of those exemptions, known as 
Exemption 3, applies to records that are specifically exempted from 
disclosure by statute, if the statute requires that matters be withheld 
from the public in such a manner as to leave no discretion on the issue 
or establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers to 
particular types of matters to be withheld. See 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(3) and 
49 CFR 7.13(c)(3).
    Section 20118(a) specifically provides that a record obtained by 
FRA pursuant to a provision, regulation, or order related to a risk 
reduction program or pilot program is exempt from disclosure under 
FOIA. The term ``record'' includes, but is not limited to, ``a railroad 
carrier's analysis of its safety risks and its statement of the 
mitigation measures it has identified with which to address those 
risks.'' Id. This FOIA exemption also applies to records made available 
to FRA for inspection or copying pursuant to a risk reduction program 
or pilot program. Section 20118(c) also gives FRA the discretion to 
prohibit the public disclosure of risk analyses or risk mitigation 
analyses obtained under other FRA regulations if FRA determines that 
the prohibition of public disclosure is necessary to promote public 
safety.
    FRA believes that section 20118 qualifies as an Exemption 3 statute 
under FOIA.\4\ FRA therefore believes that SSP records in its 
possession are exempted from mandatory disclosure under FOIA, unless 
one of two exceptions provided by the statute would apply. See 49 
U.S.C. 20118(a)-(b). The first exception permits disclosure when it is 
necessary to enforce or carry out any Federal law. The second exception 
permits disclosure when a record is comprised of facts otherwise 
available to the public and when FRA, in its discretion, has determined 
that disclosure would be consistent with the confidentiality needed for 
a risk reduction program or pilot program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ In 2009, Congress amended 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(3) to require 
Exemption 3 statutes to specifically cite to section 552(b)(3). See 
OPEN FOIA Act of 2009, Public Law 111-83, 123 Stat. 2142, 2184 (Oct. 
28, 2009). Because this requirement applies only to statutes enacted 
after October 29, 2009, however, it does not apply to section 20118, 
which was enacted in October of 2008.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

ii. Discovery and Other Use of Risk Analysis Information in Litigation
1. The Statutory Mandate
    The RSIA also addressed the disclosure and use of risk analysis 
information in litigation. Section 20119(a), one of the statutory 
provisions enacted by the RSIA, directed FRA to conduct a study to 
determine whether it was in the public interest to withhold from 
discovery or admission into evidence in a Federal or State court 
proceeding for damages involving personal injury or wrongful death 
against a carrier any information (including a railroad's analysis of 
its safety risks and its statement of the mitigation measures with 
which it will address those risks) compiled or collected for the 
purpose of evaluating, planning, or implementing a risk reduction 
program. In conducting this study, section 20119(a) required FRA to 
solicit input from railroads, railroad non-profit employee labor 
organizations, railroad accident victims and their families, and the 
general public. See id. Section 20119(b) also states that upon 
completion of the study, if in the public interest, FRA may prescribe a 
rule to address the results of the study (i.e., a rule to protect risk 
analysis information from disclosure during litigation). Section 
20119(b)

[[Page 53856]]

prohibits any such rule from becoming effective until one year after 
its adoption.
2. The Study and Its Conclusions
    FRA contracted with a law firm, Baker Botts L.L.P., to conduct the 
study on FRA's behalf. Various documents related to the study are 
available for review in public docket number FRA-2011-0025, which can 
be accessed online at www.regulations.gov. As a first step, the 
contracted law firm prepared a comprehensive report identifying and 
evaluating other Federal safety programs that protect risk reduction 
information from use in litigation. See Report on Federal Safety 
Programs and Legal Protections for Safety-Related Information, FRA, 
docket no. FRA-2011-0025-0002, April 14, 2011. Next, as required by 
section 20119(a), FRA published a Federal Register notice seeking 
public comment on the issue of whether it would be in the public 
interest to protect certain railroad risk reduction information from 
use in litigation. See 76 FR 26682, May 9, 2011. Comments received in 
response to this notice may be viewed in the public docket.
    On October 21, 2011, the contracted law firm produced a final 
report on the study. See Study of Existing Legal Protections for 
Safety-Related Information and Analysis of Considerations For and 
Against Protecting Railroad Safety Risk Reduction Program Information 
(final report), FRA, docket no. FRA-2011-0025-0031, Oct. 21, 2011. The 
final report contained analyses of other Federal programs that protect 
similar risk reduction data, the public comments submitted to the 
docket, and whether it would be in the public interest, including the 
interests of public safety and the legal rights of persons injured in 
railroad accidents, to protect railroad risk reduction information from 
disclosure during litigation.
    The final report determined that substantial support exists for the 
conclusion that a rule that protects ``railroad safety risk information 
from use in civil litigation involving claims for personal injuries or 
wrongful death would serve the broader public interest.'' Study of 
Existing Legal Protections at 63. The final report highlighted the fact 
that, in the past with similar programs, Congress has deemed that it is 
in the public's interest to place statutory limitations on the 
disclosure or use of certain information for use by the Federal 
government. Id. The safety risk reduction programs RSIA mandated, 
according to the final report, involve public interest considerations 
similar to the ones Congress has protected through statutory 
limitations and these limitations have been upheld by courts. Many of 
the comments to the final report agree that limiting the use on 
information collected pursuant to a safety risk reduction program 
mandated by RSIA in discovery or litigation would serve the broad 
public interest by encouraging and facilitating the timely and complete 
disclosure of safety-related information to FRA. Further, the final 
report underscored FRA's statutory duty to protect the broader public 
interest in ensuring rail safety and that this public interest 
outweighs the individual interests of future litigants who may bring 
damage claims against railroads. Therefore, the final report concluded 
``after balancing all of the considerations that bear upon the public 
interest . . . the balance weighs in favor of adopting rules 
prohibiting the admissibility or discovery of information compiled or 
collected for FRA railroad safety risk reduction programs in a civil 
action where a plaintiff seeks damages for personal injury or wrongful 
death.'' Id. at 64.
    In response to the final report, the SSP NPRM proposed in Sec.  
270.105 to protect any information compiled or collected solely for the 
purpose of developing, implementing or evaluating a RRP from discovery, 
admission into evidence, or consideration for other purposes in a 
Federal or State court proceeding for damages involving personal 
injury, wrongful death, and property damage. The information protected 
includes a railroad's identification of its safety hazards, analysis of 
its safety risks, and its statement of the mitigation measures with 
which it would address those risks and could be in the following forms 
or other forms: plans, reports, documents, surveys, schedules, lists, 
or data. FRA received multiple comments in response to the proposed 
information protections and made revisions based on these comments. 
These revisions are discussed further in the discussion of comments 
section and the corresponding section-by-section analysis.

D. Consultation Requirements

    Section 20156(g)(1), states that a railroad required to establish a 
safety risk reduction program must ``consult with, employ good faith 
and use its best efforts to reach agreement with, all of its directly 
affected employees, including any non-profit employee labor 
organization representing a class or craft of directly affected 
employees of the railroad carrier, on the contents of the safety risk 
reduction program.'' Section 20156(g)(2) further provides that if a 
``railroad carrier and its directly affected employees, including any 
nonprofit employee labor organization representing a class or craft of 
directly affected employees of the railroad carrier, cannot reach 
consensus on the proposed contents of the plan, then directly affected 
employees and such organizations may file a statement with the 
Secretary explaining their views on the plan on which consensus was not 
reached.'' FRA must consider these views during review and approval of 
a railroad's SSP plan.
    In the NPRM, FRA proposed to implement this mandate by requiring 
each railroad required to establish a SSP to consult with its directly 
affected employees (using good faith and best efforts) on the contents 
of its SSP plan. A railroad is required to include a consultation 
statement in its submitted plan describing how it consulted with its 
employees. If a railroad and its employees were not able to reach 
consensus, directly affected employees could file a statement with FRA 
describing their views on the plan.
    As with the information protection provisions, FRA anticipates the 
RRP rule will have essentially identical provisions regarding the 
consultation requirements since there was significant discussion during 
the SSP and RRP RSAC processes on how to implement section 20156(g). 
FRA worked with the System Safety Task Group to receive input regarding 
how the consultation process should be addressed, with the 
understanding that the same language would be included in both the SSP 
and RRP NPRMs for review and comment.

E. Related Fatigue Management Plans Rulemaking

    Section 20156(d)(2) states that a SSP must include a fatigue 
management plan that meets the requirements of section 20156(f). This 
SSP final rule does not address this mandate because it is currently 
being considered by a separate rulemaking process.
    On December 8, 2011, the RSAC voted to establish a Fatigue 
Management Plans Working Group (FMP Working Group). The purpose of the 
FMP Working Group is to provide ``advice regarding the development of 
implementing regulations for Fatigue Management Plans and their 
deployment under the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.'' Railroad 
Safety Advisory Committee Task Statement: Fatigue Management Plans, 
Task No.: 11-03, Dec. 8, 2011. Specifically, the FMP Working Group is 
tasked to: ``review the mandates and objectives of the [RSIA] related 
to the

[[Page 53857]]

development of Fatigue Management Plans, determine how medical 
conditions that affect alertness and fatigue will be incorporated into 
Fatigue Management Plans, review available data on existing alertness 
strategies, consider the role of innovative scheduling practices in the 
reduction of employee fatigue, and review the existing data on fatigue 
countermeasures.'' Id.
    The working group completed its work in September 2013 and 
submitted its recommendations to FRA for further consideration. 
Ultimately, any fatigue management plans required by FRA pursuant to 
section 20156(d)(2) and 20156(f) would be considered part of a 
railroad's overall SSP.
    FRA notes that the SSP NPRM had a placeholder in proposed Sec.  
270.103(t) that would require a railroad, as part of its SSP, to 
develop a fatigue management plan no later than three years after the 
effective date of the final rule, or three years after commencing 
operations, whichever is later. This placeholder did not contain any 
additional substantive requirements and was intended merely to be an 
acknowledgement of the statutory fatigue management plan mandate. FRA 
has elected to not include this placeholder in the final rule because 
it may create confusion regarding the separate FMP Working Group 
process and the ongoing fatigue management plans rulemaking.

IV. Guidance Manual

    The preamble of the SSP NPRM outlined FRA's plan to publish a 
guidance manual that would assist in the development, implementation, 
and evaluation of a railroad's SSP. FRA believes sufficient guidance is 
currently available to railroads that would assist in implementing a 
SSP. As discussed previously, a majority of passenger railroads 
affected by this rule participate in the APTA system safety program and 
are currently participating in the APTA audit program. APTA has 
published significant guidance regarding its program, primarily, APTA's 
Manual for the Development of System Safety Program Plans for Commuter 
Railroads. APTA, Manual for the Development of System Safety Program 
Plans for Commuter Railroads, (May 15, 2006), available on APTA's Web 
site at https://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Pages/Rail.aspx. FRA has also developed guidance regarding implementing 
system safety principals in its Collision Hazard Analysis Guide. The 
Collision Hazard Analysis Guide supports APTA's Manual by providing a 
``step-by-step procedure on how to perform hazard analysis and how to 
develop effective mitigation strategies that will improve passenger 
rail safety.'' FRA, Collision Hazard Analysis Guide: Commuter and 
Intercity Passenger Rail Service, 5 (October 2007), available at 
www.fra.dot.gov. FRA believes APTA's guidance on its system safety 
program and FRA's Collision Hazard Analysis Guide would provide the 
necessary assistance to railroads implementing a SSP. As noted 
previously, FRA will work with each railroad to provide the necessary 
assistance and guidance for implementing a SSP.

V. Discussion of Specific Comments and Conclusions

    FRA received 19 written comments in response to the NPRM, including 
comments from members of the railroad industry, trade organizations, 
labor organizations, as well as members of the general public. 
Specifically, comments were received from the following organizations: 
Alaska Railroad Corporation, American Association for Justice, Amtrak, 
Association of American Railroads (AAR), APTA, Maelstrom Society, 
National Safety Council, New York State Metropolitan Transportation 
Authority (MTA), Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad 
Corporation (Metra), Parsons Brinkerhoff, Inc., and Trinity Railway 
Express. Interested labor organizations (Labor Organizations) jointly 
filed a comment. The Labor Organizations included: American Train 
Dispatchers Association, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and 
Trainmen, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division, 
Brotherhood Railway Carmen Division TCU/IAM, Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and 
Transportation Workers, and Transportation Workers Union of America 
(TWU). The following discussion provides an overview of the written 
comments FRA received in response to the NPRM. More detailed 
discussions of specific comments and how FRA has chosen to address 
these comments in the final rule can be found in the relevant section-
by-section analysis portion of this preamble.
    Generally, all of the comments submitted were in favor of SSP. 
While the comments varied on the structure and breadth of a SSP, there 
was agreement that a properly implemented SSP would increase safety of 
the railroad's operations. As discussed previously, there are two 
concurrent rulemakings that will implement sections 20156, 20118, and 
20119, the SSP rule and the RRP rule. FRA established separate safety 
risk reduction rules for passenger railroads and the Class I freight 
railroads to account for significant differences between passenger and 
freight operations. Many commenters requested that FRA make it clear 
that the SSP requirements are separate from the forthcoming RRP rule 
and a railroad will not be required to submit both a SSP plan and RRP 
plan to FRA. It is not the intent that one railroad will be required to 
satisfy both regulations, i.e., be required to implement both a SSP and 
RRP and submit the corresponding plans to FRA for review and approval.
    Certain commenters provided specific scenarios involving multiple 
rail operations and inquired which railroad would be required to comply 
with which regulation. One example involved a commuter railroad subject 
to the SSP rule that contracts certain portions of its passenger 
operations to a freight railroad that may be subject to the proposed 
RRP rule. In this scenario, the entity that is ultimately responsible 
for providing the passenger service would be responsible for complying 
with the SSP rule, which would be the commuter railroad. The fact that 
the commuter railroad contracts its operations to the freight railroad 
does not result in the delegation of the duty to comply with the SSP 
rule to that freight railroad. Contracting out these operations may 
pose certain hazards and risks. Therefore, the commuter railroad's SSP 
needs to take into account that the passenger operations are contracted 
out to another railroad. If the freight railroad also conducts freight 
operations over the same track in which it conducts the passenger 
operations for the commuter railroad and the freight railroad is 
required to implement a RRP, that segment will be included in the 
freight railroad's RRP and must take into consideration the risks and 
hazards posed by the passenger operation. Further, if the freight 
railroad conducts freight operations over the same track in which it 
conducts the passenger operations for the commuter railroad, the 
commuter railroad's SSP must take into consideration the risks and 
hazards posed by the freight operations.
    Another commenter presented the scenario in which a passenger 
railroad subject to the SSP rule owns and maintains, but does not 
dispatch, a segment of track in which there are freight operations. 
From the example, it is not clear if the passenger railroad is also 
operating on that segment. If the passenger railroad is operating on 
that segment, pursuant to Sec.  270.3(a), it will need to include that 
segment in its SSP. If the passenger railroad is not operating on that 
segment of track, but there are freight operations on that segment of

[[Page 53858]]

track by another railroad, the passenger railroad will include that 
segment in its SSP because, as discussed in the section-by-section 
analysis for Sec.  270.103(d)(2), the passenger railroad will be 
required to identify the persons that utilize significant safety-
related services and by operating on track that the passenger railroad 
owns and maintains, the freight operators are utilizing significant 
safety-related services of the passenger railroad. Further, FRA would 
expect the passenger railroad to include that segment in the 
description of its rail system pursuant to Sec.  270.103(d)(1). The 
railroad conducting freight operations on that segment of track may be 
required to implement a RRP and that segment may need to be included in 
its RRP.
    Another example was a situation in which a passenger railroad has 
two terminals on its system where there are freight operations adjacent 
(within 25') to the passenger operations. In this scenario, FRA would 
expect the passenger railroad's SSP to assess what hazards and 
resulting risks arise due to the proximity of the freight operations to 
the passenger operations; however, the actual freight operations would 
not be included in the passenger railroad's SSP. FRA does not intend 
these three examples to cover every scenario a railroad may encounter; 
rather, these examples provide guidance concerning what facts FRA will 
find determinative regarding which railroad will be required to comply 
with which regulation. Since FRA cannot contemplate every scenario, 
railroads and other interested parties are welcomed and encouraged to 
reach out to FRA for guidance regarding application of the SSP rule to 
a railroad's specific operations.
    In many instances in the NPRM, FRA stated that it plans on working 
with the railroads on certain aspects of the rule. The Labor 
Organizations expressed concern that FRA plans on exclusively working 
with the railroads and not allowing any other interested party to be 
involved, effectively substituting FRA for the Labor Organizations in 
the statutory-mandated consultation role. This was not FRA's intent 
behind those statements. Rather, the intent was to make it clear that 
FRA would be available to provide guidance to the railroads on the 
various aspects of the rule, not that there would be an exclusive 
partnership between FRA and the railroads to develop the railroads' 
SSPs. FRA will work with the railroads and will not replace the Labor 
Organizations and any other directly affected employee in their 
consultation role. FRA has amended the language to make this intention 
clear. It is also important to note that through the consultation 
process in Sec.  270.107, railroad employees will always have an 
opportunity to provide input on the railroads' SSPs.
    The Labor Organizations also believe that the NPRM supports a 
continuation of self-analysis by the railroads, which, they claim, is 
inconsistent with the intent behind RSIA. As evidence, the Labor 
Organizations point to multiple instances in the NPRM where FRA states 
that railroads have flexibility and/or discretion to make certain 
determinations on certain requirements of the rule, such as the waiver 
section proposed in Sec.  270.7, the lack of a penalty schedule in the 
NPRM, and that, in limited instances, a railroad is allowed to make 
safety-critical changes to its SSP without prior FRA approval.
    The SSP rule is directly dependent on a railroad's ability to 
thoroughly and candidly assess its hazards and resulting risks. The SSP 
requires a railroad to engage in self-analysis that will be conducted 
in conjunction with the railroad's directly affected employees and FRA 
oversight. Since no two railroads operations are exactly the same, no 
SSP will be exactly the same, which means that a railroad will need a 
certain degree of flexibility to tailor a SSP to its specific 
operations. Regardless of the amount of flexibility afforded to the 
railroads, the directly affected employees, including the Labor 
Organizations, will have an opportunity to provide input and work with 
the railroads on the development of the SSP. Regarding the lack of a 
penalty schedule, FRA typically does not include penalty schedules in 
an NPRM; however, this final rule does include a penalty schedule.
    APTA expressed concern that the proposed rule was more prescriptive 
in significant respects than current FRA practices. APTA believes that 
the level of specificity in the proposed rule diminishes the 
flexibility needed so that the railroads can adapt their SSP plans to 
local conditions. Further, APTA states such specificity could divert a 
railroad's attention from assessing its operation risk to assessing 
regulatory compliance risk and would only expand the amount of paper 
and bureaucracy needed to comply with the rule with little to no 
increase in safety. APTA believes that FRA has expanded the elements of 
the APTA program which threatens to divert attention from the 
railroad's core safety practices and the highest risk of railroad 
operations. As examples, APTA points to the requirements associated 
with scheduling, reporting, and conducting consultation with the 
directly affected employees pursuant to Sec.  270.102; defining, 
outlining, measuring, and promoting a positive safety culture pursuant 
to Sec.  270.103(c) and (v); the concept of fully implemented; and the 
requirement that the railroad establish milestones to track the 
progress of implementation. Each one of these examples, according to 
APTA, is an instance in which railroads may have a different 
understanding of the requirement and therefore, subjectivity is 
introduced into the process and does not support a consistent 
regulatory framework.
    FRA disagrees with APTA's assertions. As discussed above, the SSP 
rule is structured so that a railroad can tailor the program to its 
operations. The SSP rule sets forth general parameters and the railroad 
will design its program so that it fits these parameters, addresses the 
railroad's operations, and eliminates or reduces hazards on the 
railroad's operations. As with most new FRA regulations, significant 
interaction between FRA, the railroads, and other stakeholders will be 
necessary to ensure all parties understand the proper implementation 
for the rule. The majority of railroads that are required to comply 
with this rule already participate in APTA's system safety program. FRA 
believes that this rule does not add a significant paperwork and 
bureaucracy burden compared to what is already required by APTA's 
program. FRA does not believe the rule is more directive than the APTA 
program; rather, since most of the railroads that will implement a SSP 
already participate in the APTA program, the railroads are familiar 
with the concept and application of system safety and will be ready to 
adapt their existing APTA program to the requirements set forth in this 
rule. Further, implementation of the SSP rule will more than likely be 
the railroad conducting a gap analysis between its current APTA program 
and the SSP rule and modifying that program where necessary to bring it 
into compliance with the SSP rule.
    The majority of the comments supported and understood that the 
discovery protections are necessary for a railroad to engage in a 
thorough and candid analysis of the hazards and resulting risks on its 
system; however, the American Association for Justice (AAJ) objected to 
the inclusion of any information protections. AAJ claims that: (1) The 
proposed information protections are unprecedented; (2) FRA can 
promulgate a SSP regulation without the information protections; (3)

[[Page 53859]]

the information protections will reduce the rights of persons injured 
in railroad accidents; (4) the information protections will allow 
railroads to hide safety hazards; and (5) FRA should specifically 
preserve State tort law based claims.
    First, AAJ claims that proposed information protections are 
unprecedented. AAJ recognizes that there are existing programs that 
have information protections; however, AAJ argues that these programs 
have two key features: (1) Congress directed that disclosure of 
documents be limited, and (2) limited disclosure applies predominately 
to documents actually submitted to a federal agency. AAJ believes that 
the SSP information protections do not have either of these key 
features.
    While Congress did not set forth specific information protections 
in section 20119, Congress gave FRA authority to set forth such 
specific protections. As discussed previously, in section 20119(a), 
Congress directed FRA to conduct a study to determine if certain 
information protections would be in the public interest. Congress set 
forth the specific parameters of the information protections that the 
study must consider. Congress then authorized FRA to promulgate a rule, 
subject to notice and comment, which addressed the results of the 
study. Id. FRA has complied with Congress' mandate and has set forth 
information protections that are consistent with the specific 
parameters set forth by Congress. FRA does not believe that the 
information protections are invalid simply because Congress didn't 
promulgate specific protections.
    Nothing in section 20119 limits the information protections to 
documents that are submitted to FRA. The language used by Congress in 
section 20119 indicates the information protections, depending on the 
results of the study, could apply to information that may not even be 
submitted to FRA. Pursuant to section 20119(a), the study must consider 
information protections that would apply to documents that are compiled 
and collected for ``the purpose of planning, implementing, or 
evaluating a safety risk reduction program.'' Since Congress did not 
limit the information protections only to documents that are submitted 
to FRA, it is within FRA's authority to set forth information 
protections that apply to documents within a railroad's possession.
    Nothing in 23 U.S.C. 409 (section 409), the statute that SSP 
information protections are modeled after, or the Supreme Court's 
decision in Guillen (which reviewed the validity and constitutionality 
of section 409), limits the information protections to documents 
submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).\5\ The Court's 
interpretation of section 409 was not based on whether the documents 
were submitted to FHWA. Rather, the Court held that the information 
protections were extended to the information because the Hazard 
Elimination Program required compiling or collection of that 
information. Pierce County v. Guillen, 537 U.S. 129, 146 (2003). In the 
case of the SSP, the railroads are required by statute to compile and 
collect information for a SSP, so, like section 409 and the holding in 
Guillen, the protections are extended to that information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ Section 409 and Guillen are discussed extensively in the 
section-by-section analysis of Sec.  270.105.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    AAJ claims that in the limited circumstances in which data has been 
protected, the provisions have been narrowly tailored and construed. 
AAJ believes that SSP information protections are overly broad and 
inconsistent with any other government program that limits some 
disclosure of evidence.
    FRA agrees with AAJ's assertion that the SSP information 
protections must be narrowly tailored and construed. In Guillen, the 
Court recognized that ``statutes establishing evidentiary privileges 
must be construed narrowly because privileges impede the search for 
truth.'' Guillen at 144-45. Since section 409 established a privilege, 
the Court construed it narrowly to the extent the text of the statute 
permitted. Id. at 145. FRA believes the SSP information protections are 
consistent with the Court's narrow interpretation of section 409.
    Furthermore, the SSP protections are more narrowly tailored than 
the protections in section 409. Section 270.105(a)(2) limits the 
protections to information that was originally compiled and collected 
``solely'' for the purpose of planning, implementing or evaluating a 
SSP. This means that information compiled or collected for any other 
purpose is not protected, even if the railroad also uses that 
information for its SSP. For example, if a railroad is required by 
another provision of law or regulation to compile or collect 
information, the information protections do not apply to that 
information. ``Solely'' also means that a railroad must continue to use 
that information only for its SSP. If a railroad subsequently uses for 
any other purpose information that was initially compiled or collected 
for a SSP, that information is not protected to the extent that it is 
used for the non-SSP purpose. These additional limits result in 
protections that are more narrow and specific than those in section 
409, which does not include any language similar to ``solely'' that 
would limit protected information to information generated only for the 
exclusive purpose of the Hazard Elimination Program.
    Second, AAJ contends that FRA can issue a SSP rule without the 
discovery protections, just like FAA did in its SMS rulemaking. A 
significant difference between the FRA and FAA programs is the scope of 
statutory authority Congress gave each agency for protection of 
information collected or maintained as part of an SMS. The FAA's 
authority, set forth in 49 U.S.C. 44735, limits the protection of SMS 
data that is voluntarily submitted, such as reports, data, or other 
information produced or collected for purposes of developing and 
implementing an SMS, from FOIA disclosure by the FAA. FRA's authority 
to implement SMS information protections is based on 49 U.S.C. 20119, 
and recommendations resulting from the required study under section 
20119.
    As discussed previously, the Study concluded that it would be 
within FRA's authority and in the public interest for FRA to promulgate 
a regulation protecting certain risk analysis information held by the 
railroads from discovery and use in litigation and makes 
recommendations for the drafting and structuring of such a regulation. 
See Study of Existing Legal Protections for Safety-Related Information 
and Analysis of Considerations For and Against Protecting Railroad 
Safety Risk Reduction Program Information at 63-64. Therefore, FRA 
believes the information protections are consistent with the authority 
provided by Congress as set forth in 49 U.S.C. 20119 and the conclusion 
of the Study.
    Third, AAJ believes the SSP information protections will reduce the 
rights of persons injured in railroad accidents. AAJ points to the fact 
that in many cases, evidence a railroad knew or should have known of a 
hazard is the key to proving the railroad's liability, particularly for 
Federal Employers Liability Act cases. AAJ believes that the study 
concluded without analysis that injured people could continue to be 
able to pursue legal remedies because access to documents that are 
currently discoverable would remain discoverable. AAJ does not believe 
this conclusion is accurate because the information protections may 
shield the

[[Page 53860]]

documents/data necessary to show that the railroad knew or should have 
known of the hazard.
    The SSP information protections have been drafted with the goal 
that a plaintiff is no worse off than they would have been had the SSP 
rule never existed. This is consistent with section 409 and the Court's 
interpretation of that section. See Guillen at 146. To ensure a 
plaintiff is no worse off, Sec.  270.105(b) sets forth certain 
exceptions to the information protections. Pursuant to Sec.  
270.105(b), the information protections are not extended to information 
compiled or collected for a purpose other than that specifically 
identified in Sec.  270.105(a). Further, if certain information was 
discoverable and admissible before the enactment of the SSP rule 
protections, Sec.  270.105(b) ensures that the information remains 
discoverable and admissible. These exceptions are discussed extensively 
in the section-by-section analysis for Sec.  270.105(b). FRA believes 
that these exceptions strike an appropriate balance between ensuring 
that plaintiffs are no worse than they would have been if the SSP rule 
had not existed and encouraging the railroads to make a robust and 
candid assessment of the hazards and resulting risks on their system.
    According to AAJ, the information protections will allow railroads 
to hide safety hazards. AAJ believes that the threat of disclosure of 
these hazards creates an incentive for railroads to correct them 
immediately. AAJ points to multiple cases that they believe provide 
proof that railroads routinely hide evidence of hazards.
    FRA disagrees with this assertion. The purpose of the SSP is for 
railroads to identify hazards and resulting risks on their system and 
take the appropriate measures to mitigate or eliminate these hazards. 
Without the information protections, a SSP could result in an effort-
free tool for plaintiffs in litigation against railroads, which would 
discourage railroads from identifying hazards and resulting risks, thus 
frustrating the intent behind section 20156. FRA believes that the SSP 
and information protections will encourage railroads to identify and 
address, rather than hide, hazards. Furthermore, if a railroad is 
already required by another law or regulation to collect information to 
show compliance with existing laws or regulations, that information 
will not be protected. Therefore, railroads will not be able to use the 
SSP information protections to hide issues of non-compliance.
    Finally, AAJ requests that FRA specifically preserve state tort law 
based claims. AAJ believes that since railroads are required to submit 
their SSP plans to FRA for approval, railroads may claim that they are 
immune from any safety hazard claim or either that the state law claim 
is preempted by FRA's approval of the SSP.
    This concern was also raised by the Labor Organizations. To address 
this issue, FRA included Sec.  270.201(b)(4) in the final rule, which 
provides that approval of a railroad's SSP plan under this part does 
not constitute approval of the specific actions the railroad will 
implement under its SSP plan pursuant to Sec.  270.103(q)(2) and shall 
not be construed as establishing a Federal standard regarding those 
specific actions.
    FRA will not review or approve the specific mitigation and 
elimination measures that a railroad may adopt to address the hazards 
and risks that it identifies. See Sec.  270.201(a)(2). The SSP rule is 
not intended to preempt State standards of care regarding the specific 
risk mitigation actions a railroad will implement under its SSP. 
Accordingly, Sec.  270.201(b)(4) clarifies that FRA approval of a 
railroad's SSP plan under this final rule does not constitute approval 
of the specific mitigation and elimination measures that the railroad 
will implement pursuant to Sec.  270.103(q)(2) and should not be 
construed as establishing a Federal standard of care regarding those 
specific actions.

VI. Section-by-Section Analysis

    FRA is adding a new part 270 to title 49 of the CFR. Part 270 
satisfies the statutory requirements regarding safety risk reduction 
programs for railroads providing intercity rail passenger or commuter 
rail passenger service. See 49 U.S.C. 20156. Part 270 also protects 
certain information compiled or collected pursuant to a safety risk 
reduction program from admission into evidence or discovery during 
certain court proceedings for damages. See 49 U.S.C. 20119.

Subpart A--General

Section 270.1 Purpose and Scope
    This section contains a formal statement of the final rule's 
purpose and scope and remains unchanged from the NPRM. Paragraph (a) 
states that the purpose of the rule is to improve railroad safety 
through structured, proactive processes and procedures developed and 
implemented by railroads. The rule requires a railroad to establish a 
program that systematically evaluates railroad safety hazards and the 
resulting risks on its system and manages those risks in order to 
reduce the number and rates of railroad accidents, incidents, injuries, 
and fatalities.
    Paragraph (b) states that the rule prescribes minimum Federal 
safety standards for the preparation, adoption, and implementation of 
railroad system safety programs. The rule does not restrict railroads 
from adopting and enforcing additional or more stringent requirements 
not inconsistent with this part.
    Paragraph (c) explains that the rule provides for the protection of 
information generated solely for the purpose of developing, 
implementing, or evaluating a system safety program under this part. In 
addition to the SSP, Sec.  270.1(c) of the NPRM proposed implementing 
protection of information for a railroad safety risk reduction rule 
required by FRA for Class I freight railroads and railroads with in 
adequate safety performance, i.e., the RRP rule. 77 FR 55379. Upon 
further consideration, FRA has determined that the RRP protections 
should be implemented in the RRP final rule, not in this rule. 
Accordingly, this section has been revised to only apply to this SSP 
final rule.
    NY MTA recommended that the term ``solely'' be deleted from 
paragraph (c) and Sec.  270.105(a) to protect studies or risk analyses 
that are not developed expressly to comply with this part. NY MTA 
believes that it is in the public interest to ensure that railroads 
conduct on-going and thorough self-critical examinations and expressed 
concern that if these types of studies or analyses are not protected, 
they may be used against the railroad in a court proceeding. As 
discussed further in the section-by-section analysis for Sec.  270.105, 
FRA only has the authority under section 20119(b) to protect documents 
that are created pursuant to a SSP; therefore, deleting the term 
``solely'' would improperly expand the protections beyond the limits of 
FRA's authority.
Section 270.3 Application
    This section sets forth the applicability of the rule and remains 
unchanged from the NPRM. Section 20156(a)(1) mandates that FRA require 
each Class I railroad, a railroad carrier that has inadequate safety 
performance, or a railroad that provides intercity rail passenger or 
commuter rail passenger transportation to establish a railroad safety 
risk reduction program. This rule sets forth the requirements of a 
railroad safety risk reduction program for a railroad that provides 
intercity rail passenger or commuter rail passenger

[[Page 53861]]

transportation. Safety risk reduction programs for Class I railroads 
and railroads with inadequate safety performance will be addressed in 
the separate RRP rulemaking proceeding. See 80 FR 10950 (RRP NPRM).
    Paragraph (a) explains that this rule applies to railroads that 
operate intercity or commuter passenger train service on the general 
railroad system of transportation and railroads that provide commuter 
or other short-haul rail passenger train service in a metropolitan or 
suburban area (as described by 49 U.S.C. 20102(2)), including public 
authorities operating passenger train service. A public authority that 
provides passenger commuter train service by contracting out the actual 
operation to another railroad or independent contractor is regulated by 
FRA as a railroad under the provisions of the rule. Although the public 
authority is ultimately responsible for the development and 
implementation of a SSP (along with all related recordkeeping 
requirements), the railroad or other independent contractor that 
operates the authority's commuter passenger train service is expected 
to comply with the SSP established by the public authority, including 
implementation of the SSP plan.
    In commenting on the NPRM, the Alaska Railroad proposed that when 
FRA next submits technical corrections of Federal statutes to Congress, 
FRA no longer use the terms ``intercity passenger'' and ``commuter 
passenger'' and instead use the term ``passenger'' to refer to these 
type of railroads. The Alaska Railroad believes that the terms, 
``intercity passenger'' and ``commuter passenger,'' are based on an 
old, outdated statutory context. While FRA does not agree or disagree 
with the Alaska Railroad's position regarding the use of these terms, 
FRA agrees with the Alaska Railroad that this issue is a matter to be 
handled legislatively by Congress--not a matter to be handled by FRA in 
a rulemaking.
    AAR expressed concern that paragraph (a) could lead to confusion 
that certain freight railroads may be required to have a SSP in 
addition to a RRP because some freight railroads operate commuter 
trains on behalf of commuter agencies and some freight railroads 
provide tracks over which passenger trains operate. To avoid confusion, 
AAR proposed that ``railroads that primarily provide freight service 
and are potentially subject to risk reduction program regulations'' 
should be excepted from the rule. The discussion of comments section 
addressed multiple scenarios raised by commenters that involve freight 
operations and passenger operations and which railroad would be 
responsible for which program. Simply because a passenger railroad 
contracts out passenger service to a freight railroad does not mean the 
duty to comply with this rule has been automatically delegated to the 
freight railroad and the passenger railroad no longer is required to 
comply with this rule. The passenger railroad ultimately is responsible 
for complying with this rule and the freight railroad providing the 
passenger service is required to comply with the passenger railroad's 
SSP. See Sec.  270.7(b). FRA believes that AAR's suggested language 
would only lead to further confusion rather than clarification. It is 
not clear which railroads would be classified as ``primarily 
provid[ing] freight service'' and, therefore, it would not be clear 
which railroad would be excepted from complying with this rule. Due to 
this ambiguity, AAR's suggested language is not adopted.
    Metra requested that an RSAC recommendation regarding delegation of 
duties under this rule be inserted into the final rule. The RSAC 
recommended that if a passenger railroad contracts all activities that 
relate to the passenger service to another entity, the sponsoring 
passenger railroad may seek approval from the FRA Associate 
Administrator of Safety to delegate responsibility for the SSP to the 
other entity. FRA chose not to adopt this recommendation. It would not 
be consistent with FRA's statutory jurisdiction over passenger 
railroads to allow delegation of responsibility under this part, so 
that a passenger railroad could effectively divest itself of legal 
responsibility under the rule. In certain instances, including this 
part, FRA allows a railroad to contract with another entity to perform 
the duties required by a rule; however, FRA's approach has always been 
never to allow a railroad to delegate completely responsibility for 
compliance with a rule to another entity. Since the SSP rule is the 
first of its kind for FRA and the railroad industry, FRA believes it is 
important for the passenger railroad to be responsible for compliance 
with the rule to ensure that the railroad is involved in system safety 
planning and implementation under the rule.
    In paragraph (b), certain railroads are excepted from the final 
rule's applicability. The exceptions proposed in the NPRM are adopted 
in the final rule. The first exception, in paragraph (b)(1), covers 
rapid transit operations in an urban area that are not connected to the 
general railroad system of transportation. This paragraph clarifies the 
circumstances under which rapid transit operations are not subject to 
FRA jurisdiction under this part. It should be noted, however, that 
some operations having rapid transit characteristics are within FRA's 
jurisdiction given their connections to the general system, e.g., 
shared use of the general system right-of-way. FRA specifically intends 
for part 270 to apply to such operations.
    Paragraph (b)(2) sets forth an exemption for operations commonly 
described as tourist, scenic, historic, or excursion service whether on 
or off the general railroad system. Tourist, scenic, historic, or 
excursion rail operations is defined in Sec.  270.5. This exemption is 
consistent with the treatment of tourist, scenic, historic, or 
excursion rail operations in FRA's other regulations concerning 
passenger operations, including the underlying basis for the regulatory 
approach taken in those regulations. See 49 CFR 238.3(c)(3), 64 FR 
25576 (May 12, 1999); and 239.3(b)(3), 63 FR 24644 (May 4, 1998).
    Paragraph (b)(3) makes clear that the requirements of the rule do 
not apply to the operation of private passenger train cars, including 
business or office cars and circus train cars. While FRA believes that 
a private passenger car operation should be held to the same basic 
level of safety as other passenger train operations, such operations 
were not specifically identified in the statutory mandate and FRA is 
taking into account the burden that would be imposed by requiring 
private passenger car owners and operators to conform to the 
requirements of this part. Private passenger cars are often hauled by 
host railroads, such as Amtrak and commuter railroads, and these hosts 
often impose their own safety requirements on the operation of the 
private passenger cars. Pursuant to this rule, these host railroads are 
required to have SSPs in place to protect the safety of their own 
passengers; in turn, the private car passengers benefit from these 
programs even without the rule directly covering private car owners or 
operators. In the case of non-revenue passengers, including employees 
and guests of railroads that are transported in business and office 
cars, as well as persons traveling on circus trains, the railroads are 
expected to provide for their safety consistent with existing safety 
operating procedures and protocols for normal train operations.
    Finally, paragraph (b)(4) sets forth an exception from the 
requirements of this part for railroads that operate only on track 
inside an installation that is not part of the general railroad system 
of transportation (i.e., plant railroads, as defined in Sec.  270.5). 
Plant railroads are

[[Page 53862]]

typified by operations such as those in steel mills that do not go 
beyond the plant's boundaries and that do not involve the switching of 
rail cars for entities other than themselves.
    Section 20156(a)(4) allows a railroad carrier that is not required 
to submit a railroad safety risk reduction program to voluntarily 
submit such a program. If the railroad voluntary submits a program, it 
shall comply with the requirements set forth in section 20156 and is 
subject to approval by the Secretary. In the NPRM, FRA sought comment 
on whether a provision that allows a railroad to establish voluntarily 
a SSP should be added to the final rule. FRA did not receive a 
significant number of comments in response to this request and the 
comments FRA did receive, supported voluntary compliance with the rule.
    As discussed in the NPRM, FRA anticipates that the majority of 
railroads which voluntarily submit a railroad safety risk reduction 
program under section 20156(a)(4) would do so pursuant to the RRP 
regulation that is the subject of a separate proceeding. Paragraph (a) 
is broad and intended to cover the majority of the railroads that 
provide commuter and intercity passenger service. Absent the exceptions 
in paragraph (b), if a railroad is not required by this part to 
establish a SSP, that railroad more than likely does not provide 
commuter and intercity passenger service and, therefore, may be 
required to establish a RRP. If these railroads are not required to 
establish a RRP but decide to voluntarily establish a railroad safety 
risk reduction program pursuant to section 20156(a)(4), the RRP 
regulation would more than likely be better suited for their operations 
because, due to the breadth of paragraph (a), they are most likely not 
a railroad that provides commuter or intercity passenger service. 
Therefore, FRA believes voluntary compliance with a statutory-mandated 
risk reduction program, including a SSP, is better addressed in the 
forthcoming RRP rule. See 80 FR 10969 and 10992 for the proposed RRP 
voluntary compliance section and discussion.
Section 270.5 Definitions
    This section contains a set of definitions that clarify the meaning 
of important terms as they are used in the rule. The definitions are 
carefully worded in an attempt to minimize the potential for 
misinterpretation of the rule. Many of the definitions are based on 
definitions in FTA's part 659 and APTA's system safety program. In the 
NPRM, FRA requested comment and input regarding the proposed terms 
defined in this section and specifically whether other terms should be 
defined. FRA received multiple comments in response to this request. 
Generally, commenters did not have significant issues with the proposed 
definitions; however, some commenters recommended adding definitions 
for certain terms.
    The Labor Organizations suggested that FRA add the definitions that 
the RSAC recommended but FRA chose not to include in the NPRM. The 
definitions were for the following terms: Contractor, FTA, hazard 
analysis, improvement plan, individual investigation, passenger 
operations, passenger railroad, railroad property, risk-based hazard 
management, safety, safety certification, safety culture, safety-
related services, safety-related employee, sponsoring railroad, system 
safety program, and system safety program plan. Trinity Railways also 
requested that FRA add definitions for passenger railroad, safety-
related services, and sponsoring railroad. Regarding the terms FTA, 
individual investigation, passenger operations, railroad property, 
safety-related employee, and sponsoring railroad, FRA declines to add 
definitions for these terms because these terms are not used in the 
rule text. Regarding the terms contractor and safety, these terms have 
a common understanding throughout the railroad industry and do not have 
a particular meaning within the rule, so definitions for these terms 
are not necessary. Regarding the terms hazard analysis, improvement 
plan, passenger railroad, safety certification, and safety-related 
services, there are sections within the rule that address the meaning 
of each term and FRA believes that it is unnecessary to include 
definitions for these terms as well. See Sec. Sec.  270.3(a), 
270.103(d)(2) and (3), (q), and (s)(3), 270.303(b)(4), and 305(b)(1). 
However, FRA has decided to add definitions for the terms risk-based 
hazard management, safety culture, system safety program, and system 
safety program plan. A discussion of all the definitions used in this 
part follows.
    ``Administrator'' refers to Federal Railroad Administrator or his 
or her delegate.
    ``Configuration management'' means the process a railroad uses to 
ensure that the configurations of all property, equipment and system 
design elements are properly documented.
    ``FRA'' means the Federal Railroad Administration.
    ``Fully implemented'' means that all the elements of the railroad's 
SSP plan required by this part are established and applied to the 
safety management of the railroad. APTA commented that the proposed 
definition for ``fully implemented'' included two sentences and that 
each sentence provided the same information but in a different context 
and that this could lead to confusion as to how it should be applied. 
However, FRA notes that the proposed definition contained only one 
sentence and believes that it was sufficiently clear to avoid 
confusion. APTA may have been referring to the section-by-section 
analysis discussion for this definition. In this regard, FRA has not 
included that additional discussion here to maintain clarity.
    ``Hazard'' means any real or potential condition, as identified in 
the railroad's risk-based hazard analysis under Sec.  270.103(q), that 
can cause injury, illness, or death; damage to or loss of a system; or 
damage to equipment, property, or the environment. This definition is 
based on the existing definition of the term in FTA's part 659. 49 CFR 
659.5. FRA does not intend this definition to include hazards that are 
completely unrelated to railroad safety, such as environmental hazards 
that would fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or workplace safety hazards that 
would fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States 
Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration 
(OSHA). Railroad safety hazards that fall under FRA jurisdiction that 
could cause damage to the environment, however, would be included in 
this definition. For example, the potential of a derailment of a tank 
car at a location due to track geometry would fall under this 
definition. If that derailment would not likely result in a release of 
hazardous materials, it would fall under FRA's jurisdiction. However, 
if the derailment has a high potential for the release of hazardous 
material, that would be a hazard that would fall under this definition 
that is related to railroad safety and may fall under both FRA's and 
EPA's jurisdiction. An example of a railroad hazard that would fall 
exclusively under EPA's jurisdiction is air pollution caused by 
locomotive emissions. This hazard is not within FRA's jurisdiction and 
would not be included in this definition. See e.g., 40 CFR part 92 
(Control of Air Pollution from Locomotives and Locomotive Engines).
    ``Passenger'' means a person, excluding an on-duty employee, who is 
on board, boarding, or alighting from a rail vehicle for the purpose of 
travel. This definition is modeled after the

[[Page 53863]]

definition of ``passenger'' in FTA's regulations at part 659, which 
defines a ``passenger'' as ``a person who is on board, boarding, or 
alighting from a rail transit vehicle for the purpose of travel.'' 49 
CFR 659.5. FRA has added the phrase ``excluding an on-duty employee'' 
to the definition to clarify that, if a person is engaging in these 
activities (on board, boarding, or alighting) and they are an off-duty 
railroad employee, that person is considered a passenger for the 
purposes of this rule.
    ``Person'' means an entity of any type covered under 1 U.S.C. 1, 
including, but not limited to, the following: A railroad; a manager, 
supervisor, official, or other employee or agent of a railroad; any 
owner, manufacturer, lessor, or lessee of railroad equipment, track, or 
facilities; any independent contractor or subcontractor providing goods 
or services to a railroad; and any employee of such owner, 
manufacturer, lessor, lessee, or independent contractor or 
subcontractor.
    ``Plant railroad'' means a type of operation that has traditionally 
been excluded from the application of FRA regulations because it is not 
part of the general railroad system of transportation. Under Sec.  
270.3, FRA has chosen to exempt plant railroads, as defined in Sec.  
270.5, from the regulation. In the past, FRA has not defined the term 
``plant railroad'' in other regulations that it has issued because FRA 
assumed that its Statement of Agency Policy Concerning Enforcement of 
the Federal Railroad Safety Laws, The Extent and Exercise of FRA's 
Safety Jurisdiction, 49 CFR part 209, Appendix A (FRA's Policy 
Statement or the Policy Statement) provided sufficient clarification as 
to the meaning of that term. However, it has come to FRA's attention 
that certain rail operations believed that they met the characteristics 
of a plant railroad, as set forth in the Policy Statement, when, in 
fact, their rail operations were part of the general railroad system of 
transportation (general system) and therefore did not meet the 
definition of a plant railroad. FRA would like to avoid any confusion 
as to what types of rail operations qualify as plant railroads. FRA 
would also like to save interested persons the time and effort needed 
to cross-reference and review FRA's Policy Statement to determine 
whether a certain operation qualifies as a plant railroad. 
Consequently, FRA has decided to define the term ``plant railroad'' in 
part 270.
    The definition clarifies that when an entity operates a locomotive 
to move rail cars in service for other entities, rather than solely for 
its own purposes or industrial processes, the services become public in 
nature. Such public services represent the interchange of goods, which 
characterizes operations on the general system. As a result, even if a 
plant railroad moves rail cars for entities other than itself solely on 
its property, the rail operations will likely be subject to FRA's 
safety jurisdiction because those rail operations bring plant trackage 
into the general system.
    The definition of the term ``plant railroad'' is consistent with 
FRA's longstanding policy that it will exercise its safety jurisdiction 
over a rail operation that moves rail cars for entities other than 
itself because those movements bring the track over which the entity is 
operating into the general system. See 49 CFR part 209, Appendix A. 
Indeed, FRA's Policy Statement provides that ``operations by the plant 
railroad indicating it [i]s moving cars on . . . trackage for other 
than its own purposes (e.g., moving cars to neighboring industries for 
hire)'' brings plant track into the general system and thereby subjects 
it to FRA's safety jurisdiction. 49 CFR part 209, Appendix A. 
Additionally, this interpretation of the term ``plant railroad'' has 
been upheld in litigation before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 
Fifth Circuit. See Port of Shreveport-Bossier v. Federal Railroad 
Administration, No. 10-60324 (5th Cir. 2011) (unpublished per curiam 
opinion). APTA believes that since the term ``plant railroad'' is 
provided in support of 49 CFR part 209 it does not need to be defined 
within the context of the SSP rule. FRA disagrees. Plant railroads will 
be exempt from the rule; therefore, FRA believes it is necessary to 
clearly define what type of operations will be considered a ``plant 
railroad.''
    ``Positive train control system'' means a system designed to 
prevent train-to-train collisions, overspeed derailments, incursions 
into established work zone limits, and the movement of a train through 
a switch left in the wrong position, as described in subpart I of 49 
CFR part 236. APTA believes that since the term ``positive train 
control'' is provided in support of 49 CFR part 236 it does not need to 
be defined within the context of the SSP rule. FRA disagrees. Since 
``positive train control system'' has a specific meaning within FRA's 
regulations, it is important that the meaning of the term used within 
the SSP rule is consistent with part 236.
    ``Rail vehicle'' means railroad rolling stock, including, but not 
limited to, passenger and maintenance vehicles.
    ``Railroad'' means: (1) Any form of non-highway ground 
transportation that runs on rails or electromagnetic guideways, 
including--
    (i) Commuter or other short-haul rail passenger service in a 
metropolitan or suburban area and commuter railroad service that was 
operated by the Consolidated Rail Corporation on January 1, 1979; and
    (ii) High speed ground transportation systems that connect 
metropolitan areas, without regard to whether those systems use new 
technologies not associated with traditional railroads, but does not 
include rapid transit operations in an urban area that are not 
connected to the general railroad system of transportation; and
    (2) A person or organization that provides railroad transportation, 
whether directly or by contracting out operation of the railroad to 
another person.
    The definition of ``railroad'' is based upon 49 U.S.C. 20102(1) and 
(2), and encompasses any person providing railroad transportation 
directly or indirectly, including a commuter rail authority that 
provides railroad transportation by contracting out the operation of 
the railroad to another person, and any form of non-highway ground 
transportation that runs on rails or electromagnetic guideways, but 
excludes urban rapid transit not connected to the general system.
    ``Risk'' means the combination of the probability (or frequency of 
occurrence) and the consequence (or severity) of a hazard.
    ``Risk-based hazard management'' means the processes (including 
documentation) used to identify and analyze hazards, assess and rank 
corresponding risks, and eliminate or mitigate the resulting risks. 
This is a high-level definition of ``risk-based hazard management'' and 
will provide a general understanding of the concept of what is ``risk-
based hazard management.'' Risk-based hazard management is a key 
component of a railroad's SSP and Sec.  270.103(p) sets forth the 
requirements for a risk-based hazard management program.
    ``Safety culture'' means the shared values, actions and behaviors 
that demonstrate commitment to safety over competing goals and demands. 
This definition was proposed in the NPRM section-by-section analysis of 
Sec.  270.101(b). This definition is from the DOT Safety Council's May 
2011 research paper, SAFETY CULTURE: A Significant Driver Affecting 
Safety in Transportation. The DOT Safety Council developed this 
definition after extensive review of definitions for safety culture 
used in a wide range of industries and organizations over the

[[Page 53864]]

past two decades. FRA recognizes that railroads may have a slightly 
different understanding of what exactly makes up safety culture; 
however, for the purposes of this rule, FRA believes it is important to 
establish a shared definition of safety culture. Organizations with a 
strong safety culture will consistently choose safety over performance 
when faced with the choice of cutting corners to increase performance. 
Safety culture is discussed further in section-by-section analysis for 
Sec.  270.101(b), which requires a railroad to design its SSP so that 
it promotes a positive safety culture.
    ``System safety'' means the application of management, economic, 
and engineering principles and techniques to optimize all aspects of 
safety, within the constraints of operational effectiveness, time, and 
cost, throughout all phases of the system life cycle. By specifying 
that system safety operates within certain constraints, this definition 
clarifies that there may be hazards on the railroad's system that a 
railroad may not be capable of fully mitigating or eliminating, or 
where the costs to address the hazard are not commensurate with the 
risks. Rather, the railroad would monitor the hazard and at some point, 
if feasible, employ methods to mitigate or eliminate that hazard and 
resulting risk.
    ``System safety program'' means a comprehensive process for the 
application management and engineering principles and techniques to 
optimize all aspects of safety. A railroad's SSP sets out how the 
railroad will implement system safety in its operations. Because this 
part describes specific requirements of a system safety program, this 
definition is intended to be high-level.
    ``System safety program plan'' means a document developed by the 
railroad that implements and supports the railroad's SSP. Section 
270.103 sets forth the specific requirements of a SSP plan.
    ``Tourist, scenic, historic, or excursion operations'' means 
railroad operations that carry passengers, often using antiquated 
equipment, with the conveyance of the passengers to a particular 
destination not being the principal purpose. Train movements of new 
passenger equipment for demonstration purposes are not tourist, scenic, 
historic, or excursion operations. This definition is consistent with 
FRA's other regulations concerning passenger operations. See 49 CFR 
238.5 and 239.5.
    The NPRM proposed a waiver process in Sec.  270.7 in which a 
railroad could request a waiver from a provision of the SSP rule. FRA 
determined that such a provision is unnecessary because the rules 
governing the FRA waiver process are already set forth in 49 CFR part 
211. Therefore, a waiver provision has not been included in the SSP 
final rule.
Section 270.7 Penalties and Responsibility for Compliance
    This section, originally proposed as Sec.  270.9, contains 
provisions regarding the penalties for failure to comply with the rule 
and the responsibility for compliance. It is adopted and remains 
unchanged from the NPRM.
    As explained in the NPRM, paragraph (a) identifies the civil 
penalties that FRA may impose upon any person that violates or causes a 
violation of any requirement of this part. These penalties are 
authorized by 49 U.S.C. 20156(h), 21301, 21302, and 21304. The penalty 
provision parallels penalty provisions included in numerous other 
safety regulations issued by FRA. In general, any person who violates 
any requirement of this part or causes the violation of any such 
requirement is subject to a civil penalty of at least $839 and not more 
than $27,455 per violation. Civil penalties may be assessed against 
individuals only for willful violations. Where a grossly negligent 
violation or a pattern of repeated violations creates an imminent 
hazard of death or injury to persons, or causes death or injury, a 
penalty not to exceed $109,819 per violation may be assessed. In 
addition, each day a violation continues constitutes a separate 
offense. Maximum penalties of $27,455 and $109,819 are required by the 
Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, Public Law 
101-410, 28 U.S.C. 2461, note, as amended by the Federal Civil 
Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, Public Law 
114-74, Sec. 701. Furthermore, a person may be subject to criminal 
penalties under 49 U.S.C. 21311 for knowingly and willfully falsifying 
reports required by these regulations. FRA believes that the inclusion 
of penalty provisions for failure to comply with the regulations is 
important in ensuring that compliance is achieved. This final rule 
includes a schedule of civil penalties as Appendix A to this part. 
Because a penalty schedule is a statement of agency policy, notice and 
comment was not required before its issuance. See 5 U.S.C. 
553(b)(3)(A).
    Paragraph (b) clarifies that the requirements in the rule are 
applicable to any person (as defined in the rule) that performs any 
function or task required by the rule. Although various sections of the 
rule address the duties of passenger railroads, FRA intends that any 
person who performs any action on behalf of a passenger railroad or any 
person who performs any action covered by the rule is required to 
perform that action in the same manner as required of the passenger 
railroad, or be subject to FRA enforcement action. For example, if a 
passenger railroad contracts with another entity to perform duties 
covered by this rule, that entity is required to perform those duties 
in the same manner as the passenger railroad. While the passenger 
railroad remains responsible for complying with the rule, FRA can take 
enforcement action any person who performs any action on behalf of a 
passenger railroad or any person who performs any action covered by the 
rule.
Subpart B--System Safety Program Requirements
Section 270.101 System Safety Program: General
    This section sets forth the general requirements of the rule and 
remains unchanged from the NPRM. Each railroad subject to this part 
(i.e., each passenger railroad) is required to establish and fully 
implement a SSP that systematically evaluates railroad safety hazards 
on its system and manages the resulting risks to reduce the number and 
rates of railroad accidents, incidents, injuries, and fatalities. The 
main components of a railroad's SSP will be the risk-based hazard 
management program and risk-based hazard analysis that will be designed 
to proactively identify hazards and mitigate or eliminate the resulting 
risks from those hazards. The risk-based hazard management program and 
risk-based hazard analysis requirements are set forth in Sec.  
270.103(p) and (q).
    To properly implement a SSP, a railroad is required to set forth a 
SSP plan pursuant to Sec.  270.103. The SSP plan will be a document or 
a series/collection of documents that contain all of the elements 
required by this part and shall be designed to support the railroad's 
SSP.
    Paragraph (b) requires that a railroad's SSP be designed so that it 
promotes a positive safety culture. Safety culture, as defined in Sec.  
270.5, is the shared values, actions and behaviors that demonstrate 
commitment to safety over competing goals and demands. U.S. DOT, Safety 
Council Research Paper, SAFETY CULTURE: A Significant Driver Affecting 
Safety in Transportation (May 2011). Research has shown that when an 
organization has a strong safety culture, accidents and incidents are 
less frequent and less severe. Id. at 4. Conversely, if an 
organization's safety culture is weak,

[[Page 53865]]

significant and catastrophic accidents are more likely to occur. Id. 
For a railroad to achieve its SSP goals, the mitigation or elimination 
of safety hazards and risks on the rail system, the railroad must have 
a positive and strong safety culture, so it is vital that the 
railroad's SSP be designed so that it promotes a positive safety 
culture. Consistent with the Safety Council Research Paper, FRA 
believes that there are 10 elements that support a strong safety 
culture on a railroad. Id. at 7. These elements are: (1) Having 
leadership that is clearly committed to safety; (2) practicing 
continuous learning; (3) making decisions that demonstrate that safety 
is prioritized over competing demands; (4) having clearly defined 
reporting systems and accountability; (5) promoting a safety-conscious 
work environment; (6) making employees feel personally responsible for 
safety; (7) fostering open and effective communication across the 
railroad; (8) fostering mutual trust between employees and the 
railroad; (9) responding to safety concerns in a fair and consistent 
manner; and (10) having training and other resources available to 
support safety. Id. at 7-8. While these 10 elements are not 
requirements of this rule, FRA believes that if a railroad incorporates 
each element, the railroad will have a strong safety culture. Further, 
implementing these elements will provide the railroad the necessary 
framework to effectively describe its safety culture as required by 
Sec.  270.103(b)(2) and describe how it measures the success of its 
safety culture as required Sec.  270.103(t).
Section 270.103 System Safety Program Plan
    This section implements a railroad's SSP through a SSP plan. This 
section received numerous comments and these comments are addressed in 
the appropriate subsection to which they refer. As mentioned 
previously, a railroad is required to create a written SSP plan to 
fully implement and support its SSP. This section sets forth all of the 
required elements of the railroad's SSP plan.
    Paragraph (a) establishes that a railroad's SSP plan must contain 
the minimum elements set forth in this section. FRA did not receive any 
comments regarding paragraph (a) and therefore it remains unchanged 
from the NPRM. As provided in Sec.  270.201, a railroad's SSP plan must 
be submitted to and approved by the FRA Associate Administrator for 
Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer. FRA Associate Administrator 
for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer approval of the SSP plan 
will be considered approval of the railroad's SSP as required by 
section 20156(a)(3).
    In certain scenarios, a railroad providing passenger service is not 
the railroad that owns the track on which passenger service is being 
operated. Rather, the railroad that owns the track hosts the railroad 
providing the passenger train service. For a railroad providing 
passenger train service to effectively identify, evaluate, and manage 
the hazards and resulting risks on the system over which it operates, 
as required by this part, the railroad needs to evaluate all aspects of 
the operation. As such, paragraph (a)(2) of this section addresses the 
coordination that must occur between a railroad providing passenger 
service and a railroad hosting that passenger service. If certain 
aspects of the operation are not under the control of the railroad 
providing passenger service but are controlled by the railroad hosting 
the operation, the two railroads need to communicate so those aspects 
can be adequately addressed by the railroad's SSP. A passenger railroad 
may have multiple railroads hosting its passenger train service on its 
system and therefore needs to coordinate with each railroad. If a 
railroad hosting the passenger train service does not cooperate with 
the railroad providing the passenger train service to coordinate the 
applicable parts of the SSP, under Sec.  270.7, the railroad hosting 
the passenger train service may be subject to civil penalties because 
it may cause the railroad providing the passenger service to violate 
the requirements of this part. For example, if a passenger railroad 
service is hosted by a freight railroad and that freight railroad is 
responsible for track maintenance, the freight railroad will need to 
provide the passenger railroad the necessary information regarding 
track maintenance for the passenger railroad to prepare its SSP plan. 
Since track maintenance has significant impact on the safety of rail 
operations, it is a vital element of a railroad's SSP plan. Therefore, 
if the freight railroad refuses to provide the passenger railroad the 
necessary information regarding track maintenance, the passenger 
railroad will not be able to fully comply with this part and, 
consequently, the freight railroad may be subject to civil penalties 
for causing the passenger railroad to fail to comply with this part.
    APTA requested that FRA address coordination issues whereby one 
railroad can adopt and operate under another railroad's SSP plan. There 
is nothing in this rule prohibiting a railroad's SSP plan from adopting 
certain portions of another railroad's SSP plan if those portions cover 
the same operations on both railroads. However, no two railroad 
operations are exactly the same; therefore, no two SSP plans will be 
exactly the same. If a railroad adopts portions of another railroad's 
plan, the operations covered by those portions of the plan must involve 
the same directly affected employees and both railroads must 
independently comply with the consultation requirements under this 
rule.
    APTA also requested that FRA allow railroads to develop SSP plans 
for a jointly served facility and allow properties with multiple host 
railroads to have SSP plans specific to each of the territories that a 
host railroad supports. There is nothing in the rule prohibiting 
railroads from jointly developing portions of their SSP plans; however, 
the railroads must ensure that the jointly developed portions address 
all the necessary requirements of this rule. Each railroad can include 
the jointly developed portions in their plans, but each portion must 
involve the same directly affected employees and both railroads must 
independently comply with the consultation requirements under this 
rule.
    Paragraph (b) requires each SSP plan to have a policy statement 
that endorses the railroad's SSP. It should be noted that proposed 
paragraph (c)(1) has been moved to paragraph (b). The policy statement 
required by this paragraph should define, as clearly as possible, the 
railroad's authority for the establishment and implementation of the 
SSP. This includes the legal name of the entity responsible for 
developing the railroad, any authorizing or implementing legislation, 
and federal, state & local statutes enacted to establish the railroad.
    The policy statement is required to be signed by the chief official 
of the railroad. This signature would indicate that the top level of 
management at the railroad endorses the railroad's SSP. AAR requested 
that the chief official for safety should be required to sign the 
system safety program, not the chief official at the railroad. AAR 
believes that the title of ``chief official at the railroad'' is 
ambiguous because railroads have different organizational structures 
and there may not be one person with the title of ``chief official.'' 
AAR claims that FRA has departed from the language in the statutory 
mandate which requires the chief official for safety to sign the SSP 
plan. AAR also believes that the chief official for safety is the more 
appropriate person to sign the SSP plan because he/she will be more 
familiar with the details of the SSP

[[Page 53866]]

than the other senior railroad officials and the chief official for 
safety will be directly responsible for the preparation of the SSP 
plan. FRA does not disagree that the chief official for safety should 
be required to sign the SSP plan. Indeed, the chief official for safety 
is not only required by this rule to sign the SSP plan but is required 
to certify that the contents of the SSP plan are accurate and that the 
railroad will implement the contents of the plan. See 49 CFR 
270.201(a)(3)(i). FRA is not deviating from the requirements in the 
statutory mandate. Section 270.201(a)(3)(i) virtually mirrors the 
language in section 20156(b). AAR has mistaken Sec.  270.103(b) as 
requiring the chief official at the railroad to sign the SSP plan. This 
paragraph requires the chief official at the railroad only to sign the 
SSP policy statement, not the entire SSP plan. Prior experience with 
effective risk management programs has demonstrated to FRA the 
importance of the active involvement of the highest officials in 
improving safety and safety culture. For this reason, FRA has 
determined that the chief official at the railroad must sign the SSP 
policy statement.
    FRA notes that this policy statement is also required to describe 
the safety philosophy and culture of the railroad. Section 270.101(b) 
requires a railroad to design its SSP so that it promotes and supports 
a positive safety culture as defined by Sec.  270.5. In order for a 
railroad to properly design its SSP so that it promotes and supports a 
positive safety culture, it first needs to describe its safety culture 
and philosophy. As discussed previously, FRA believes that there are 10 
elements that are critical to a strong safety culture and these 10 
elements provide the necessary framework for a railroad to 
comprehensively describe its safety culture. Once its safety culture is 
described, the railroad must also describe how it measures the success 
of its safety culture pursuant to paragraph (t) of this section. The 
requirement for this description was proposed in Sec.  270.103(c)(1) of 
the NPRM; however, as discussed in the next paragraph, FRA has 
determined to delete proposed Sec.  270.103(c).
    As proposed in the NPRM, paragraph (c) would have required a 
railroad to set forth a statement in its SSP plan that describes the 
purpose and scope of the railroad's SSP. The statement would have been 
required to have, at a minimum, three elements. However, upon further 
consideration, FRA has determined that these three elements are better 
placed elsewhere in the rule. Therefore, proposed Sec.  270.103(c), 
Purpose and scope of system safety program, has been removed. As noted 
above, proposed Sec.  270.103(c)(1) has been moved to Sec.  270.103(b), 
System safety program policy statement, and proposed Sec.  
270.103(c)(2) and (3) have been moved to Sec.  270.103(e), Railroad 
management and organizational structure, which was proposed as Sec.  
270.103(f) in the NPRM. FRA believes by moving these sections, the 
requirements are clearer and more consistent.
    Paragraph (c) of the final rule, proposed as paragraph (d) in the 
NPRM, addresses the importance of goals in a SSP. The central goal of a 
SSP is to manage or eliminate hazards and the resulting risks to reduce 
the number and rates of railroad accidents, incidents, injuries, and 
fatalities. FRA believes one way to achieve this central goal is for a 
railroad to set forth goals that are designed in such a way that when 
the railroad achieves these goals, the central goal is achieved as 
well. The APTA System Safety Manual served as the model for the 
guidelines set forth in paragraph (c).
    Paragraph (c) requires a railroad to include as part of its SSP 
plan a statement that defines the goals for its SSP. The statement must 
describe the clear strategies on how the railroad will achieve these 
goals. These strategies will be the railroad's opportunity to provide 
its vision on how these particular goals will ultimately reduce the 
number and rates of railroad accidents, incidents, injuries and 
fatalities. The statement must also describe what the railroad's 
management's responsibilities are to achieve the system safety goals. 
This statement will make it clear to the railroad, railroad employees, 
and FRA who, and at what level within management, is responsible for 
ensuring that the stated goals are achieved.
    Rather than setting forth specific requirements that these goals 
must satisfy, paragraph (c) contains general requirements. This allows 
railroads the flexibility to establish goals specific to their 
operations. The general parameters of these goals are that they should 
be--
     long-term, so that they are relevant to the railroad's 
SSP. This does not mean that goals cannot have relevance in the short-
term. Rather, goals must have significance beyond the short-term and 
continue to contribute to the SSP. The NPRM proposed that the goals 
should be relevant to the railroad ``throughout the foreseeable life of 
the railroad.'' FRA determined to delete the quoted language to reduce 
any confusion;
     meaningful, so that they are not so broad that they cannot 
be attributed to specific aspects of the railroad's operations. The 
desired results must be specific and must have a meaningful impact on 
safety;
     measurable, so that they are designed in such a way that 
it is easily determined whether each goal is achieved or at least 
progress is being made to achieve the goal; and
     consistent with the overall goal(s) of the SSP, in that 
they must be focused on the identification of hazards and the 
elimination or mitigation of the resulting risks.
    FRA notes that the NY MTA, in commenting on the NPRM, believes it 
is critical that FRA and OSHA align their positions related to 
numerical goals. NY MTA states that OSHA has indicated that simply 
setting numerical safety goals discourages accident reporting and that 
the goal of a SSP as described in the NPRM appears to be focused on 
setting such numerical goals. NY MTA is concerned that any conflict 
between OSHA's perspective and the main goal of a SSP program could 
have the unattended effect of hampering safety programs.
    FRA agrees with NY MTA that the goals of a SSP cannot be focused 
exclusively on numerical values, e.g., accident rates, employee injury 
rates, etc.; however, FRA believes that paragraph (c), like the SSP 
rule as a whole, does not focus solely on numerical goals. While the 
central goal of a SSP is to manage risks to reduce the number and rates 
of railroad accidents, incidents, injuries, and fatalities, this is not 
the sole goal of a SSP. A SSP must be designed and implemented so that 
it systematically reduces hazards and the resulting risks on a 
railroad's system. This rule provides each railroad with the 
flexibility to adapt a SSP to its system--the rule is not focused on a 
rigid numerical goal. A properly implemented SSP should naturally 
result in reduced rates of railroad accidents, incidents, injuries, and 
fatalities.
    Paragraph (d), proposed as paragraph (e) in the NPRM, requires a 
railroad to set forth a statement in its SSP plan describing the 
characteristics of the railroad's system. FRA received comments from 
AAR, Labor Organizations, and the NY MTA regarding this paragraph. The 
railroad's system description is an important part of the overall SSP. 
This is the section where the railroad will provide sufficient 
information to allow a basic understanding of the railroad and its 
operations. A good system description is important to understand the 
operating

[[Page 53867]]

environment and interfaces that occur during operation of passenger 
trains, especially those elements that may positively or negatively 
affect safety. If the system is not described accurately, then the 
risk-based hazard analysis and resulting mitigations may be flawed.
    Understanding the breadth of the railroad system is also 
fundamentally necessary for FRA to be able to review and audit a 
railroad's SSP. This description will allow FRA to determine whether 
the railroad's program sufficiently covers the railroad's operations 
and the extent of the risks/hazards on its system. The description will 
also focus the railroad on its staff and contractors that have an 
effect on the safety of its operations and, therefore, have an effect 
on the success of its SSP.
    This information is required for FRA to understand the extent of 
infrastructure and operations so that they can relate the safety 
aspects of the plan to the railroad specifically. When carrying out 
enforcement action such as reviewing annual assessments or performing 
audits, FRA will have a basis of understanding for what, where and who 
is responsible. This is a key input in order to establish a 
``baseline'' of a railroad's safety environment and culture.
    FRA notes that passenger railroads often answer to officials 
representing governmental jurisdictions served by those railroads. FRA 
believes a SSP plan will be ineffective if those officials cannot 
easily be made aware of the nature of the railroads' operations and how 
those operations are made safer through the SSPs. FRA believes that for 
the SSPs required by RSIA to be effective, this information must be 
readily available to relevant governmental officials. Further, this 
information will make it easier for those governmental officials to 
inform railroads of, or place emphasis upon, relevant hazards, 
improving the quality of the SSPs. For example, States have safety rail 
inspectors who work in collaboration with FRA, to which that 
information will be useful. Railroads for the most part have this 
information currently; it's simply a matter of inserting into the plan 
document.
    Generally, the description of the characteristics of the railroad's 
system should be sufficient to allow persons who are not familiar with 
the railroad's operations and railroad operations in general to 
understand the railroad's system and its basic operations. 
Specifically, this statement describes the following:
     The railroad's operations (including any host operations), 
including the role, responsibilities, and organization of the 
railroad's operating departments.
     The physical characteristics of the railroad, including 
the number miles of track over which the railroad operates, the number 
of stations the railroad services, the number and types of grade 
crossings over which the railroad operates, on which segments the 
railroad shares track with other railroads, the maximum authorized 
speed, and toxic inhalation hazard routing.
     The scope of the service the railroad provides, including 
the number of passengers, the number of routes, and the days and hours 
when service is provided. The railroad may also provide a system map.
     The maintenance activities performed by the railroad, 
including the role, responsibilities, and organization of the 
railroad's various maintenance departments and the type of maintenance 
required by the railroad's operations and facilities.
     Any other aspects of the railroad pertinent to the 
railroad's operations.
    The NPRM proposed requiring a description of the history of the 
railroad's operations and physical plant. FRA determined that these 
descriptions were not necessary because any pertinent information they 
would provide is already addressed by the other descriptions required 
by paragraph (d)(1).
    Paragraph (d)(2) requires a railroad to identify in its SSP plan 
certain persons that provide or utilize significant safety-related 
services. The railroad will identify persons that have entered into a 
contractual relationship with the railroad to either perform 
significant safety-related services on the railroad's behalf or to 
utilize significant safety-related services provided by the railroad 
for purposes related to railroad operations. The term ``significant 
safety-related services'' is intended to be understood broadly to give 
a railroad the flexibility to evaluate the services other entities 
provide to the railroad and the degree that these services are safety-
related. FRA has edited this section from the NPRM to clarify who needs 
to be identified by the railroad. First, the NPRM proposed that a 
railroad identify ``entities or persons that provide significant 
safety-related services.'' However, FRA determined that the term 
``entities'' was redundant because the definition for ``person'' in 
Sec.  270.5 covers all of the entities that would need to be 
identified, therefore, the term ``entities'' has been removed. Second, 
the proposed rule text in the NPRM did not include the requirement that 
the person must be providing the services on the railroad's behalf. 
This was added to clarify the relationship between the railroad and the 
person providing the service. The contractual basis of this 
relationship is discussed further in this section.
    Third, the proposed rule text in the NPRM did not include the 
requirement that the railroad describe the persons that utilize 
significant safety-related services of the railroad; however, the NPRM 
did request comment on whether FRA should add this requirement. FRA 
received comments from AAR, APTA, Labor Organizations, and NY MTA in 
response to this request. AAR was unsure of which persons FRA meant 
when referring to persons that utilize significant safety-related 
services and suggested that the railroad itself could be a person that 
utilizes significant safety-related services. APTA commented that 
general considerations can be given for customers, motorists using 
highway rail-grade crossings and communities served by safe alternative 
transportation. However, APTA believes that there is no useful purpose 
for including this requirement in the rule. FRA has added the 
requirement that the railroad identify persons that utilize significant 
safety-related services, but included language to clarify which persons 
would fall under this category. The railroad will identify persons that 
utilize significant safety-related services provided by the railroad 
for the purpose related to railroad operations. For example, if a 
railroad contracts with a company to perform bridge maintenance, that 
company provides a significant safety-related service to the railroad 
on behalf of the railroad and would be identified as so under this 
paragraph. If during the bridge maintenance, the company uses the 
railroad's roadway worker protection, that company is then utilizing a 
significant safety-related service (roadway worker protection) provided 
by the railroad and would be identified as so under this paragraph. A 
railroad does not have to identify persons providing or utilizing 
significant safety-related services for purposes unrelated to railroad 
operations, such as railroad passengers or motor vehicle drivers who 
benefit from a highway-rail grade crossing warning system.
    Fourth, FRA has added a contractual element to the relationship 
between the railroad and persons that provide or utilize significant 
safety-related services. This was added to ensure that there is a 
formalized agreement between the railroad and the person regarding the 
service that is provided or utilized. With the formalized agreement, 
the duties of the contractor would be clear

[[Page 53868]]

and, therefore, the extent they are performing or utilizing significant 
safety-related services of the railroad would be clear as well. FRA 
would give a railroad significant discretion to identify which persons 
utilize or provide significant safety-related services. In interpreting 
this proposed provision, emphasis would be placed upon the words 
``significant'' and ``safety-related.'' FRA does not expect a railroad 
to identify every person that provides it services. For example, a 
railroad would be expected to identify a signal contractor that 
routinely performed services on its behalf, but not a contractor hired 
on a one-time basis to pave a grade crossing. If a railroad was 
uncertain whether a person should be identified, it would be encouraged 
to contact FRA for further guidance. Generally, however, this section 
would require identification of those persons whose significant safety-
related services or utilization would be affected by the railroad's 
SSP. FRA recognizes that not all railroad operations are the same; 
thus, not all persons that utilize or provide significant safety-
related services will be the same. During its review of a railroad's 
SSP plan, FRA will determine whether the persons the railroad has 
sufficiently described significant safety-related services and 
identified the proper persons.
    NY MTA recommended that FRA permit railroads to use the same 
safety-related matrix for designating employees that was proposed in 
the Training Standards NPRM to identify persons that provide 
significant safety-related services. NY MTA believes this will be more 
practical for staff changes, while still establishing accountability. 
On November 7, 2014, FRA published in the Federal Register a Final Rule 
entitled ``Training, Qualification, and Oversight for Safety-Related 
Railroad Employees.'' 79 FR 66460. Generally, the Training Standards 
Rule requires each railroad or contractor that employs one or more 
``safety-related railroad employee'' as defined by Sec.  243.5, to 
develop and submit a training program to FRA for approval and to 
designate the minimum qualifications for each occupational category of 
employee. Id. The Training Standards Rule defines ``safety-related 
railroad employee'' as follows:

    Safety-related railroad employee means an individual who is 
engaged or compensated by an employer to: (1) Perform work covered 
under the hours of service laws found at 49 U.S.C. 21101, et seq.; 
(2) Perform work as an operating railroad employee who is not 
subject to the hours of service laws found at 49 U.S.C. 21101, et 
seq.; (3) In the application of parts 213 and 214 of this chapter, 
inspect, install, repair, or maintain track, roadbed, and signal and 
communication systems, including a roadway worker or railroad bridge 
worker as defined in Sec.  214.7 of this chapter; (4) Inspect, 
repair, or maintain locomotives, passenger cars or freight cars; (5) 
Inspect, repair, or maintain other railroad on-track equipment when 
such equipment is in a service that constitutes a train movement 
under part 232 of this chapter; (6) Determine that an on-track 
roadway maintenance machine or hi-rail vehicle may be used in 
accordance with part 214, subpart D of this chapter, without repair 
of a non-complying condition; (7) Directly instruct, mentor, 
inspect, or test, as a primary duty, any person while that other 
person is engaged in a safety-related task; or (8) Directly 
supervise the performance of safety-related duties in connection 
with periodic oversight in accordance with Sec.  243.205.

79 FR 66502.

    Pursuant to Sec.  243.101(c), the railroad is required to provide a 
table or other suitable format that lists, among other things, the 
railroad's safety-related employees. 49 CFR 243.101(c). While the 
matrix required by the Training Standards rule may provide the 
railroads with guidance regarding which persons provide significant 
safety-related services, it is not clear whether the matrix would cover 
persons that utilize significant safety-related services. Therefore, 
FRA declines to adopt NY MTA's suggestion.
    The Labor Organizations expressed concern that railroads may 
contract out the majority of their safety-related services or allow a 
third party to perform such services to evade their statutory 
obligations under this part. The Labor Organizations believe that 
simply requiring identification of the persons that a railroad may or 
may not use for safety-related services would make it very difficult 
for FRA to determine whether the railroads are complying with this 
part. To avoid such difficulty, the Labor Organizations request that 
FRA make clear that the responsibility for compliance with this rule is 
non-delegable. Pursuant to Sec. Sec.  270.3 and 270.7, as explained 
above in the accompanying section-by-section analysis, the railroad is 
ultimately responsible for compliance with this final rule and cannot 
delegate this duty. Section 270.7(b) provides that a railroad may 
contract with another person to perform the duties under this rule; 
however, that person is required to perform these duties in the same 
manner as the railroad and is subject to FRA enforcement action. The 
railroad remains accountable even if it does contract with another 
person to perform the duties required by this rule. Of course, the 
other person must perform the required duties in compliance with this 
rule, and both the railroad and the contracted person are subject to 
FRA enforcement action.
    Finally, an individual also commented that it is important to 
ensure that persons providing significant safety-related services are 
qualified or credentialed, or both, to provide such services. FRA 
believes such a requirement is unnecessary because persons that perform 
any duty on behalf of the railroad are required to perform these duties 
consistent with this regulation and any other applicable safety laws 
and regulations. Therefore, a railroad is required to ensure that any 
person that provides significant safety-related services do so 
consistent with this regulation and any other applicable safety laws 
and regulations.
    Paragraph (d)(3) incorporates text from proposed paragraph (f)(4) 
of the NPRM. FRA determined that the requirements in proposed paragraph 
(f)(4) were better placed in paragraph (d) because the requirements are 
part of the railroad system description. Paragraph (d)(3) requires the 
railroad to describe the relationship and responsibilities between it 
and certain other persons. These persons include any host railroads, 
contract operators, shared track/corridor operators, and other persons 
that utilize or provide significant safety-related services as 
identified by the railroad in paragraph (d)(2) of this section. 
Describing the relationship and responsibilities between the railroad 
and any host railroads, contract operators, or shared track/corridor 
operators should be relatively straight forward because a railroad most 
likely has entered into contracts or memoranda of agreement with these 
persons that outline this information. The description should be 
detailed enough so that FRA can understand the basis of the 
relationship and the responsibilities of each person based on that 
relationship. For example a commuter railroad may contract out 
operation of the commuter trains to one corporation and contract out 
track maintenance on the commuter railroad's own trackage to another 
corporation. For a certain section of the route, the commuter 
railroad's trains are hosted by another railroad on the other 
railroad's tracks and that other railroad provides the dispatching and 
signal/track maintenance for that portion of track. The commuter 
railroad would need to outline these relationships and responsibilities 
in the plan. Not only to ensure that FRA understands, but also to 
ensure the railroad has a complete understanding of who performs the 
various activities. Many departments know who and what they do and

[[Page 53869]]

contract out, but do not have a grasp of the big picture for the entire 
commuter railroad.
    Paragraph (e), proposed as paragraph (f) in the NPRM, requires a 
railroad to set forth a statement in its SSP plan that describes the 
management and organizational structure of the railroad. RSIA requires 
a railroad's hazard analysis to identify and analyze the railroad's 
management structure. 49 U.S.C. 20156(c). Under this section, the 
railroad will identify its management structure and how safety 
responsibilities are distributed throughout the railroad.
    As discussed previously, to maintain consistency and increase 
clarity, proposed paragraphs (c)(2) and (3) have been incorporated into 
paragraph (e) of this section. The statement pursuant to paragraph (e) 
shall include a chart or other visual representation of the 
organizational structure of the railroad; description of the railroad's 
management responsibilities within the SSP; description of how the 
safety responsibilities are distributed within the railroad 
organization; clear identification of the lines of authority used by 
the railroad to manage safety issues; and a description of the roles 
and responsibilities in the railroad's system safety program for each 
host railroad, contract operator, shared track/corridor operator, and 
other person that utilizes or provides significant safety-related 
services as identified by the railroad pursuant to (d)(2) of this 
section. The statement shall also describe how each host railroad, 
contractor operator, shared track/corridor operator, and any other 
person that utilizes or provides significant safety-related services as 
identified by the railroad pursuant to paragraph (d)(2) of this section 
supports and participates in the railroad's system safety program, as 
appropriate. Under paragraph (e)(1), the chart or other visual 
representation of the organizational structure of the railroad does not 
need to be overly detailed. Rather, it must identify the divisions 
within the railroad, the key management positions within each division, 
and titles of the officials in those positions.
    Under paragraph (e)(2), the railroad shall describe the railroad's 
management's responsibilities within the SSP. This description 
clarifies who within the railroad's management are responsible for 
which aspects of the SSP.
    Under paragraph (e)(3), a railroad must identify how the safety 
responsibilities are distributed within the railroad's departments. A 
railroad may have one department that handles safety matters or there 
may be multiple departments and each department has separate and 
distinct responsibilities for handling safety matters. Regardless of 
how the railroad distributes the overall responsibility to manage 
safety issues, it is important that the railroad identifies and 
describes how safety is being managed on its system.
    Under paragraph (e)(4), the railroad also needs to clearly identify 
which of the management positions within the department(s) are 
responsible for managing the safety issues within the railroad. 
Identification of these lines of authority allows FRA to determine who 
within the organization and at what level has responsibility for 
managing the safety issues. While FRA recognizes that safety is 
everybody's responsibility within the railroad organization, the 
management personnel responsible for managing the safety issues need to 
be identified.
    Paragraph (e)(5) requires the railroad to describe the roles and 
responsibilities in the railroad's SSP for each host railroad, contract 
operator, shared track/corridor operator, and any other person that 
utilizes or provides significant safety-related services. Since these 
persons play a key role in the safe operation of the railroad, their 
role and responsibilities in the railroad's SSP must be described.
    Paragraph (e)(5) also requires the railroad to describe how each 
host railroad, contractor, shared track/corridor operator, and any 
other person that utilizes or provides significant safety-related 
services as identified by the railroad pursuant to paragraph (d)(2) 
supports and participates in the railroad's SSP, as appropriate.
    Paragraph (f), proposed as paragraph (g) in the NPRM, requires a 
railroad's SSP plan to include a description of the process the 
railroad will use to implement its SSP. RSIA requires passenger 
railroads to implement a SSP plan that is approved by the Secretary. 49 
U.S.C. 20156(a)(1)(C). Under this section, the railroad will describe 
how it will implement its SSP, which will allow FRA, during initial 
plan approval and subsequent audits, to determine if the railroad is 
properly implementing its SSP.
    The implementation process must, at a minimum, address the roles 
and responsibilities of each position (including those held by 
employees, contractors, and other persons that utilize or provide 
significant safety-related services) that has significant 
responsibilities to implement the SSP. The addition of persons that 
utilize significant safety-related services is consistent with the 
discussion in paragraph (d)(2). The NPRM proposed that the statement 
would address the roles and responsibilities of each position and job 
function that has significant responsibilities to implement the SSP. 
FRA determined that the term ``job function'' was redundant; therefore, 
all references in the rule have been removed. The process must also 
identify the milestones necessary to be reached to properly implement 
the SSP. FRA did not receive any comments in response to paragraph (f); 
however, as discussed in the next paragraph, FRA has included the 
requirement in paragraph (f) that the SSP be fully implemented within 
36 months of FRA approval. Further, in the NPRM this paragraph proposed 
to require an implementation plan; however, FRA has determined that a 
description of the implementation process is more appropriate than 
requiring a formal plan.
    FRA notes that in the NPRM there was no proposal for the railroad 
to specify a timeframe in which it would be required to fully 
implement, as defined in Sec.  270.5, its SSP; however FRA believes 
such a timeline is necessary. FRA has determined that 36 months is a 
sufficient amount of time for a railroad to fully implement its SSP. 
With such a time frame, a railroad can effectively allocate the 
resources necessary to fully implement its SSP while also prioritizing 
the implementation of specific elements. Further, with this timeframe, 
the railroad will be able to more precisely set the milestones as 
required by this section. While ``fully implemented'' is defined in 
Sec.  270.5, there are no rigid criteria that determine if a program is 
fully implemented. To determine if a program is fully implemented, FRA 
will consider the extent to which each section of the plan is 
implemented and the railroad, along with its stakeholders, are actively 
fulfilling each section. For example, regarding paragraph (c), System 
safety program goals, FRA will consider the extent to which a railroad 
has developed written goals that are long-term, meaningful, measurable, 
and focused on the identification of hazards and the mitigation or 
elimination of the resulting risks, and whether there are programs in 
place for the railroad to achieve the written goals.
    The positions that will be described pursuant to paragraph (f) are 
those that are responsible for implementing the major elements of the 
SSP, to the extent that the individuals having these positions have 
clear and concrete roles and responsibilities. Not every individual who 
participates in the railroad's SSP needs to be described as part of the 
implementation process but

[[Page 53870]]

rather only those individuals who have significant responsibilities for 
implementing the railroad's SSP. The phrase ``significant 
responsibilities'' is intended to be broadly defined to provide the 
railroads the flexibility to determine, based on their individual 
operations, what may be considered ``significant responsibilities.''
    In its SSP plan a railroad will set forth the milestones to 
demonstrate that it has properly implemented its SSP. Each railroad's 
SSP will be different; therefore, the milestones that must be achieved 
to properly implement a SSP will be different. A railroad has the 
flexibility to determine, based on its own SSP and not rigid 
requirements, realistic benchmarks that need to be achieved to properly 
implement its SSP. FRA understands that there may be unforeseeable 
circumstances that can cause a railroad to adjust the implementation of 
its SSP and subsequently adjust these milestones. The important 
consideration is that the railroad sets forth milestones that can be 
used to determine the progress of the railroad's implementation of its 
SSP.
    Paragraph (g), proposed paragraph (h) in the NPRM, addresses a 
railroad's maintenance and repair program. RSIA requires a railroad's 
hazard analysis to ``identify and analyze'' the railroad's 
``infrastructure'' and ``equipment.'' 49 U.S.C. 20156(c). Under this 
section, the railroad will identify its procedures and processes for 
the maintenance, repair, and inspection of such infrastructure and 
equipment. This identification is necessary for the railroad to conduct 
a thorough risk-based hazard analysis and will allow FRA, during 
initial plan review and subsequent audits, to determine if the 
railroad's SSP sufficiently addresses the risk and hazards generated by 
the railroad's infrastructure and equipment. FRA received three 
comments in response to this paragraph. Based on these comments, 
paragraph (g)(4) was added.
    Paragraph (g)(1) requires a railroad's SSP plan to identify and 
describe the processes and procedures used for maintenance and repair 
of its infrastructure and equipment directly affecting railroad safety. 
The phrase ``infrastructure and equipment directly affecting railroad 
safety'' is intended to be broadly understood to provide the railroad 
the opportunity to take a realistic survey of its particular operations 
and make the determination of which infrastructure and equipment 
directly affect the safety of that railroad. However, as guidance, a 
list of the types of infrastructure and equipment that are considered 
to directly affect railroad safety is provided. This list includes: 
Fixed facilities and equipment, rolling stock, signal and train control 
systems, track and right-of-way, passenger train/station platform 
interface (gaps), and traction power distribution systems. The list in 
the NPRM did not include passenger train/station platform interface 
(gaps); however, FRA believes passenger train/station platform 
interface (gaps) are an important element of a railroad's 
infrastructure and will provide the railroad with further opportunities 
to identify hazards and the resulting risks and eliminate or mitigating 
these hazards. Once the railroad has determined what infrastructure and 
equipment directly affect railroad safety, it will then identify and 
describe the processes and procedures used for the maintenance and 
repair of that infrastructure and equipment. The safety of a railroad's 
operations depends greatly upon the condition of its infrastructure and 
equipment; therefore, these maintenance and repair processes and 
procedures should and are expected to already be in place.
    Under paragraph (g)(2), each description of the processes and 
procedures used for maintenance and repair of infrastructure and 
equipment directly affecting safety must include the processes and 
procedures used to conduct testing and inspections of the 
infrastructure and equipment. Multiple FRA regulations require a 
railroad to conduct testing and inspection of infrastructure and 
equipment, and paragraph (g)(2) addresses the processes and procedures 
that the railroad has developed to meet these regulatory standards. For 
example, pursuant to 49 CFR part 234, a railroad must inspect, test, 
and repair warning systems at highway-rail grade crossings. Under 
paragraph (g)(2), the railroad will describe the internal procedures it 
has developed to conduct such inspections, tests, and repairs and how 
it educates its employees on the proper way to conduct the inspection, 
testing and repair of highway-rail grade crossing warning systems. As 
discussed below, in certain situations, paragraph (g)(3) permits 
referencing these manuals in the SSP plan rather than providing the 
entire manual.
    Typically, railroads have a manual or manuals that describe the 
maintenance and testing procedures and processes used to conduct 
testing and inspections of the infrastructure and equipment. FRA has 
included paragraph (g)(3) to address the use of such manuals in a SSP 
plan. Rather than including an entire manual in its SSP plan, if the 
manual satisfies all applicable Federal regulations, in most cases 
simply referencing the manual in the SSP plan will satisfy this 
paragraph. If a manual does not comply with all applicable Federal 
regulations, it cannot be included in the plan. If any the regulations 
that apply to these are updated, the manuals and references to such 
will need to be updated as well. Approval of a SSP plan that references 
manuals that describe the maintenance and testing procedures and 
processes used to conduct testing and inspections of the infrastructure 
and equipment does not necessarily mean that the manuals satisfy all 
applicable regulations. Rather, each manual must independently comply 
with the applicable regulations and is subject to a civil penalty if 
not in compliance. If FRA finds it necessary to review the manuals, FRA 
will examine whether the manuals are current, if they are readily 
available to the employees who are performing the functions the manuals 
address, and if these employees have been trained on their use.
    While FRA is always concerned with the safety of railroad employees 
performing their duties, employee safety in maintenance and servicing 
areas generally falls within the jurisdiction of OSHA. It is not FRA's 
intent in this rule to displace OSHA's jurisdiction regarding the 
safety of employees while performing inspections, tests, and 
maintenance, except where FRA has already addressed workplace safety 
issues, such as blue signal protection in 49 CFR part 218. In other 
rules, FRA has included a provision that makes it clear that FRA does 
not intend to displace OSHA's jurisdiction over certain subject 
matters. See, e.g., 49 CFR 238.107(c).
    In the NPRM, FRA sought comment on whether such a clarifying 
statement was necessary for any such subject matter that the proposed 
rule may affect. APTA, the Labor Organizations, and an individual 
commenter all provided comments in response to this request. All of the 
commenters agree that the final rule should contain such a clarifying 
statement; therefore, paragraph (g)(4) has been included in this 
section. Modeled after 49 CFR 238.107(c), paragraph (g)(4) makes clear 
that FRA neither intends to displace OSHA jurisdiction with respect to 
employee working conditions generally nor specifically with respect to 
the maintenance, repair, and inspection of infrastructure and equipment 
directly affecting railroad safety. FRA does not intend to approve any 
specific portion of a SSP plan that relates exclusively to employee 
working conditions covered by OSHA. The term ``approve'' is used to 
make it clear that any part of a plan that relates to employee working

[[Page 53871]]

conditions exclusively covered by OSHA will not be approved even if the 
overall plan is approved. Additionally, the term ``specific'' 
reinforces that the particular portion of the plan that relates to 
employee working conditions exclusively covered by OSHA will not be 
approved; however, the rest of the plan may still be approved. As 
discussed below, paragraph (g)(4) also applies to paragraph (k) 
regarding OSHA jurisdiction over any workplace safety programs. If 
there is any confusion regarding whether a plan covers an OSHA-
regulated area, FRA is available to provide assistance.
    Paragraph (h), proposed as paragraph (i) in the NPRM, requires a 
railroad's SSP plan to set forth a statement describing the railroad's 
processes and procedures for developing, maintaining, and ensuring 
compliance with the railroad's rules and procedures directly affecting 
railroad safety and the railroad's processes for complying with 
applicable railroad safety laws and regulations. RSIA requires a 
railroad's hazard analysis to identify and analyze the railroad's 
operating rules and practices. 49 U.S.C. 20156(c). Under this 
paragraph, the railroad will identify the railroad's operating rules 
and practices. FRA did not receive any comments in response to this 
paragraph as proposed in the NPRM; however, the term ``maintenance'' 
has been included in paragraph (h)(1) to be consistent with paragraph 
(h)(3). This statement describes how the railroad not only develops, 
maintains, and complies with its own safety rules, but also how the 
railroad complies with applicable railroad safety laws and regulations. 
The statement includes identification of the railroad's operating and 
safety rules and procedures that are subject to review under chapter 
II, subtitle B of title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, i.e., 
all of FRA's railroad safety regulations.
    The railroad must also identify the techniques used to assess the 
compliance of its employees with applicable railroad safety laws and 
regulations and the railroad's operating and safety rules and 
maintenance procedures. Both Federal railroad safety laws and 
regulations and railroad operating and safety rules and maintenance 
procedures are effective at increasing the safety of the railroad's 
operations only if the railroad and its employees comply with such 
rules and procedures. By ensuring compliance with such rules and 
procedures, the overall safety of the railroad is improved. The NPRM 
proposed requiring that the railroad identify the techniques to assess 
compliance of the railroad's employees with ``applicable FRA 
regulations''; however, to be consistent with the other requirements in 
paragraph (h), FRA has revised this language to ``railroad safety laws 
and regulations.''
    The railroad must identify the techniques used to assess the 
effectiveness of the railroad's supervision relating to compliance with 
applicable railroad safety laws and regulations and the railroad's 
operating and safety rules and maintenance procedures. If the 
railroad's supervision relating to compliance with these rules and 
procedures is effective, the employees' compliance should also be 
effective, thus improving the overall safety of the railroad.
    Paragraph (i), proposed as paragraph (j) in the NPRM, requires each 
railroad to train necessary personnel on in its SSP plan. As proposed, 
paragraph (i) did not have the explicit requirement that the railroad 
train the necessary employees; thus, paragraph (i)(1) has been added to 
make this clear. Paragraph (i) also requires that each railroad 
establish and describe its plan how the necessary personnel will be 
trained on the SSP. As proposed in the NPRM, paragraph (i) did not 
require a railroad to establish a plan addressing how its employees 
will be trained on the SSP. Since some railroads will not have a SSP in 
place before the effective date of this final rule, FRA determined that 
it was necessary to include the requirement that a railroad not only 
describe but also establish a plan addressing how its employees will be 
trained on the SSP. This ensures that a railroad has such a plan in 
place and that it can be properly described pursuant to this paragraph.
    The SSP training plan will describe the procedures in which 
employees that are responsible for implementing and supporting the 
program and any other person that utilizes or provides significant 
safety-related services will be trained on the railroad's SSP. The NPRM 
proposed that ``contractors who provide significant safety-related 
services'' needed to be trained as well. However, FRA determined that 
the phrase ``persons utilizing or performing significant safety-related 
services'' includes contractors who provide significant safety-related 
services; therefore, the phrase ``contractors who provide significant 
safety-related services'' has been removed. A railroad's SSP can be 
successful only if those who are responsible for implementing and 
supporting the program understand the requirements and goals of the 
program. To this end, a railroad would train those responsible for 
implementing and supporting the railroad's SSP on the elements of the 
program so that they have the knowledge and skills to fulfill their 
responsibilities under the program.
    For each position or job title that has been identified under 
paragraph (f)(1)(i) as having significant responsibility for 
implementing a railroad's SSP, the railroad's training plan must 
describe the frequency and the content of the training on the SSP that 
the position or job title receives. If the railroad does not identify a 
position or job title under paragraph (f)(1)(i) as having significant 
responsibility to implement the SSP but the position or job title is 
safety-related or has a significant impact on safety, personnel in 
these positions will be required to receive basic training on the 
system safety concepts and the system safety implications of their 
position. Even though the personnel may not have responsibilities to 
implement the railroad's SSP, they do have an impact on the program 
because their position is safety-related or has a significant impact on 
safety, or both. It is important that all persons who may have an 
impact on the success of a railroad's SSP understand the requirements 
of the program so they can work together to achieve its goals.
    Paragraph (i)(5) provides that a railroad may conduct its SSP 
training by classroom, computer-based, or correspondence training. 
Paragraph (i) is not intended to limit the forms of training; rather, 
it provides the railroads the flexibility to conduct training using 
methods other than traditional classroom training. SSP training may 
also be combined with a railroad's regular safety or rules training and 
in some cases SSP training could be included in field ``tool box'' 
safety training sessions. APTA requested that FRA make it clear in the 
rule text that the methods listed in paragraph (i)(4) were illustrative 
and not restrictive. FRA has revised the text of paragraph (i)(4) to 
address this concern. Additionally, for clarity and consistency with 49 
CFR part 243, the methods listed are ``classroom, computer-based, or 
correspondence training,'' which differs slightly from the NPRM; 
however, as discussed, the list is only illustrative and not 
restrictive.
    Paragraph (i)(6) requires each railroad to keep a record of all 
training conducted under paragraph (i) and describe the process it will 
use to maintain and update these training records. The requirement that 
the railroad keep a record of all training was originally proposed in 
paragraph (i)(1); however, FRA believes it is more consistent to 
include it in paragraph (i)(6). Paragraph (i)(7) requires each railroad 
to describe the process that it

[[Page 53872]]

will use to ensure that it is complying with the requirements of the 
training plans as required by this part.
    NY MTA commented that the training required under this part should 
apply only to railroads that contract out their operations. NY MTA 
believed that contractors who are not responsible for actual railroad 
operations will be governed by the then-forthcoming Training Standards 
Rule, which proposed to require these contractors to certify that they 
have trained their employees on all the appropriate safety protocols
    Requiring a SSP training component for certain railroad employees 
and officers is necessary because FRA's Training Standards Rule would 
not cover such SSP training for each type of employee or officer that 
this final rule describes as needing the training. As discussed supra, 
in late 2014, FRA published the final Training Standards Rule. 79 FR 
66460. Generally, the Training Standards Rule requires each railroad or 
contractor that employs one or more ``safety-related railroad 
employee'' as defined by Sec.  243.5, to develop and submit a training 
program to FRA for approval and to designate the minimum qualifications 
for each occupational category of employee. 49 CFR part 243. Some 
employees and officers required by paragraph (i) to receive system 
safety training would be considered a ``safety-related railroad 
employee'' under the Training Standards Rule and others would not. 
Since all employees and officers required to receive system safety 
program training under this final rule would not be required to receive 
such training pursuant to the Training Standards Rule, FRA declines to 
narrow the applicability of paragraph (i) as suggested by NY MTA. 
Furthermore, having a training component in this final rule does not 
create a duplicate training program filing requirement or require 
duplicate training as the Training Standards Rule specifically permits 
an employer to elect to cross-reference training programs or plans 
required by other FRA regulations in a part 243 submission, rather than 
resubmitting that program or plan for additional FRA review and 
approval. 49 CFR 243.103(b). As on-the-job training (OJT) is not 
expected to be a requirement of any SSP training program or plan, the 
provision of Sec.  243.103(b) that mentions adding an OJT component 
would not be applicable to this final rule.
    Paragraph (j), proposed as paragraph (k) in the NPRM, requires that 
a railroad's SSP plan describe the processes used by the railroad to 
manage emergencies that may arise within its system. A strong SSP will 
include effective emergency management processes. This description will 
allow FRA, during initial plan review and subsequent audits, to 
understand the railroad's emergency management processes, assess 
whether the railroad is complying with them, and determine if the 
processes adequately cover potential emergencies. FRA did not receive 
any comments in response to the proposal; its text remains unchanged in 
this final rule. The description must include the processes the 
railroad uses to comply with the applicable emergency equipment 
standards in part 238 of this chapter and the passenger train emergency 
preparedness requirements in part 239 of this chapter.
    Paragraph (k), proposed as paragraph (l) in the NPRM, requires that 
the railroad's SSP plan describe the programs that the railroad has 
established that protect the safety of its employees and contractors. 
The description must include: (1) The processes that have been 
established to help ensure the safety of employees and contractors 
while working on or in close proximity to the railroad's property as 
described in paragraph (d) of this section; (2) the processes to help 
ensure that employees and contractors understand the requirements 
established by the railroad pursuant to paragraph (f)(1) of this 
section; (3) any fitness-for-duty programs or any medical monitoring 
programs; and (4) the standards for the control of alcohol and drug use 
in part 219 of this chapter.
    Workplace safety is an integral part of a railroad's SSP and has a 
significant impact on railroad safety. Workplace safety touches many of 
the elements embedded in a SSP and should also be part of the 
railroad's overall safety philosophy and culture. This description will 
allow FRA, during initial plan review and subsequent audits, to 
understand the railroad's workplace safety programs and determine 
whether the railroad's SSP sufficiently addresses any gaps in the 
programs.
    The NPRM originally proposed that the statement ``describe any'' of 
the programs and processes listed; however, FRA believes that this may 
have indicated that a railroad would not be required to describe all of 
the programs and processes listed, which was not the intent. FRA has 
revised the language to make clear that a railroad is required to 
describe all of the programs and processes listed. FRA also notes that 
proposed paragraph (k)(3) listed ``fatigue management programs 
established by this part'' as one of the fitness-for-duty programs to 
be described. However, as discussed in the Statutory Background 
section, to minimize confusion regarding the separate FMP Working Group 
process and the ongoing fatigue management plans rulemaking, the 
placeholder in this rule for fatigue management plans, paragraph (s), 
has been deleted. Therefore, the proposed requirement in paragraph 
(k)(3) that the railroad describe ``fatigue management programs 
established by this part'' has not been included in this final rule.
    Moreover, in the NPRM, paragraph (k)(3) proposed that the statement 
include a description of ``fitness-for-duty programs, including 
standards for the control of alcohol and drug use contained in part 219 
of this chapter, and medical monitoring programs.'' However, the 
standards under part 219 are not necessarily ``fitness-for-duty 
programs.'' Therefore, to minimize the potential for confusion, the 
final rule separates the required description of any fitness-for-duty 
programs or any medical monitoring programs (paragraph (k)(3)) from the 
description of the standards for the control of alcohol and drug use in 
part 219 of this chapter (included as paragraph (k)(4)). This change 
from the NPRM does not add to or remove any of the substantive 
requirements proposed in the NPRM.
    Employees and contractors of the railroad are exposed to many 
hazards and risks while on railroad property. A railroad's SSP is 
required to take into consideration the safety of these persons and the 
programs and processes the railroad already has in place to address the 
hazards they face and resulting risks. As explained in the discussion 
of paragraph (g)(4), FRA is always concerned with the safety of 
employees in performing their duties; however, employee safety in 
maintenance and servicing areas generally falls within the jurisdiction 
of OSHA. It is not FRA's intent in this rule to displace OSHA's 
jurisdiction regarding the safety of employees while performing 
inspections, tests, and maintenance, except where FRA has already 
addressed workplace safety issues, such as blue signal protection. As 
with paragraph (g), FRA requested comment on whether it is necessary to 
include in the final rule a provision making clear that FRA does not 
intend to displace OSHA's jurisdiction over certain subject matters. 
Paragraph (g)(4) was included in response to the comments received and 
that provision makes clear that nothing in this rule, including 
paragraph (k), is intended to displace OSHA's jurisdiction.

[[Page 53873]]

    The Labor Organizations raised a concern on whether paragraph (k) 
would create new, if any, rights for carriers to use fitness-for-duty 
programs and medical monitoring programs to undermine the forthcoming 
statutory-mandated fatigue management program. The Labor Organizations 
requested that FRA make clear in the final rule that the SSP regulation 
is not a fitness-for-duty or medical standards regulation. Neither 
paragraph (k) nor the SSP rule as a whole create any new rights 
regarding fitness-for-duty or medical monitoring programs, consistent 
with FRA's intent.
    Paragraph (l), proposed as paragraph (m) in the NPRM, requires a 
railroad to establish and describe in its SSP plan the railroad's 
public safety outreach program to provide safety information to the 
railroad's passengers and the general public. Paragraph (l) also 
requires the railroad's safety outreach program to have a means in 
which railroad passengers and the general public can report hazards to 
the railroad.
    A railroad's passengers and the general public play a vital role in 
the success of the railroad's SSP. The public safety outreach program 
requires the railroad to directly communicate safety information to 
both passengers and the general public and also allow these individuals 
to alert the railroad about safety hazards they observe. FRA will 
review the programs during the initial SSP plan review and subsequent 
audits to determine if the railroad's SSP sufficiently addresses any 
gaps in the programs.
    FRA did not receive any comments in response to this paragraph; 
however, as proposed in the NPRM, paragraph (l) did not require a 
railroad's safety outreach to include a means for railroad passengers 
and the general republic to report hazards.
    As proposed in the NPRM, a railroad's safety outreach program would 
only provide safety information to railroad passengers and the general 
public, which was not the intent. While it is important for a 
railroad's safety outreach program to provide the necessary safety 
information to the railroad's passengers and to the general public so 
that they can minimize their exposure to the hazards and resulting 
risks on the railroad and take appropriate precautions, it is not the 
sole purpose of the program. FRA believes that it is also important for 
railroad passengers and the general public to provide the railroad with 
information regarding any hazards they observed. This information will 
allow the railroad to address these identified hazards and resulting 
risks and improve the safety of the overall railroad and the safety 
information provided to the railroad passengers and the general public.
    Paragraph (m), proposed as paragraph (n) in the NPRM, requires that 
a railroad's SSP plan describe the processes that the railroad uses to 
receive notification of accidents/incidents, investigate and report 
those accidents/incidents, and develop, implement, and track any 
corrective actions found necessary to address an investigation's 
finding(s). These processes should already be in place because they are 
necessary to comply with the requirements of part 225 of this chapter. 
Accidents and incidents can reveal hazards and risks on the railroad's 
system, which the railroad can then address as part of its SSP. While 
49 CFR part 225 sets forth FRA's accident/incident reporting 
requirements, this section focuses on the actions the railroad will 
take to address accident/incident investigation results. These actions 
are important to the overall safety of a railroad's operations and will 
provide information to the railroad on what additional actions it can 
take as part of its SSP to address the hazards and resulting risks that 
contributed to the accident/incident.
    FRA did not receive any comments in response to this paragraph as 
proposed in the NPRM. However, FRA has modified the paragraph to 
address ``accidents/incidents''--rather than just ``accidents,'' as 
proposed. This makes clear FRA's intent that the paragraph covers 
events that provide the railroad with information that may improve the 
safety of the railroad, which is not exclusive to accidents.
    Paragraph (n), proposed as paragraph (o) in the NPRM, requires a 
railroad to establish and describe in its SSP plan processes that the 
railroad has or puts in place to collect, maintain, analyze, and 
distribute safety data in support of the SSP. Accurate safety data 
collection and the analysis and distribution of that data within a 
railroad can help the railroad determine where safety problems or 
hazards exist, develop targeted programs to address the problems and 
hazards, and focus resources towards the prevention of future incidents 
and improvement of safety culture. This description will assist FRA's 
review of these programs during the initial SSP plan review and audits 
to determine if the railroad's SSP sufficiently addresses any gaps in 
the programs. As proposed in the NPRM, paragraph (n) did not require a 
railroad to establish processes to collect, maintain, analyze, and 
distribute safety data in support of the SSP. Since some railroads will 
not have a SSP in place before the effective date of this final rule, 
FRA determined that it was necessary to include the requirement that a 
railroad not only describe but also establish SSP data acquisition 
processes. This ensures that a railroad has these processes in place 
and that it can be properly described pursuant to this paragraph. The 
data acquisition process described in APTA's System Safety Manual 
provides guidance on the processes a railroad may use to comply with 
this part.
    Paragraph (o), proposed as paragraph (p) in the NPRM, requires a 
railroad's SSP plan to describe the process(es) it employs to address 
safety concerns and hazards during the safety-related contract 
procurement process. This applies to safety-related contracts to help 
ensure that the railroad can address as necessary safety concerns and 
hazards that may result from the procurement. FRA did not receive any 
comments in response to this proposed paragraph. However, the term 
``process'' was changed to ``process(es)'' to recognize that a railroad 
may have more than one process in place.
    The main components of a SSP are the risk-based hazard management 
program and the risk-based hazard analysis. The railroad will use the 
risk-based hazard management program to describe the various methods, 
processes, and procedures it will employ to properly and effectively 
identify, analyze, and mitigate or eliminate hazards and resulting 
risks. In turn, through the risk-based hazard analysis the railroad 
will actually identify, analyze, and determine the specific actions it 
will take to mitigate or eliminate the hazards and the resulting risks. 
Paragraphs (p) and (q), proposed as paragraphs (q) and (r) in the NPRM, 
set forth the elements of the railroad's risk-based hazard management 
program and risk-based hazard analysis. Both of these paragraphs 
implement sections 20156(c) through (f). FRA received multiple comments 
addressing the risk-based hazard management program and the risk-based 
hazard analysis, and these comments are addressed accordingly.
    The risk-based hazard management program will be a fully 
implemented program within the railroad's SSP. Paragraph (p) requires a 
railroad to establish and describe the various methods, processes, and 
procedures that, when implemented, will identify, analyze, and mitigate 
or eliminate hazards and the resulting risks on the railroad's system. 
This paragraph embodies FRA's intent to provide each railroad with the 
flexibility to tailor its

[[Page 53874]]

SSP to its specific operations. Paragraph (p) does not set forth rigid 
requirements for a risk-based hazard management program. Rather, more 
general guidelines are provided and the railroad is able to apply these 
general guidelines to its specific operations.
    APTA commented that paragraph (p) and paragraph (q), Risk-based 
hazard analysis, do not contain a discussion of the variety of controls 
or the flexibility this SSP rule provides to the railroads to choose 
which procedures they will put into place to mitigate or eliminate 
risks. APTA points out there was substantial discussion at the RSAC on 
this issue and it was recognized that there are many methods a railroad 
can apply to keep risk as low as reasonably practicable. APTA further 
points out that the analysis methods were grouped by RSAC into non-
formal (e.g., 5 Y method) and formal (e.g., fault trees and cut sets). 
APTA therefore requests that FRA clarify that the understandings 
reached by the RSAC, and which were voted upon as recommendations, are 
still available as tools and have not been replaced by a formal 
analysis required by paragraphs (p) and (q).
    FRA makes clear that the rule does not limit the methods a railroad 
may use in its risk-based hazard management program. FRA recognizes 
that there was agreement in the RSAC that many methods exist to keep 
risk low, such as MIL-STD-882 or the Government Electronics & 
Information Technology Association 010 Standard. However, this rule 
does not prescribe which of these methods must be used. Specifically, 
the discussion in the NPRM of proposed paragraph (q)(5) (paragraph 
(p)(1)(i) of the final rule) explained that the railroad would 
determine the methods it would use in the risk-based hazard analysis in 
proposed paragraph (r) (paragraph (q) of the final rule), to identify 
hazards on various aspects of its system. FRA intends that each 
railroad use this opportunity to use known methods and consider any new 
or novel techniques or methods to identify hazards that best suits that 
railroad's operations.
    FRA notes that paragraph (p) is structured differently from what 
was proposed in the NPRM; however, the substance of paragraph (p) 
remains the same.
    Paragraph (p)(1) requires the railroad's risk-based hazard 
management program to contain eight elements. All of these elements 
will be fully described in the railroad's SSP plan. First, the railroad 
shall establish the processes or procedures that will be used in the 
risk-based hazard analysis to identify the hazards on the railroad's 
system. This will be the railroad's opportunity to consider any new or 
novel techniques or methods that best suit the railroad's operations to 
identify hazards.
    Second, the railroad must establish the processes or procedures 
that will be used in the risk-based hazard analysis that will analyze 
the identified hazards and, therefore, support the risk-based hazard 
management program. These processes and procedures will allow the 
railroad to analyze the hazards and, thus, gain the necessary knowledge 
to effectively identify the resulting risk.
    Third, the railroad must establish the methods that will be used in 
the risk-based hazard analysis to determine the severity and frequency 
of hazards and to determine the corresponding risk. Once the railroad 
has identified the hazards, it will determine the corresponding risk. 
By developing a method that effectively identifies the severity and 
frequency of the hazards and determines the resulting risks, the 
railroad will be able to effectively prioritize the mitigation or 
elimination of the hazards and resulting risks.
    In its comments on the NPRM, Parsons Brinckerhoff inquired as to 
FRA's intent behind using the terms ``calculate'' and ``resulting 
risk'' in the proposed rule text for paragraph (p)(1)(iii). Parsons 
Brinckerhoff questioned if FRA's use of the term ``calculate'' meant 
that the estimation of the resulting risk should be quantitative and 
that the use of the term ``resulting risk'' meant that the risk is a 
precise product of determining severity and consequence of hazards. 
Parsons Brinckerhoff suggested replacing ``calculate the resulting 
risk'' with ``determine the corresponding risk'' so that paragraph 
(p)(1)(iii) is more consistent with paragraph (p)(1)(iv) and allows for 
a broader range of risk assessment methodologies, which may include: 
Quantitative, semi-quantitative, qualitative, or some combination of 
all three. FRA agrees that the estimation of the risk does not 
necessarily have to involve a formal quantitative analysis, and 
therefore FRA adopts Parsons Brinckerhoff's suggested language.
    Fourth, the railroad must establish the methods that will be used 
in the risk-based hazard analysis to identify the actions that mitigate 
or eliminate hazards and corresponding risks. Here the railroad will 
identify the methods or techniques it will use to determine which 
actions it will need to take to mitigate or eliminate the identified 
hazards and risks. As is the case with identifying the hazards and 
resulting risks, this is the railroad's opportunity to consider any new 
or novel methods best suited to the railroad's operations to mitigate 
or eliminate hazards and resulting risks. FRA recognizes that not all 
hazards and resulting risks can be eliminated or even mitigated, due to 
costs, feasibility, or other reasons. However, FRA expects the 
railroads to consider all reasonable actions that may mitigate or 
eliminate hazards and the resulting risks and to implement those 
actions that are best suited for that railroad's operations.
    Fifth, the railroad must establish the process that will be used in 
the risk-based hazard analysis to set goals for the risk-based hazard 
management program and how performance against the goals will be 
reported. Establishing clear and concise goals will play an important 
role in the success of a railroad's risk-based hazard management 
program. The goals should be tailored so that the central goal of the 
risk-based hazard management program (to effectively identify, analyze, 
and mitigate or eliminate hazards and resulting risks) is supported for 
the individual railroad.
    Sixth, the railroad must establish a process to make decisions that 
affect the safety of the rail system relative to the risk-based hazard 
management program. Railroads make numerous decisions every day that 
affect the safety of the rail system and this paragraph requires a 
railroad to describe how those decisions will be made when they relate 
to the risk-based hazard management program. FRA notes that Parsons 
Brinckerhoff commented whether this paragraph was meant to address risk 
acceptance, based on its reading of the discussion of this paragraph in 
the NPRM. Parsons Brinckerhoff requested that FRA revise this paragraph 
to make that clear, if it was FRA's intent.
    Risk acceptance is a process in which an organization determines 
the appropriate level of risk to accept. An organization will determine 
which risks are acceptable based on the resources available to mitigate 
or eliminate those risks. While risk acceptance is an integral part of 
a SSP, FRA does not intend this paragraph to establish a risk 
acceptance requirement. Rather, the overall risk-based hazard 
management program, in part, establishes a risk acceptance framework 
for the railroad.
    Seventh, the railroad must establish the methods that will be used 
in the risk-based hazard analysis to support continuous safety 
improvement throughout the life of the rail system. Consistent with the 
overall SSP, the railroad will implement methods as part of the risk-
based hazard management program that will support continuous safety 
improvement.

[[Page 53875]]

    Eighth, the railroad must establish the methods that will be used 
in the risk-based hazard analysis to maintain records of identified 
hazards and risks and the mitigation or elimination of the identified 
hazards and risks throughout the life of the rail system. In this 
paragraph the railroad will describe how it plans to maintain the 
records of the results of the risk-based hazard analysis. The railroad 
will also describe how it will maintain records of the mitigation or 
elimination of the identified hazards and risks. FRA notes that the 
proposal in the NPRM expressly addressed only the description of the 
methods used to maintain records of mitigating the identified hazards 
and risks. Because the hazards and risks maybe be eliminated by the 
railroad--not just mitigated--the text of this paragraph in the final 
rule makes clear that records of the elimination of the identified 
hazards and risks are covered as well. As a separate matter, while the 
railroad will not be required to provide in its SSP plan submission to 
FRA any of the specific records addressed by this paragraph, the 
railroad will be required to make the results of the risk-based hazard 
analysis available upon request to representatives of FRA pursuant to 
Sec.  270.201(a)(2).
    Paragraph (p)(2) requires the risk-based hazard management program 
to identify certain key individuals. First, the railroad must identify 
the position title of the individual(s) responsible for administering 
the risk-based hazard management program. These positions will be 
responsible for developing and implementing the risk-based hazard 
management program. Rather than identifying the specific individual(s), 
the railroad will identify the position(s) responsible for 
administering the risk-based hazard management program so that the SSP 
will not have to be updated merely because an individual changes 
positions. This clarification addresses an AAR comment on the NPRM in 
which AAR opposed the proposed requirements in paragraphs that the 
railroad identify the individuals responsible for administering the 
hazard management program and participating in hazard management teams 
or safety committees. AAR believes the problem with identifying such 
individuals is that whenever one of these individuals is removed or 
added, the plan must be amended and no real purpose is served. As a 
result, FRA makes clear that the final rule only requires the 
identification of the position titles, not the specific individuals.
    Second, the railroad must identify the stakeholders who will 
participate in the hazard management program. This means the railroad 
will identify the persons who will be affected by and may play a role 
in the risk-based hazard management program.
    Third, the railroad must identify the position title of the 
participants and structure of any hazard management teams or safety 
committees that a railroad may establish to support the risk-based 
hazard management program. By establishing these types of teams or 
committees, the railroad can focus on specific hazards and risks and 
more thoroughly consider the specific actions to effectively mitigate 
or eliminate the hazards and risks.
    Paragraph (q), proposed as paragraph (r) in the NPRM, provides that 
once FRA has approved a railroad's SSP plan pursuant to Sec.  
270.201(b), the railroad shall conduct a risk-based hazard analysis. 
Paragraph (q)(1) serves to implement the section 20156(c) statutory 
mandate that a railroad must conduct a ``risk analysis.'' As discussed 
earlier, section 20156(c) requires the railroad, as part of its 
development of a railroad safety risk reduction program (e.g., a SSP), 
to ``identify and analyze the aspects of its railroad, including 
operating rules and practices, infrastructure, equipment, employee 
levels and schedules, safety culture, management structure, employee 
training, and other matters, including those not covered by railroad 
safety regulations or other Federal regulations, that impact railroad 
safety.'' Id. Paragraph (q)(1) follows the language of section 
20156(c); however, in the list of the aspects of the railroad system 
that must be analyzed, paragraph (q)(1) does not include ``safety 
culture.'' Safety culture, which paragraph (b)(2) of this section 
requires the railroad to describe, is not something that a railroad can 
necessarily ``identify and analyze'' as readily as the other aspects 
listed. Nonetheless, the railroad must describe how it measures the 
success of its safety culture pursuant to paragraph (t) of this 
section.
    As proposed in the NPRM, paragraph (q)(1) originally included 
employee fatigue as identified in proposed paragraph (s), in the list 
of the aspects of the railroad system that must be analyzed. However, 
as discussed in the Statutory Background section above, to minimize 
confusion regarding the separate FMP Working Group process and the 
ongoing fatigue management plans rulemaking, proposed paragraph (s) has 
not been included in the final rule; therefore the requirement that the 
railroad analyze employee fatigue as part of its risk analysis is not 
included in paragraph (q)(1) of the final rule. FRA also notes that 
proposed paragraph (q)(1) included ``new technology as identified in 
paragraph (s) of this section''; however, since paragraph (r) of the 
final rule addresses a separate analysis regarding new technology, 
including new technology in paragraph (q)(1) would be duplicative.
    As provided in the final rule, paragraph (q)(1) requires a railroad 
to analyze operating rules and practices, infrastructure, equipment, 
employee levels and schedules, management structure, employee training, 
and other aspects that have an impact on railroad safety not covered by 
railroad safety regulations or other Federal regulations. Pursuant to 
paragraphs (d), (e), and (g) through (i) of this section, a railroad is 
required to describe in its plan its operating rules and practices, 
infrastructure, equipment, employee levels and schedules, management 
structure, and employee training; therefore, the analysis and 
identification of hazards and resulting risks regarding these aspects 
pursuant to paragraph (q)(1) should be straightforward. The railroad 
will determine which aspects of the railroad system have an impact on 
railroad safety that are not covered by railroad safety regulations or 
other Federal regulations. When analyzing the various aspects, the 
railroad will apply the risk-based hazard analysis methodology 
previously identified in paragraphs (p)(1)(i) through (iii) of this 
section.
    In commenting on the NPRM, Parsons Brinckerhoff stated that 
paragraph (q)(1) proposed to require that railroads apply the risk-
based hazard analysis up through the application of mitigations but 
that it would not require the railroads to achieve an acceptable level 
of risk. While the rule does not specifically require a railroad to 
reduce risk to an acceptable level, paragraph (q)(2) requires a 
railroad, in part, to implement specific actions that will mitigate or 
eliminate the identified hazards and resulting risks. FRA believes that 
requiring railroads to achieve an acceptable level of risk would set 
forth an ambiguous standard because, due to differences in the size and 
complexity of passenger railroad operations, an acceptable level of 
risk for one railroad may not necessarily be the same for another 
railroad. Requiring a railroad to implement specific actions that will 
mitigate or eliminate the identified hazards and resulting risks will 
reduce risk and if FRA determines that a railroad is not properly 
addressing and reducing risk, FRA will work with the railroad and other 
stakeholders to address this issue and may take enforcement action if 
necessary.

[[Page 53876]]

    Parsons Brinckerhoff also believed that proposed paragraph (q)(1) 
would not require the application of the risk-based hazard management 
program to support continuous safety improvement throughout the life of 
the rail system. Pursuant to paragraph (p)(1)(vii), the railroad will 
be required to describe the methods it will implement as part of the 
risk-based hazard management program that will support continuous 
safety improvement throughout the life of the rail system. Further, as 
discussed below, pursuant to paragraph (q)(3) a railroad will be 
required to conduct a risk-based hazard analysis when there are 
significant operational changes, system extensions, system 
modifications, or other circumstances that have a direct impact on 
railroad safety. FRA believes paragraphs (p)(1)(vii) and (q)(3) support 
continuous safety improvement throughout the life of the rail system.
    Once the railroad has analyzed the various aspects of its 
operations and identified hazards and the resulting risks, the railroad 
is required to mitigate or eliminate these risks. This requirement is 
derived directly from section 20156(d), which requires a railroad, as 
part of its SSP, to have a risk mitigation plan that mitigates the 
aspects that increase risks to railroad safety and enhances the aspects 
that decrease the risks to railroad safety. In paragraph (q)(2), the 
railroad will use the methods described in paragraph (p)(1)(iv) to 
identify and implement specific actions to mitigate or eliminate the 
hazards and risks identified by paragraph (q)(1).
    FRA makes clear that a risk-based hazard analysis is not a one-time 
event. Railroads operate in a dynamic environment and certain changes 
in that environment may expose new hazards and risks that a previous 
risk-based hazard analysis did not address. Paragraph (q)(3) identifies 
the changes that FRA believes are significant enough to require that a 
railroad conduct a new risk-based hazard analysis. Railroads must 
conduct a risk-based hazard analysis when there are significant 
operational changes, system extensions, system modifications, or other 
circumstances that have a direct impact on railroad safety.
    As part of its SSP plan, paragraph (r), proposed as paragraph (s) 
in the NPRM, requires a railroad to conduct a technology analysis and 
set forth a technology analysis and implementation plan. Paragraph (r) 
implements sections 20156(d)(2) and 20156(e). Paragraph (r) has been 
substantially modified from the proposal in the NPRM. As proposed in 
the NPRM, this paragraph would have required railroads to first conduct 
a technology analysis, then establish a technology implementation plan 
containing the results of the technology analysis, and, if the railroad 
determined to implement any of the technologies, establish a plan and a 
prioritized implementation schedule for the development, adoption, 
implementation and maintenance of the technologies over a 10-year 
period.
    FRA believes that the technology analysis and implementation plan 
requirements should be consistent with the risk-based hazard management 
program and risk-based hazard analysis requirements. Therefore, FRA has 
modified paragraph (r) from the proposed rule to ensure that it is 
consistent with these other requirements. A railroad, in its SSP plan 
submission to FRA, will describe the process it will use to: (1) 
Identify and analyze technologies that will mitigate or eliminate the 
hazards identified by the risk-based hazard analysis, and (2) analyze 
the safety impact, feasibility, and costs and benefits of implementing 
the identified technologies. The initial submission to FRA is required 
to describe only the processes the railroad will use to identify and 
analyze technology that will mitigate or eliminate hazards and the 
resulting risks.
    The requirement that the railroad ``periodically update as 
necessary'' its technology analysis and implementation plan has been 
added to paragraph (r)(1). This was not proposed in the NPRM; however, 
section 20156(e) requires the plan to be periodically updated as 
necessary.
    As with the overall SSP, the railroads will have flexibility to 
determine the processes they will use pursuant to paragraph (r)(2). One 
of the purposes of the technology analysis and implementation plan is 
to provide railroads and their stakeholders the opportunity to consider 
current, new, and novel technology to address hazards and the resulting 
risks; therefore, FRA encourages the railroads to consider as many 
different types of technology as possible.
    Once FRA reviews and approves a railroad's technology analysis and 
implementation plan, as part of the SSP plan approval process, the 
railroad will apply the process identified in paragraph (r)(2)(i) to 
identify and analyze current, new, or novel technologies that will 
mitigate or eliminate the hazards and resulting risks identified by the 
risk-based hazard analysis. As with risk-based hazard analysis, the 
railroad will not conduct its technology analysis until after FRA has 
approved its technology analysis and implementation plan. Section 
20156(e)(2) mandates that a railroad consider certain technologies as 
part of its technology analysis. These technologies are: Processor-
based technologies, positive train control systems, electronically-
controlled pneumatic brakes, rail integrity inspection systems, rail 
integrity warning systems, switch position monitors and indicators, 
trespasser prevention technology, and highway-rail grade crossing 
warning and protection technology.
    Once the railroad has identified and analyzed current, new, or 
novel technologies that will mitigate or eliminate the hazards and 
resulting risks, the railroad shall apply the processes described in 
paragraph (r)(2)(ii) to analyze the safety impact, feasibility, and 
costs and benefits of implementing these technologies. FRA expects the 
railroads to engage in an appropriate and realistic analysis of the 
technologies. FRA is not requiring that a railroad use a specific 
formula to determine whether it should implement any of the technology 
analyzed in the technology analysis. Rather, the railroad must consider 
the safety impact, feasibility, and the costs and benefits of these 
technologies and, based on the railroad's specific operations, decide 
whether to implement any of the technologies. Technology has proved to 
be an invaluable tool to manage hazards across all modes of 
transportation, and a robust SSP certainly needs to include risk 
mitigation technology.
    If a railroad decides to implement any of the technologies 
identified in paragraph (r)(3), the railroad would be required to 
update its technology analysis and implementation plan in its SSP to 
describe how it will develop, adopt, implement, maintain, and use the 
technologies. This description should be sufficient to allow FRA and 
other interested stakeholders to determine which technologies the 
railroad will implement, how they will be implemented, how the 
technologies will eliminate or reduce hazards and the resulting risks, 
and how the technologies will be maintained. The railroad will also be 
required to set forth in its SSP plan a prioritized implementation 
schedule for the development, adoption, implementation, and maintenance 
of those technologies over a 10-year period. By establishing this 
implementation schedule, the railroad will be able to describe its plan 
as to how it will apply technology on its system to mitigate or 
eliminate the identified hazards and resulting risks.

[[Page 53877]]

    Paragraph (r)(5) provides that, except as required by 49 CFR part 
236, subpart I (Positive Train Control Systems), if a railroad decides 
to implement a positive train control (PTC) system as part of its 
technology implementation plan, the railroad shall set forth and comply 
with a schedule for implementation of the PTC system consistent with 
the deadlines in the Positive Train Control Enforcement and 
Implementation Act of 2015 (PTCEI Act), Public Law 114-73, 129 Stat. 
576-82 (Oct. 29, 2015), and 49 CFR 236.1005(b)(7). The NPRM proposed 
that the railroad would have to implement the PTC system by December 
31, 2018, which was consistent with 49 U.S.C. 20156(e)(4)(B). However, 
Congress subsequently passed the PTCEI Act and FRA has revised 
paragraph (r)(5) to reflect the changes to PTC implementation deadlines 
set forth in the Act. This paragraph does not, in itself, require a 
railroad to implement a PTC system. In the NPRM, FRA sought comment on 
whether a railroad electing to implement a PTC system would find it 
difficult to meet the December 31, 2018 implementation deadline. If so, 
FRA invited comment as to what measures could be taken to assist a 
railroad struggling to meet the deadline and achieve the safety 
purposes of the statute. FRA received one comment in response to this 
request. AAR commented that it does not object to this requirement but 
that it is impossible to meet the 2015 deadline for an interoperable 
nationwide PTC system that complies with the statutory-mandate. 
Consequently, AAR believes that no railroad will take advantage of 
paragraph (r)(5). FRA recognizes the challenges associated with 
implementing a PTC system; however, FRA also recognizes that PTC is a 
technology that a railroad may seek to implement to eliminate or 
mitigate hazards and the resulting risks. Therefore, the regulation 
provides railroads the flexibility to decide whether they want to 
implement a PTC system as part of their technology analysis and 
implementation plan; if they do so, they must comply with an 
implementation schedule consistent with the deadlines in the PTCEI Act.
    Consistent with the risk-based hazard analysis, a railroad will not 
include its technology analysis conducted pursuant to paragraph (r)(3) 
in the SSP submission to FRA under Sec.  270.201. The SSP plan should 
only include the processes used to conduct its technology analysis as 
described in paragraph (r)(3). FRA may work with the railroads to 
ensure that the technology analysis is robust and analyzes a sufficient 
number of technologies. To achieve this goal, FRA, its representatives, 
and States participating under part 212 of this chapter will have 
access to the railroad's technology analysis pursuant to paragraph 
(r)(5). Furthermore, in its initial submission, a railroad will not 
include the description and implementation schedule required by 
paragraph (r)(4) because the railroad will not draft the description 
and implementation schedule until FRA approves the railroad's 
technology analysis and implementation plan.
    Paragraph (s) sets forth the requirements for ensuring that safety 
issues are addressed whenever there are certain changes to the 
railroad's operations. Paragraph (s)(1) requires each railroad to 
establish and set forth a statement in its SSP plan that describes the 
processes and procedures used by the railroad to manage significant 
operational changes, system extensions, system modifications, or other 
circumstances that will have a direct impact on railroad safety. Since 
these changes have a direct impact on safety, it is vital that the 
railroad has a process to manage these changes so that safety is not 
compromised. Change management processes ensure that, when there is a 
need for a change to a safety-critical program, the proposed change is 
vetted through a formalized process within the organization. This 
description will assist FRA's review of these processes during the 
initial SSP plan review and subsequent audits to determine if the 
railroad's SSP sufficiently addresses any gaps in the processes. The 
term ``significant changes that will have a direct impact on railroad 
safety'' is intended to be broadly understood; however, the other 
changes listed (significant operational changes, system extensions, 
system modifications) are the type of changes that will also 
necessitate a process/procedure to properly manage them.
    Paragraph (s)(2) requires each railroad to establish in its SSP 
plan a configuration management program. The term configuration 
management is defined in Sec.  270.5 as a process that ensures that the 
configurations of all property, equipment, and system design elements 
are accurately documented. Accordingly, the railroad's configuration 
management program shall: (1) Identify who within the railroad has 
authority to make configuration changes; (2) establish processes to 
make configuration changes to the railroad's system; and (3) establish 
processes to ensure that all departments of the railroad affected by 
the configuration change are formally notified and approve of the 
change. Configuration management is a process that ensures that all 
safety-critical documentation relating to the railroad and its various 
components is current and reflects the actual functional and physical 
characteristics of the railroad. This description will assist FRA's 
review of these processes during the initial SSP plan review and 
subsequent audits to determine if the railroad's SSP sufficiently 
addresses any gaps in the processes.
    Paragraph (s)(3) requires the railroad to establish and describe in 
its SSP plan the process it uses to certify that safety concerns and 
hazards are adequately addressed before the initiation of operations or 
major projects to extend, rehabilitate, or modify an existing system or 
repair vehicles and equipment. Through a process certifying that safety 
concerns have been addressed before the railroad initiates operations 
or major projects to extend, rehabilitate, or modify an existing system 
or replace vehicles and equipment, the railroad helps to minimize the 
potential for any negative impact on safety resulting from any of these 
activities.
    In commenting on the NPRM, APTA states that safety certifications 
are not common in commuter rail operations mostly because these 
railroads follow FRA regulations and standards and most, if not all, 
safety certifications have been performed because an FTA funding 
agreement required one to be performed. According to APTA, FTA does not 
have a set of regulations and standards to allow operation on the 
general railroad system of transportation that applies to all railroads 
under FTA's jurisdiction. Without these national standards, APTA notes 
that FTA and transit properties rely on design criteria and best 
engineering practices, and since these design criteria differ at each 
transit agency, safety certification is the method relied upon to 
ensure the system is safe. APTA believes that it would be a rare 
occasion when a commuter railroad would be required to perform a safety 
certification under paragraph (s)(3) and that the paragraph uses the 
term ``major projects'' without elaboration. APTA does not believe that 
every project will need safety certification unless it falls outside of 
FRA's existing standards. APTA therefore recommends that FRA clarify 
the term ``major projects'' by adding to the end of the sentence: ``not 
otherwise addressed by existing FRA standards.''
    FRA expects every major project to be designed and built so that it 
meets or exceeds existing FRA standards. However, paragraph (s)(3) 
requires a

[[Page 53878]]

process that certifies the major project is in compliance with these 
FRA standards or with appropriate design criteria, or both. Safety 
certification is part of APTA's Manual for the Development of System 
Safety Program Plans for Commuter Railroads. Section 6 of APTA's 
manual, Safety Assurance, contains Element 22, Configuration 
Management, and within Element 22 is section 6.1.1.4, Safety 
Certification. Section 6.1.1.4 states: ``Safety Certification is used 
to oversee the addition and introduction of completely new systems and 
the integration to the existing system if the project is not a new 
start. The US DOT Federal Transit Administration and APTA have jointly 
published a manual on how to conduct a safety certification program.'' 
A railroad is free to use the standards published in the manual/guide 
that APTA and FTA have developed regarding safety certification to 
comply with paragraph (s)(3).
    As discussed previously, a SSP can only be effective at mitigating 
or eliminating hazards and risks if the railroad has a robust and 
positive safety culture. Pursuant to Sec.  270.101(b), the railroad 
will design its SSP so that it promotes and supports a positive safety 
culture; pursuant to Sec.  270.103(b)(2), the railroad will identify in 
its SSP plan its safety culture; and pursuant to paragraph (t) a 
railroad will describe in its SSP plan how it measures the success of 
its safety culture. A railroad cannot have a robust safety culture 
unless it actively promotes it and evaluates whether it is successful. 
With respect to measuring safety culture, the rule permits railroads to 
identify the safety culture measurement methods that they find most 
effective and appropriate for their own operations. It is important 
that a railroad regularly measure its safety culture. This measurement 
may be based upon the DOT's 10 traits of a positive safety culture 
discussed above or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's nine traits. See 
76 FR 34777-78, Jun. 14, 2011. The key is to be continuously measuring 
because organizational culture, which safety culture is a part of, can 
change. Measuring to determine a positive safety culture demonstrates 
that there is a clear connection, and inverse relationship, between 
safety culture and event occurrence. Measuring safety culture, such as 
findings from previous employee assessments, demonstrates that there is 
a positive relationship between safety culture and employee engagement 
which supports improved decision-making. When measuring safety culture, 
FRA expects a railroad to use a method that is capable of correlating a 
railroad's safety culture with actual safety outcomes. A safety culture 
assessment focuses on the people side of safety--cultural behaviors 
that enable, equip, and empower--such as communication, trust, 
leadership, commitment, peer group norms and organizational influences. 
For example, such measurement methods can include surveys that assess 
safety culture using validated scales, or some other method or 
measurement that appropriately identifies aspects of the railroad's 
safety culture that correlate to safety outcomes. Ultimately, FRA 
expects a railroad to demonstrate that improvements in the measured 
aspects of safety culture will reliably lead to reductions in 
accidents, injuries, and fatalities.
    Measuring safety culture that is done on a regular basis would be 
very difficult to establish costs and benefits. As discussed above DOT 
has 10 traits to guide the measurement of safety culture. A number of 
different tools have been developed to measure safety culture, and are 
used in various industries, including aviation and certain 
manufacturing sectors. To illustrate, one research review listed 24 
different tools used to measure safety culture in the health care 
industry alone.\6\ It is important to note that each tool measures 
factors using its own scale, and the scales are not calibrated across 
the different tools. Calibration is the process of finding a 
mathematical relationship between different scales--the Fahrenheit and 
Celsius temperature scales are calibrated, for example, so it is 
possible to convert a reading from one scale to the other. Thus, 
although in the aggregate many studies suggest there is a link between 
improved safety culture and decreases in accidents or injuries,\7\ it 
is not possible to definitively quantify the benefits that accrue due 
to improvements in safety culture. FRA recognizes that there are many 
ways to accomplish the task of measuring a railroad's safety culture. 
For purposes of this rule FRA will assume that this is accomplished 
with some type of survey instrument.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ Health Foundation. ``Evidence scan: Measuring safety 
culture,'' https://patientsafety.health.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/measuring_safety_culture.pdf as of October 30, 2014 
(February, 2011) p. 7.
    \7\ O'Toole, Michael. ``The Relationship between employees' 
perceptions of safety and organizational culture,'' The Journal of 
Safety Research, 33 (2002) pp 231-243.
    \8\ One organization that provides safety culture surveys 
includes a price list on their Web site. Perhaps averaging a few 
such organizations' prices would help refine this estimate. See 
https://www.nsc.org/safety_work/employee_perception_surveys/Pages/SurveyCosts.aspx (showing costs for safety culture surveys of 
different levels of complexity).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Section 270.105 Discovery and Admission as Evidence of Certain 
Information
    As discussed in the Statutory Background section, FRA's Study 
concluded that it is in the public interest to protect certain 
information generated by railroads from discovery or admission into 
evidence in litigation. Section 20119(b) provides FRA with the 
authority to promulgate a regulation if FRA determines that it is in 
the public interest, including public safety and the legal rights of 
persons injured in railroad accidents, to prescribe a rule that 
addresses the results of the Study.
    Following the issuance of the Study, the RSAC met and reached 
consensus on recommendations for this rulemaking, including a 
recommendation on the discovery and admissibility issue. RSAC 
recommended that FRA issue a rule that would protect documents 
generated solely for the purpose of planning, implementing, or 
evaluating a SSP from (1) discovery, or admissibility into evidence, or 
considered for other purposes in a Federal or State court proceeding 
for damages involving property damage, personal injury, or wrongful 
death; and (2) State discovery rules and sunshine laws that could be 
used to require the disclosure of such information.
    Section 270.105, Discovery and admission as evidence of certain 
information, sets forth the discovery and admissibility protections 
that are based on the Study's results and the RSAC recommendations. 
These protections are narrow and apply only to information that was 
generated solely for a railroad's SSP, and aim to ensure that a 
litigant will not be better or worse off than if the protections had 
never existed. FRA intends these provisions to be strictly construed.
    FRA modeled Sec.  270.105 after 23 U.S.C. 409. In section 409, 
Congress enacted statutory protections for certain information compiled 
or collected pursuant to Federal highway safety or construction 
programs. See 23 U.S.C. 409. Section 409 protects both data 
compilations and raw data. Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency 
Act of 1991, sec. 1035(a), 105 Stat. 1978; National Highway System 
Designation Act of 1995, sec. 323, 109 Stat. 591. A litigant may rely 
on section 409 to withhold certain documents from a discovery request, 
in seeking a protective order, or as the basis to object to a line of 
questioning during a trial or

[[Page 53879]]

deposition. Section 409 extends this protection to information that has 
never been in any Federal entity's possession.
    Section 409 was enacted by Congress in response to concerns raised 
by the States that compliance with the Federal road hazard reporting 
requirements could reveal certain information that would increase the 
State's risk of liability. Without confidentiality protections, States 
feared that their ``efforts to identify roads eligible for aid under 
the Program would increase the risk of liability for accidents that 
took place at hazardous locations before improvements could be made.'' 
Pierce County v. Guillen, 537 U.S. 129, 133-34 (2003) (citing H.R. Doc. 
No. 94-366, p. 36 (1976)).
    The constitutionality and validity of section 409 has been affirmed 
by the Supreme Court of the United States. See Pierce County v. 
Guillen. In Guillen, the Court considered the application of section 
409 to documents created pursuant to the Hazard Elimination Program, 
which is a Federal highway program that provides funding to State and 
local governments to improve the most dangerous sections of their 
roads. Id. at 133. To be eligible for the program, the State or local 
government must (1) maintain a systematic engineering survey of all 
roads, with descriptions of all obstacles, hazards, and other dangerous 
conditions; and (2) create a prioritized plan for improving those 
conditions. Id.
    The Court held that section 409 protects information actually 
compiled or collected by any government entity for the purpose of 
participating in a Federal highway program, but does not protect 
information that was originally compiled or collected for purposes 
unrelated to the Federal highway program, even if the information was 
at some point used for the Federal highway program. Guillen at 144. The 
Court took into consideration Congress' desire to make clear that the 
Hazard Elimination Program ``was not intended to be an effort-free tool 
in litigation against state and local governments.'' Id. at 146. 
However, the Court also noted that the text of section 409 ``evinces no 
intent to make plaintiffs worse off than they would have been had 
section 152 [Hazard Management Program] funding never existed.'' Id. 
The Court also held that section 409 was a valid exercise of Congress' 
powers under the Commerce Clause because section 409 ``can be viewed as 
legislation aimed at improving safety in the channels of commerce and 
increasing protection for the instrumentalities of interstate 
commerce.'' Id.
    FRA believes that given the similar concepts between section 409 
and section 20119 and the Supreme Court's expressed acknowledgement of 
the constitutionality of section 409, section 409 is an appropriate 
model for Sec.  270.105.
    Under Sec.  270.105(a) there are certain circumstances in which 
information will not be subject to discovery, admitted into evidence, 
or considered for other purposes in a Federal or State court proceeding 
for damages involving personal injury, wrongful death, or property 
damage. This information may not be used in such litigation when it is 
compiled or collected solely for the purpose of planning, implementing, 
or evaluating a SSP. Section 270.105(a) applies to information whether 
or not it is also in the Federal government's possession.
    FRA notes that paragraph (a) has been reformatted for clarity from 
the proposal in the NPRM. Paragraph (a) is divided into paragraph 
(a)(1) and (2) after its introductory text. However, the formatting 
change does not, in itself, result in any substantive change to the 
paragraph.
    Paragraph (a)(1) describes what may be considered ``information'' 
for the purposes of this section. Section 20119(a) identifies reports, 
surveys, schedules, lists, and data as the forms of information that 
should be included as part of FRA's Study. However, FRA does not 
necessarily view this as an exclusive list. In the statute, Congress 
directed FRA to consider the need for protecting information that 
includes a railroad's analysis of its safety risks and its statement of 
the mitigation measures with which it will address those risks. Id. 
While the railroad is not required to provide in the SSP plan that it 
submits to FRA the results of the risk-based hazard analysis and the 
specific elimination or mitigation measures it will be implementing, 
the railroad may have a specific plan within its SSP that does contain 
this information. Therefore, to adequately protect this type of 
information, the term ``plan'' is included in the definition of 
``information'' to cover a railroad's submitted SSP plan and any 
elimination or mitigation plans the railroad otherwise develops within 
its SSP. FRA also deems it necessary to include ``documents'' in this 
provision to maintain consistency and properly effectuate Congress' 
directive in section 20119.
    This paragraph does not protect all information that is part of a 
SSP; these protections will extend only to information that is compiled 
or collected after August 14, 2017, solely for purpose of planning, 
implementing, or evaluating a system safety program. The term 
``compiled or collected'' is taken directly from section 20119(a). FRA 
recognizes that railroads may be reluctant to compile or collect 
extensive and detailed information regarding the safety hazards and 
resulting risks on their systems if this information could potentially 
be used against them in litigation. The term ``compiled'' refers to 
information that was generated by the railroad for the purposes of a 
SSP; whereas the term ``collected'' refers to information that was not 
necessarily generated for the purposes of the SSP, but was assembled in 
a collection for use by the SSP. It is important to note that in this 
context, only the collection is protected; however, each separate piece 
of information that was not originally compiled for use by the SSP 
remains subject to discovery and admission into evidence subject to any 
other applicable provision of law or regulation.
    Section 20119(b) prohibits the protections from becoming effective 
until one year after the adoption of the SSP rule. The necessary text 
has been added to paragraph (a) to implement this effective date.
    The information has to be compiled or collected solely for the 
purpose of planning, implementing, or evaluating a SSP. APTA commented 
that the use of the term ``solely'' is not adequately explained in the 
text of the regulation. APTA proposes that FRA either use a more 
appropriate term such as ``primarily'' or ``initially'' or that FRA 
define ``solely'' in the rule text, not just in the preamble. FRA 
agrees. The use of the term ``solely'' is deliberate and it is 
important that the term is understood as used within the four corners 
of the regulation. Therefore, FRA has included paragraph (a)(2), which 
defines the term ``solely.''
    As discussed in the section-by-section analysis for Sec.  270.1(c), 
NY MTA recommended that the term ``solely'' be deleted from paragraph 
(a) to protect studies or risk analyses that are not developed 
expressly to comply with this part. NY MTA believes that it is in the 
public interest to ensure that railroads conduct on-going and thorough 
self-critical examinations and expressed concern if these types of 
studies or analyses are not protected, they may be used against the 
railroad in court. As discussed below in response to APTA's request 
that FRA extend the protections to information collected as part of 
programs that existed before the SSP regulation but were similar to a 
SSP, FRA has the authority to protect only documents that are created 
pursuant to

[[Page 53880]]

a SSP; therefore, omitting the term ``solely'' would improperly expand 
the protections beyond the limits of FRA's authority.
    The term ``solely'' is intended to narrow circumstances in which 
the information will be protected. The use of the term ``solely'' means 
that the original purpose of compiling or collecting the information 
was exclusively for the railroad's SSP. A railroad cannot compile or 
collect information for one purpose and then try to use paragraph (a) 
to protect that information because it uses that information for its 
SSP as well. The railroad's original and singular purpose of compiling 
or collecting the information must be for planning, implementing, or 
evaluating its SSP in order for the protections to be extended to that 
information. The term ``solely'' also means that a railroad shall 
continue to use the information only for its SSP. If a railroad 
subsequently uses, for any other purpose, information that was 
initially compiled or collected for its SSP, paragraph (a) does not 
protect that information to the extent that it is used for the non-
system safety program purpose. The use of that information within the 
railroad's SSP, however, will remain protected. If the railroad is 
required by another provision of law or regulation to collect the 
information, the protections of paragraph (a) do not extend to that 
information because it is not being compiled or collected solely for 
the purpose of planning, implementing, or evaluating a SSP. For 
example, 49 CFR 234.313 requires railroads to retain records regarding 
emergency notification system (ENS) reports of unsafe conditions at 
highway-rail grade crossings. Those individual records are not 
protected by Sec.  270.105. However, if as part of its risk-based 
hazard analysis a railroad collects several of its Sec.  234.313 
reports from a specific time period for the sole purpose of determining 
if there are any hazards at highway-rail grade crossings, this 
collection will be protected as used in the SSP. If the railroad 
decides to use the collection for another purpose other than in its 
SSP, such as submitting it to an ENS maintenance contractor for routine 
maintenance, the protections are not extended to that non-SSP use.
    The information must be compiled or collected solely for the 
purpose of planning, implementing, or evaluating a SSP. The three 
terms--planning, implementing, or evaluating--are taken directly from 
section 20119(a). These terms cover the necessary uses of the 
information compiled or collected solely for the SSP. To properly plan 
and develop a SSP, a railroad will need to determine the proper 
processes and procedures to identify hazards, the resulting risks, and 
elimination or mitigation measures to address those hazards and risks. 
This planning will involve gathering information about the various 
analysis tools and processes best suited for that particular railroad's 
operations. This type of information is essential to the risk-based 
hazard analysis and is information that a railroad does not necessarily 
already have. In order for the railroad to plan its SSP, the 
protections are extended to the SSP planning stage. The NPRM used the 
term ``developing'' instead of ``planning''; however, to remain 
consistent with section 20119(a), FRA has determined that the term 
``planning'' is more appropriate.
    Based on the information generated by the risk-based hazard 
analysis, the railroad will implement measures to eliminate or mitigate 
the hazards and risks identified. To properly implement these measures, 
the railroad will need the information regarding the hazards and risks 
on the railroad's system identified during the development stage. 
Therefore, the protection of this information is extended to the 
implementation stage.
    The protections do not apply to information regarding mitigations 
that the railroad implements. Rather, the railroad's statement of 
mitigation measures, which could include various proposed and alternate 
mitigations for a specific hazard, that address the hazards identified 
by the risk-based hazard analysis is protected. Additionally, the 
underlying risk analysis information that the implemented mitigation 
measure addresses is also protected. For instance, if a railroad builds 
a structure to address a risk identified by the risk-based hazard 
analysis, the information regarding that structure (e.g., blueprints, 
contracts, permits, etc.) is not protected by this section; however, 
the underlying risk-based hazard analysis that identified the hazard 
and any statement of mitigations that included the structure is 
protected.
    The protections also do not apply to any hazards, risks, or 
mitigations that fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of another 
Federal agency. If FRA does not have jurisdiction over a hazard, risk, 
or mitigation, then the protections under this paragraph cannot be 
extended to that hazard, risk, or mitigation.
    The railroad will also be required to evaluate whether the measures 
it implements to mitigate or eliminate the hazards and risks identified 
by the risk-based hazard analysis are effective. To do so, it will need 
to review the information developed by the risk-based hazard analysis 
and the methods used to implement the elimination/mitigation measures. 
The use of this information in the evaluation of the railroad's SSP is 
protected.
    The information covered by this section shall not be subject to 
discovery, admitted into evidence, or considered for other purposes in 
a Federal or State court proceeding that involves a claim for damages 
involving personal injury, wrongful death, or property damage. The 
protections affect the discovery, admission into evidence, or 
consideration for other purposes of the information described in this 
section. The first two situations come directly from section 20119(a); 
however, FRA determined that for the protections to be effective they 
must also apply to any other situation where a litigant might try to 
use the information in a Federal or State court proceeding that 
involves a claim for damages involving personal injury, wrongful death, 
or property damage. For example, under this section a litigant will be 
prohibited from admitting into evidence a railroad's risk-based hazard 
analysis. Nonetheless, without the additional language: ``or considered 
for other purposes,'' the railroad's risk-based hazard analysis could 
be used by a party for the purpose of refreshing the recollection of a 
witness or by an expert witness to support an opinion. The additional 
language ensures that the protected information remains out of such a 
proceeding completely. The protections would be ineffective if a 
litigant were able to use the information in the proceeding for another 
purpose. To encourage railroads to perform the necessary vigorous risk 
analysis and to implement truly effective elimination or mitigation 
measures, the protections are extended to any use in a proceeding.
    This section applies to Federal or State court proceedings that 
involve a claim for damages involving personal injury, wrongful death, 
or property damage. This means, for example, if a proceeding has a 
claim for personal injury and a claim for property damage, the 
protections are extended to that entire proceeding; therefore, a 
litigant cannot use any of the information protected by this section as 
it applies to either the personal injury or property damage claim. 
Section 20119(a) required the Study to consider proceedings that 
involve a claim for damages involving personal injury or wrongful 
death; however, to effectuate Congress' intent behind section 20156, 
that railroads engage in a robust and candid hazard analysis and 
develop meaningful mitigation measures, FRA has determined that it is 
necessary for

[[Page 53881]]

the protections to be extended to proceedings that involve a claim 
solely for property damage. The typical railroad accident resulting in 
injury or death also involves some form of property damage. Without 
extending the protection to proceedings that involve a claim for 
property damage, a litigant could bring two separate claims arising 
from the same incident in two separate proceedings, the first for 
property damages and the second one for personal injury or wrongful 
death, and be able to conduct discovery regarding the railroad's risk 
analysis and to introduce this analysis in the property damage 
proceeding but not in the personal injury or wrongful death proceeding. 
This would mean that a railroad's risk analysis could be used against 
the railroad in a proceeding for damages. If this were the case, a 
railroad would be hesitant to engage in a robust and candid hazard 
analysis and develop meaningful elimination or mitigation measures. 
Such an approach would be nonsensical and would completely frustrate 
Congress' intent in providing FRA the ability to protect that 
information which is necessary to ensure that open and complete risk 
assessments are performed and appropriate mitigation measures are 
selected and implemented. Therefore, to be consistent with 
Congressional intent behind section 20156, FRA has decided to extend 
the protections in paragraph (a) to proceedings that involve a claim 
for property damage. Furthermore, RSAC, which includes railroads and 
rail labor organizations as members, recommended to FRA that the 
protections be extended in this way to proceedings that involve a claim 
for property damage.
    Paragraph (b) ensures that the protections set forth in paragraph 
(a) do not extend to information compiled or collected for a purpose 
other than that specifically identified in paragraph (a). This type of 
information shall continue to be discoverable, admissible into 
evidence, or considered for other purposes if it was before the date 
the protections take effect. The type of information that will not 
receive the protections provided by paragraph (a) include: (1) 
Information that was compiled or collected on or before August 14, 
2017; (2) information that was compiled or collected on or before 
August 14, 2017, and continues to be compiled or collected, even if 
used to plan, implement, or evaluate a railroad's SSP; or (3) 
information that is compiled or collected after August 14, 2017, for a 
purpose other than that specifically identified in paragraph (a) of 
this section. Paragraph (b) affirms the intent behind the use of the 
term ``solely'' in paragraph (a), in that a railroad may not compile or 
collect information for a different purpose and then expect to use 
paragraph (a) to protect that information just because the information 
is also used in its SSP. If the information was originally compiled or 
collected for a purpose unrelated to the railroad's SSP, then it is 
unprotected and will continue to be unprotected.
    Examples of the types of information that paragraph (b) applies to 
may be records related to prior incidents/accidents and reports 
prepared in the normal course of railroad business (such as inspection 
reports). Generally, this type of information is often discoverable, 
may be admissible in Federal and State proceedings, and should remain 
discoverable and admissible where it is relevant and not unduly 
prejudicial to a party after the implementation of this part. However, 
FRA recognizes that evidentiary decisions are based on the facts of 
each particular case; therefore, FRA does not intend this to be a 
definitive and authoritative list. Rather, FRA merely provides these as 
examples of the types of information that paragraph (a) is not intended 
to protect.
    In commenting on the NPRM, the Labor Organizations requested that 
FRA provide a list of examples of information that is currently 
discoverable and admissible and will remain so after the enactment of 
the protections. The Labor Organizations pointed out that such a list 
was provided to FRA during the Risk Reduction Working Group 
deliberations and they would like the list to be placed in the 
discussion of the final rule. While the list that was provided was 
instructive, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, evidentiary 
decisions are based on the facts of each particular case and a court's 
ruling in one case does not guarantee that another court's ruling in 
another jurisdiction will be the same. FRA believes that the examples 
provided in the previous paragraph are more than sufficient to provide 
a general idea of the types of information covered by paragraph (b) 
that are not protected.
    APTA requested that FRA extend the protections to information 
collected as part of programs that existed before the SSP regulation 
but were similar to a SSP. APTA pointed out that this information will 
now be collected under the SSP rule and therefore should receive the 
protections provided by paragraph (a). APTA believes that the 
exclusions in paragraph (b) will incentivize railroads with existing 
SSP-like programs to shut down their programs in anticipation of this 
part because the information from the SSP-like programs will not be 
protected even if it were collected as part of the SSP under this part. 
While FRA understands APTA's concern, FRA does not have the authority 
to provide retroactive protection to information that was compiled or 
collected before the protections take effect. The study section 
20119(a) mandated only addresses information compiled and collected 
pursuant to the statutory-mandated risk reduction program. Since a SSP 
is a risk reduction program mandated by statute (section 20156), the 
information protections can only be extended to information compiled or 
collected pursuant to a SSP. This means that any information compiled 
or collected before the protections take effect is not protected 
because that is not information compiled or collected pursuant to a 
SSP. Furthermore, since this is information compiled or collected 
before the protections take effect, the fact that after the protections 
take effect the information will be compiled or collected pursuant to 
the SSP does not mean that the information will then be protected. By 
virtue of the information being compiled or collected before the SSP 
rule protections take effect, it is not information collected 
``solely'' for the SSP that is protected by this rule. To clarify this 
distinction, FRA has included language in the exception in paragraph 
(b)(2).
    Pursuant to paragraph (b)(2), if a railroad compiled or collected 
certain information that was subject to discovery, admissibility, or 
consideration for other purposes before the protections take effect and 
the railroad continues to collect the same type of information pursuant 
to its SSP required by this part, that information will not be 
protected by paragraph (a) of this section. For example, before this 
section takes effect and all else being equal, a litigant that would 
have been able to have admitted into evidence certain information the 
railroad compiled will still be able to have that type of information 
admitted after this section takes effect even if the railroad compiles 
the information pursuant to this rule. The protections are designed to 
apply only when the original purpose for the generation of the 
information was for a SSP required by this part. The original purpose 
of the generation of the information for the SSP-like programs that 
existed before the SSP rule would not be for a SSP required by this 
part; therefore, such information is not protected by paragraph (a).

[[Page 53882]]

    Paragraph (b)(3) reaffirms that information that is compiled or 
collected for a purpose other than solely for the purpose of planning, 
implementing, or evaluating a SSP, shall not be protected.
    This section is not intended to replace any other protections 
provided by law or regulation. Accordingly, paragraph (c) states that 
the protections set forth in this section will not affect or abridge in 
any way any other protection of information provided by another 
provision of law or regulation. Any such provision of law or regulation 
shall apply independently of the protections provided by this section.
    Paragraph (d) clarifies that a litigant cannot rely on State 
discovery rules, evidentiary rules, or sunshine laws that could be used 
to require the disclosure of information that is protected by paragraph 
(a) in a Federal or State court proceeding for damages involving 
personal injury, wrongful death, or property damage. This provision is 
necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the Federal protections 
established in paragraph (a) in situations where there is a conflict 
with State discovery rules or sunshine laws in a Federal or State court 
proceeding for damages involving personal injury, wrongful death, or 
property damage. The concept that Federal law takes precedence where 
there is a direct conflict between State and Federal law should not be 
controversial as it derives from the constitutional principal that 
``the Laws of the United States . . . shall be the supreme Law of the 
Land.'' U.S. Const., Art. VI. Additionally, FRA notes that 49 U.S.C. 
20106 is applicable to this section. Section 20106 provides that States 
may not adopt or continue in effect any law, regulation, or order 
related to railroad safety or security that covers the subject matter 
of a regulation prescribed or order issued by the Secretary of 
Transportation (with respect to railroad safety matters) or the 
Secretary of Homeland Security (with respect to railroad security 
matters), except when the State law, regulation, or order qualifies 
under the ``essentially local safety or security hazard'' exception to 
section 20106. In this regard, FRA's Study concluded that a rule 
``limiting the use of information collected as part of a railroad 
safety risk reduction program in discovery or litigation'' furthers the 
public interest by ``ensuring safety through effective railroad safety 
risk reduction program plans'' (see Study at 64); FRA concurs in this 
conclusion.
    NY MTA commented that it is in the public interest to protect risk 
analysis information from production in response to FOIA requests and 
State freedom of information laws. NY MTA requested that the protection 
from these types of information disclosure laws be applied to 
information about system vulnerabilities that could be of interest to 
terrorist threats. As discussed in the Statutory Background section, 
section 20118(c) gives FRA the discretion to prohibit the public 
disclosure of risk analyses or risk mitigation analyses obtained under 
other FRA regulations if FRA determines that the prohibition of public 
disclosure is necessary to promote public safety. Furthermore, if a 
railroad believes that certain risk analysis information qualifies as 
Sensitive Security Information (SSI), the information can be submitted 
to FRA for such a determination. If FRA determines the information 
qualifies as SSI or if the railroad has some other acceptable basis for 
requesting confidential treatment, pursuant to 49 CFR 209.11, the 
information will be appropriately marked and handled, which includes 
redacting it from any publicly disclosed documents.
    Section 20119(b) mandates that the effective date of any rule 
prescribed pursuant to that section must be one year after the adoption 
of that rule. As discussed in the Statutory Background section, FRA is 
developing, with the assistance of the RSAC, a separate risk reduction 
rule that would implement the requirements of sections 20156, 20118, 
and 20119 for Class I freight railroads and railroads with inadequate 
safety performance. In the NPRM for this final rule, FRA proposed to 
apply the protections and the exceptions for SSP information proposed 
in that NPRM to the information in the forthcoming RRP final rule. The 
effect of that proposal would have been to make the protections for the 
forthcoming RRP final rule applicable one year after the publication of 
this final rule establishing part 270 rather than one year after 
publication of the RRP final rule. FRA sought comment on this proposal 
and received one comment from APTA, who supported the proposal.
    After further consideration, FRA has determined to implement the 
RRP protections in the RRP final rule rather than in this rule. Because 
section 20119(b) states that ``[a]ny such rule prescribed pursuant to 
this subsection shall not become effective until 1 year after its 
adoption,'' FRA has concluded that the RSIA requires that each rule's 
implementing information protections must have its own independent 
implementation timeline. (Emphasis added.) FRA believes this revised 
approach is a better reflection of the Congressional intent in section 
20119(b). Further, the revised approach ensures that FRA has complied 
with notice and comment procedures of the Administrative Procedure Act 
for both the SSP and RRP rulemakings.
Section 270.107 Consultation Requirements
    This section implements section 20156(g)(1), which states that a 
railroad required to establish a SSP must ``consult with, employ good 
faith and use its best efforts to reach agreement with, all of its 
directly affected employees, including any non-profit employee labor 
organization representing a class or craft of directly affected 
employees of the railroad carrier, on the contents of the safety risk 
reduction program.'' This section also implements section 20156(g)(2), 
which further provides that if a ``railroad carrier and its directly 
affected employees, including any nonprofit employee labor organization 
representing a class or craft of directly affected employees of the 
railroad carrier, cannot reach consensus on the proposed contents of 
the plan, then directly affected employees and such organizations may 
file a statement with the Secretary explaining their views on the plan 
on which consensus was not reached.'' Section 20156(g)(2) requires FRA 
to consider these views during review and approval of a railroad's SSP 
plan. The consultation requirements were proposed in Sec.  270.102 of 
the NPRM; however, to remain consistent with CFR section numbering 
format, this section is designated as Sec.  270.107 in this final rule.
    RSAC did not provide recommended language for this section. Rather, 
FRA worked with the System Safety Task Group to receive input regarding 
how the consultation process should be addressed, with the 
understanding that language would be provided in the NPRM for review 
and comment. In response to consultation process language proposed in 
the NPRM, FRA received comments from AAR, APTA, Labor Organizations, 
Metra, NY MTA, and an individual commenter.
    The Labor Organizations commented that FRA improperly classified 
the process under section 20156(g) as one of consultation. The Labor 
Organizations believe that section 20156(g) requires a process of 
negotiation or bargaining with the directly affected employees, not one 
of consultation. Nothing in the text of section 20156(g) requires 
railroads to negotiate or bargain with directly affected employees; 
rather, the statute requires the railroads to ``consult with, employ 
good faith and use [their]

[[Page 53883]]

best efforts to reach agreement with'' directly affected employees 
(including the Labor Organizations) on the contents of the SSP plan. 
Throughout the RSAC discussions, FRA referred to this process as one of 
consultation, not one of negotiation or bargaining. The proposed text 
in the NPRM is consistent with section 20156(g), and FRA does not agree 
with the Labor Organizations' belief that the statute requires a 
process of negotiation or bargaining. Requiring a process of 
negotiation and bargaining would be beyond the scope of section 
20156(g).
    APTA believes that the consultation requirements in the final rule 
should mirror text in section 20156(g), and nothing more is needed. 
Specifically, APTA believes that anything more than the statutory text 
would be counter-productive, interfere with business relationships, and 
blur the line between FRA and the National Labor Relations Board's 
(NLRB) responsibilities. FRA disagrees. FRA believes that Sec.  270.107 
and the accompanying Appendix clarify and provide a workable framework 
for the railroads. As for the blurring of FRA's and NLRB's 
responsibilities, APTA did not provide any examples in which FRA 
proposed to intrude upon NLRB's responsibilities. It isn't clear, 
therefore, to which NLRB responsibilities APTA is referring.
    Paragraph (a)(1) of this section implements section 20156(g)(1) by 
requiring a railroad to consult with its directly affected employees on 
the contents of its SSP plan. As part of that consultation, a railroad 
must utilize good faith and best efforts to reach agreement with its 
directly affected employees on the contents of its plan. APTA requested 
that FRA expand the consultation requirement to include all parties, 
including the directly affected employees and those with significant 
safety responsibilities because, as proposed, the rule would not 
require any entities other than the railroads to consult in good faith. 
APTA is concerned that some railroads may not have authority or 
leverage to successfully bring the other parties to the table during 
the consultations. FRA agrees that all of the necessary entities should 
participate in the consultation process; however, section 20156(g) 
requires only the railroad to employ good faith and use its best 
efforts to reach agreement with all of its directly affected employees. 
Pursuant to paragraph (b)(2), if the railroad and certain directly 
affected employees cannot reach agreement, the railroad will provide a 
consultation statement to FRA that identifies any known areas of non-
agreement and an explanation of why the railroad believes agreement was 
not reached. This will be the railroad's opportunity to explain whether 
the result of non-agreement is due to the directly affected employees 
not acting in good faith or not using their best efforts. Pursuant to 
paragraph (c), the employees will then have the opportunity to file a 
statement which will be their opportunity to explain why they or why 
the railroad believes they did not use good faith or best efforts. 
Since section 20156(g) requires only the railroad to act in good faith 
and use best efforts, FRA may approve a plan even if the directly 
affected employees did not act in good faith or did not use their best 
efforts, just as long as the railroad employed good faith and best 
efforts. This means that a railroad will satisfy section 20156(g) if it 
can show that it acted in good faith and used best efforts to reach 
agreement, even if other parties did not. FRA believes this will 
provide the ``authority'' or ``leverage'' raised by APTA for a railroad 
to bring the necessary parties to the table. The directly affected 
employees will not be able to block approval of a railroad's SSP plan 
by not acting in good faith or using their own best efforts, as APTA 
suggests. Rather, the consultation process is the opportunity for the 
directly affected employees to provide input and work with the railroad 
to create a SSP plan that addresses any issues the employees believe 
are critical to the safety of the railroad. If the directly affected 
employees fail to act in good faith or do not use their best efforts, 
they will miss an opportunity to have their voices fully heard and may 
end up being required to comply under the regulation with a SSP plan in 
which they did not effectively provide input.
    APTA also requested that the consultation process be modified so 
that the process provides a structure for working collaboratively in 
the development of the SSP and a methodology to handle disputes or 
reasonable differences in opinion on how to implement the plan. FRA 
believes that Sec.  270.107 and Appendix B provide a workable, but 
flexible framework so that the parties can work collaboratively on the 
development of a SSP and handle any disputes that arise. APTA did not 
provide any suggestions regarding what type of modifications should be 
made, so it is unclear to FRA what in the rule should be modified from 
the NPRM.
    Paragraph (a)(2) as proposed in the NPRM specified that the term 
directly affected employees included any non-profit employee labor 
organization representing a class or craft of the railroad's directly 
affected employees. The proposed paragraph made it clear that a 
railroad that consults with a non-profit employee labor organization is 
considered to have consulted with the directly affected employees 
represented by that organization. However, FRA has removed this 
language from paragraph (a)(2) and incorporated it into paragraphs 
(a)(1) and (2).
    Paragraph (a)(2) clarifies that if a railroad contracts out 
significant portions of its operations, the contractor and the 
contractor's employees performing the railroad's operations shall be 
considered directly affected employees for the purposes of this part. 
While this provision was not expressly proposed in the NPRM, FRA 
believes it is necessary to address how the consultation process will 
be handled when a railroad contracts out significant portions of its 
operations to other entities. The contracts should be ongoing and 
involve significant aspects of the railroad's operations. For example, 
if a railroad contracts out maintenance of its locomotives and rail 
cars to another entity, it is vital for the employees who are 
performing this maintenance to be part of that railroad's SSP and have 
the opportunity to provide their valuable input on the SSP. Another 
example would be if a railroad contracts out the actual operations of 
its passenger rail to another entity; the contracted entity that is 
operating the trains on behalf of the railroad would certainly need to 
be part of the consultation process. If a railroad is unsure whether a 
contracted entity is a directly affected employee for the purposes of 
this part, FRA encourages the railroads and other interested 
stakeholders to contact FRA for guidance.
    Paragraph (a)(3) in the NPRM proposed to require a railroad to meet 
with its directly affected employees no later than 180 days after the 
effective date of the final rule to discuss the consultation process. 
This requirement has been included in paragraph (a)(3) of the final 
rule. This meeting will be the railroad's and directly affected 
employees' opportunity to schedule, plan, and discuss the consultation 
process. FRA does not expect a railroad to discuss any substantive 
material until the information protections provisions of Sec.  270.105 
become applicable. Because some commenters appeared to believe that 
this meeting would discuss the substance of the SSP plan, FRA is 
including language in paragraph (a)(3) specifying that the railroad is 
not required to discuss the substance of a SSP plan. Rather, this 
meeting should be administrative in nature so that all parties 
understand the consultation

[[Page 53884]]

process as they go forward and that they may engage in substantive 
discussions as soon as possible after the protections of Sec.  270.105 
become applicable. The meeting will also be an opportunity for the 
railroad to educate the directly affected employees on system safety 
and how it may affect them. Under paragraph (a)(3)(ii), the railroad 
will be required to provide notice to the directly affected employees 
no less than 60 days before the meeting is held.
    In commenting on the NPRM, the Labor Organizations pointed out that 
the meeting under paragraph (a)(3) is the only meeting required by this 
rule and there is no requirement to have a meeting to discuss the 
substance of the SSP plan. The Labor Organizations believe that 
meetings regarding the substance of the SSP plan can occur before the 
protections of Sec.  270.105 become applicable, because in the past 
with other programs (e.g., the Confidential Close Call Reporting 
Program), the railroads and the Labor Organizations have agreed to 
confidentiality. As stated in the previous paragraph, the meeting 
required by paragraph (a)(3) will be the railroad's and the Labor 
Organizations' opportunity to schedule and plan the consultation 
process. This means that at the first meeting, the parties will 
schedule the future meetings to discuss the substance of the SSP plan. 
Since every railroad operation varies by scale and work force, FRA 
believes setting forth a rigid consultation meeting schedule would be 
unworkable and inconsistent with the flexibility that the SSP aims to 
provide. The initial meeting under paragraph (a)(3) provides both the 
railroad and the labor organizations the flexibility to tailor the 
consultation process to their specific needs. Additionally, FRA has 
extended the time between the date that the Sec.  270.105 information 
protections are applicable and when the railroads will be required to 
submit their SSP plans, thereby extending the amount of time during 
which consultation on the substance of the SSP plans will occur. As for 
consultation on the substance of a SSP plan before the date the Sec.  
270.105 protections are applicable, nothing in the rule restricts any 
railroad from doing so, and if the parties can enter into a 
confidentiality agreement regarding this information, they are free to 
do so. FRA does note, however, that any such confidentiality agreement 
is unrelated to this rule and would not affect the use of any such 
information in legal proceedings, to the extent otherwise permitted by 
law.
    The Labor Organizations also expressed concern with the amount of 
time estimated in the rule's Paperwork Reduction Act analysis for the 
railroads to consult with the directly affected employees and the 
amount of time to prepare a statement under paragraph (b)(2). The 
Paperwork Reduction Act analysis estimated that each railroad would 
have four consultation meetings at 4 hours each for a total of 16 hours 
and that a statement under paragraph (b)(2) would take 20 minutes to 
prepare. The Labor Organizations claim that these estimated time 
periods are too short and would result in an inconsequential amount of 
time for consultation on the contents of the plan. FRA notes that the 
time periods in the Paperwork Reduction Act analysis were only 
estimates and comments were requested on these estimates. See 77 FR 
55401. The Labor Organizations' comments do not provide suggested time 
periods that they believe are more appropriate. However, in this final 
rule, FRA has reevaluated the burdens under the Paperwork Reduction Act 
and is providing new estimates based on the Labor Organizations' 
concerns. FRA has increased its estimate of the number of consultations 
with directly affected employees to 28 and has increased the burden 
time of each consultation to 40 hours. Further, FRA has increased the 
number of consultation statements to 30. Of these, 28 consultation 
statements will take 80 hours to complete and two consultations will 
take two hours to complete
    Multiple commenters requested FRA modify the timeline in paragraph 
(a)(3). APTA believes that the proposed consultation (and SSP 
implementation) schedule is not practical and may not be possible to 
comply with. APTA states that the requirement to have the initial 
consultation with the directly affected employees within 180 days of 
the effective date of the rule is not reasonably achievable. According 
to APTA, some railroads would be hard pressed to meet this deadline due 
to the size of their operations and the variety of directly affected 
employees they would be required to notify. APTA proposes that, rather 
than requiring the initial consultation to be completed, Sec.  270.201 
should require that the initial consultation only begin within the 180 
days. FRA notes that Sec.  270.107(a)(3) requires the railroad only to 
meet ``to discuss the consultation process,'' not to complete the 
initial consultation process. As discussed in the previous paragraph, 
this meeting will be administrative in nature and FRA does not expect 
the railroad to discuss the substance of the SSP plan. FRA makes clear 
that it does not expect the railroad to complete an initial 
consultation on the substance of the SSP plan within this 180-day 
period; rather, it is understandable that the railroad will wait until 
the date the Sec.  270.105 protections become applicable before it 
begins the consultation on the substance of the plan. APTA also 
requested that the deadline to file the SSP plan pursuant to Sec.  
270.201 be extended so that there would be more time to consult with 
the directly affected employees on the substance of the SSP plan. FRA 
is extending this time period as discussed in the section-by-section 
analysis for Sec.  270.201(a), below.
    NY MTA and Metra proposed that FRA extend the 180-day deadline for 
the meeting to 365 days due to the number of employees working under 
numerous contracts that would need to meet to discuss the consultation 
process. FRA declines to extend this 180-day period to 365 days because 
it would be inconsistent with the purpose of requiring the meeting. As 
discussed above, this meeting will be administrative in nature and FRA 
does not expect the meeting to address the substance of the SSP plan. 
If the time period were extended to 365 days after the effective date 
of the rule, a railroad could hold the initial meeting on day 364, and 
121 days \9\ later the railroad would be required to submit the SSP 
plan to FRA. This would make it very difficult for the railroads and 
directly affected employees to initiate and complete the consultation 
process in a timely and meaningful manner. Instead, by having the 
initial meeting within 180 days after the effective date of the rule, 
all parties will have a clear understanding of the consultation 
process, so that once the meetings begin regarding the substance of the 
SSP plan (presumably after the date the Sec.  270.105 protections 
become applicable), the parties can focus on the SSP plan and not the 
actual consultation process.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ Based on comments received, the deadline to submit SSP plans 
to FRA pursuant to Sec.  270.201 is extended to 545 days after the 
publication of the final SSP rule. This is discussed further in the 
section-by-section analysis for Sec.  270.201(a)(1). The statement 
that a railroad would have 121 days to submit an SSP plan takes into 
account this extension of the submission deadline.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    NY MTA also commented that the consultation process should not even 
begin until after the date the protections in Sec.  270.105 become 
applicable because protection is needed to ensure that railroads and 
employees are not discouraged from actively identifying hazards. FRA 
agrees that the consultation regarding the substance of a SSP plan 
could not fully begin until after the date the Sec.  270.105 
protections

[[Page 53885]]

become applicable, which is why the meeting required by paragraph 
(a)(3) is required only to address the consultation process, not the 
substance of the SSP plan.
    Finally, Metra requested that FRA clarify that the 60-day 
notification requirement only applies to the initial meeting to discuss 
the consultation process, and no other meeting. FRA agrees and has 
included paragraph (a)(3)(ii), which is based on the last sentence of 
proposed paragraph (a)(3). Paragraph (a)(3)(ii) provides that a 
railroad shall notify the directly affected employees of the 
preliminary meeting no less than 60 days before it is held, thereby 
clarifying that the 60-day period refers only to this preliminary 
meeting.
    Paragraph (a)(4) directs readers to Appendix B for additional 
guidance on how a railroad might comply with the consultation 
requirements of Sec.  270.107. The appendix and the comments received 
in response are discussed later in this preamble in the section-by-
section analysis for the Appendix B.
    An individual commenter requested that the consultation 
requirements be more detailed. The commenter suggested adding the 
following requirements: (1) Visibly post the SSP requirements under 
this part before the SSP is created because, according to the 
commenter, the parties tend to get ``dug in'' once the consultation 
begins and everyone has expressed their position; (2) hold biannual or 
quarterly meetings between parties regarding safety hazards and risks 
and provide the meeting minutes to FRA; (3) have a system in which 
perceived unsafe work orders can be challenged; (4) do not allow a 
fully implemented SSP to be changed in a way that reduces safety 
without FRA approval; and (5) establish a committee to make 
recommendations on uniform minimum standards for working on the right-
of-way, including intercity rail.
    As for the commenter's first and second suggested requirements, FRA 
seeks to provide the railroads and their directly affected employees 
the flexibility to tailor the consultation process to their specific 
operations. Therefore, adopting these requirements would only take away 
some of this flexibility. The commenter's third suggested requirement 
is actually a type of mitigation measure a railroad may put in place to 
address identified hazards and resulting risks. However, FRA is not 
requiring specific mitigation measures under this rule; consequently, 
FRA declines to adopt the suggested mitigation measure. The commenter's 
fourth suggested requirement raises an issue that is addressed in Sec.  
270.201(c), below. Finally, regarding the commenter's fifth suggested 
requirement, FRA's RSAC has established working groups and task forces 
to addresses safety across a wide range of areas, including right-of-
way safety. In fact, the safety of roadway workers along the right-of-
way is specifically addressed in FRA's regulations at 49 CFR part 214. 
Accordingly, FRA believes it unnecessary to adopt this suggested 
requirement.
    Paragraph (b) requires a railroad to submit, together with its SSP 
plan, a consultation statement. The purpose of this consultation 
statement is twofold: (1) To help FRA determine whether the railroad 
has complied with Sec.  270.107(a) by, in good faith, consulting with 
and using its best efforts to reach agreement with its directly 
affected employees on the contents of its SSP plan; and (2) to ensure 
that the directly affected employees with which the railroad has 
consulted are aware of the railroad's submission of its SSP plan to FRA 
for review. The consultation statement must contain specific 
information described in paragraphs (b)(1) through (4) of this section.
    Paragraph (b)(1) requires that the consultation statement contain a 
detailed description of the process the railroad utilized to consult 
with its directly affected employees. This description should contain 
information such as (but not limited to) the following: (1) How many 
meetings the railroad held with its directly affected employees; (2) 
what materials the railroad provided its directly affected employees 
regarding the draft SSP plan; and (3) how input from directly affected 
employees was received and handled during the consultation process.
    If the railroad is unable to reach agreement with its directly 
affected employees on the contents of its SSP plan, paragraph (b)(2) 
requires that the consultation statement identify any known areas of 
disagreement and provide the railroad's explanation for why it believed 
agreement was not reached. A railroad could specify, in this portion of 
the statement, whether it was able to reach agreement on the contents 
of its SSP plan with certain directly affected employees, but not 
others.
    In commenting on the NPRM, AAR believes that paragraph (b)(2) 
should be removed. AAR states that a railroad cannot know the 
motivation behind its directly affected employees' decision (including 
a labor union's decision) to disagree with a railroad's SSP plan. FRA 
agrees that the railroad may not know the actual reason(s) why its 
directly affected employees could not reach agreement with it on the 
contents of the SSP plan. It is because of this that paragraph (b)(2) 
requires an explanation only as to why the railroad believes agreement 
was not reached--not what the directly affected employees believe. If 
agreement cannot be reached, this statement will provide a record of 
the railroad's account of the consultation process, and in turn will 
serve to help FRA evaluate whether good faith and best efforts were 
used.
    In the NPRM, Sec.  270.102(b)(3) proposed to require that the 
consultation statement identify any provision that would affect a 
provision of a collective bargaining agreement between the railroad and 
a non-profit employee labor organization and then explain how the 
railroad's SSP plan would affect it. In commenting on the NPRM, AAR 
believes this proposal is unnecessary and requested that FRA delete it. 
FRA agrees and has not included this provision in the final rule. 
Generally, FRA is not involved in the collective bargaining process and 
does not intend to become involved in the process because of this rule. 
However, if the labor organizations believe that the railroad's SSP 
plan violates the collective bargaining agreement, they may include 
this as part of their statement pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this 
section.
    Under paragraph (b)(3) in the final rule, proposed as paragraph 
(b)(4), the consultation statement must include a service list 
containing the name and contact information for the international/
national president of any non-profit employee labor organization 
representing directly affected employees and any directly affected 
employee who significantly participated in the consultation process 
independently of a non-profit labor organization. This paragraph also 
requires a railroad (at the same time it submits its proposed SSP plan 
and consultation statement to FRA) to provide individuals identified in 
the service list a copy of the SSP plan and consultation statement. 
This service list will help FRA determine whether the railroad has 
complied with the Sec.  270.107(a) requirement to consult with its 
directly affected employees. Requiring the railroad to provide 
individuals identified in the service list with a copy of its submitted 
plan and consultation statement also serves to notify those individuals 
that they have 30 days under Sec.  270.107(c)(2) (discussed below) to 
submit a statement to FRA if they were not able to come to reach 
agreement with the railroad on the contents of the SSP plan.
    As proposed in the NPRM, this paragraph would have required the

[[Page 53886]]

consultation statement to include a service list containing the names 
and contact information for the international/national president and 
general chairperson of the non-profit employee labor organizations 
representing a class or craft of the railroad's directly affected 
employees; any labor organization representative who participated in 
the consultation process; and any directly affected employee who 
significantly participated in the consultation process independently of 
a non-profit employee labor organization. In its comments on the NPRM, 
AAR requested that the service list be limited to the international/
national president of any non-profit employee labor organization 
representing a class or craft of the railroad's directly affected 
employees. AAR believes that including the general chairperson of these 
labor organizations and any labor organization representative who 
participated in the consultation process would be overly burdensome and 
that a railroad's inadvertent failure to serve one of the parties 
listed could be used against them and lead to FRA not approving the 
plan. AAR cites certain regulations of the Surface Transportation Board 
(STB) for which, when notification of labor unions is required, notice 
is given to the national office of the labor unions of the employee 
affected. See 49 CFR 1150.32(e) and 1150.42(e). AAR believes that 
service on the union presidents is sufficient because the unions are 
capable of notifying the necessary employees. FRA agrees. To minimize 
the paperwork burden and the potential for confusion, the service list 
under paragraph (b)(3) contains only the following: (1) The 
international/national president of any non-profit employee labor 
organization representing directly affected employees and (2) any 
directly affected employee who significantly participated in the 
consultation process independently of a non-profit employee labor 
organization. When directly affected employees are represented by a 
non-profit employee labor organization, limiting service to the 
president of the labor organization serves to ensure that the employees 
receive the same version of the SSP plan, thereby minimizing potential 
confusion.
    In commenting on the NPRM, the Labor Organizations requested that 
when a railroad submits its SSP plan and consultation statement to FRA, 
the railroad also ``simultaneously'' send a copy of these documents to 
all individuals identified in the service list. FRA agrees and has 
adopted this suggestion to ensure the directly affected employees 
receive the SSP plan and consultation statement at approximately the 
same time FRA does so that they have sufficient time to submit a 
statement to FRA pursuant to paragraph (c)(2).
    Finally, FRA notes that APTA, in commenting on the NPRM, believes 
that paragraph (b) applies different standards to the parties 
(railroads and directly affected employees) and presumes that failure 
to reach agreement would be based on the railroad's failure to use good 
faith. APTA recognizes that RSIA allows directly affected employees to 
file a statement with FRA regarding the areas of disagreement; however, 
APTA believes that paragraph (b) effectively shifts the burden to the 
railroads. APTA also claims that paragraph (b) presumes that if no 
agreement is reached, the SSP plan is deficient and the railroad failed 
to act in good faith, instead of considering the possibility that the 
SSP plan is adequate but the parties simply disagree. APTA therefore 
requests that proposed paragraphs (b)(1) through (3) not be included in 
the final rule.
    As discussed previously, FRA has not included proposed paragraph 
(b)(3) in this final rule. FRA also makes clear that, if there is 
disagreement between the railroad and certain directly affected 
employees, including their union representatives, the failure to reach 
an agreement does not, in itself, lead to a presumption that the 
railroad acted in bad faith or failed to use best efforts. Rather, the 
consultation statement required by paragraph (b) is the railroad's 
opportunity to explain why it believes there was disagreement. If 
paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) were not included in the final rule, as 
requested by APTA, FRA would only have the statement from the directly 
affected employees as an explanation as to why agreement was not 
reached. To make a balanced and well-informed decision on whether the 
railroad used good faith and best efforts, FRA believes it necessary to 
have a statement from both the railroad and the directly affected 
employees. Further, as noted in the discussion of paragraph (a)(1), FRA 
may approve a plan even if there is disagreement between the parties, 
as long as FRA can determine that the railroad consulted in good faith 
and used its best efforts to reach agreement. In this regard, it would 
be more difficult for FRA to make this determination without the 
consultation statement required by paragraphs (b)(1) and (2).
    Paragraph (c)(1) implements section 20156(g)(2) by providing that, 
if a railroad and its directly affected employees cannot reach 
agreement on the proposed contents of a SSP plan, then the directly 
affected employees may file a statement with the FRA Associate 
Administrator for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer explaining 
his or her views on the plan on which agreement was not reached. The 
FRA Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety 
Officer will consider any such views during the plan review and 
approval process. Appendix C sets forth the procedures for the 
submission of statements by directly affected employees.
    Paragraph (c)(2) specifies that a railroad's directly affected 
employees have 30 days following the date of the railroad's submission 
of its proposed SSP plan to submit the statement described in paragraph 
(c)(1) of this section. While the NPRM proposed to provide the directly 
affected employees 60 days to file such a statement, FRA believes that 
30 days is more appropriate. This decision takes into account that 
paragraph (b)(3) ensures that the directly affected employees are 
provided the SSP plan and the consultation statement at approximately 
the same time the documents are provided to FRA for review, as 
requested by the Labor Organizations. Moreover, pursuant to Sec.  
270.201(b), FRA will review a SSP plan within 90 days of receipt, as 
discussed below. As a result, if the directly affected employees were 
to have up to 60 days to submit a statement when agreement on the SSP 
plan was not reached, FRA would have only 30 days to consider the 
directly affected employees' views while reviewing the SSP plan. Thirty 
days would not be enough time to ensure that the directly affected 
employees' views are sufficiently addressed during the SSP plan review 
process.
    Paragraph (d) requires that a railroad's SSP plan include a 
description of the process a railroad will use to consult with its 
directly affected employees on any substantive amendments to the 
railroad's SSP plan. As with its initial SSP plan, a railroad must use 
good faith and best efforts to reach agreement with directly affected 
employees on any substantive amendments to the plan. Examples of 
substantive amendments could include the following: The addition of new 
stakeholder groups (or the removal of a stakeholder group); major 
changes to the processes employed, including changes to the frequency 
of governing body meetings; or changing the organizational level of the 
manager responsible for the SSP (e.g., changing from the Chief Safety 
Officer to someone who reports to the Chief Safety Officer). Requiring 
a railroad to detail that process in its plan facilitates the 
consultation by

[[Page 53887]]

establishing a known path to be followed. A railroad that does not 
follow this process when substantively amending its SSP plan may be 
subject to penalties for failing to comply with the provisions of its 
plan. However, this requirement does not apply to non-substantive 
amendments (e.g., amendments updating names and addresses of railroad 
personnel). If a railroad is uncertain as to whether a proposed 
amendment is substantive or non-substantive, it should contact FRA for 
guidance.

Subpart C--Review, Approval, and Retention of System Safety Program 
Plans

    Section 20156(a)(1)(B) requires a railroad to submit its SSP, 
including any of the required plans, to the Administrator (as delegate 
of the Secretary) for review and approval. Subpart C, Review, Approval, 
and Retention of System Safety Program Plans, addresses these statutory 
requirements.
Section 270.201 Filing and Approval
    This section sets forth the requirements for the filing of a SSP 
plan and FRA's approval process.
    Paragraph (a)(1) requires that each railroad submit one copy of its 
SSP plan to the FRA Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety and 
Chief Safety Officer no later than February 8, 2018, or not less than 
90 days before commencing operations, whichever is later. In the NPRM, 
FRA proposed requiring submission no later 395 days after the effective 
date of the final rule; however, many commenters expressed concern 
regarding this timeframe. The commenters believe that 395 days after 
the effective date of the rule is not a sufficient amount of time for a 
railroad to draft its SSP and conduct the necessary consultation with 
directly affected employees pursuant to Sec.  270.107. The commenters 
point out that since the protections under Sec.  270.105 do not go into 
effect until 365 days after the publication date of the rule, the 
requirement that the railroad submit its plan to FRA 395 days after the 
effective date does not provide enough time to conduct consultation 
regarding the substance of the SSP. To address these concerns, FRA has 
extended this submission deadline.
    The final rule requires a railroad to submit its SSP plan 180 days 
after the effective date of the protections. Per section 20119(b), the 
protections cannot go onto effect until 1 year after adoption of the 
final rule. The final rule will not be effective until 60 days after 
publication. Therefore, 365 days after publication, the railroad will 
have 180 days to submit its SSP. In other words, the railroad will 
submit its SSP plan to FRA 545 days after publication or 485 days after 
the effective date of the rule. FRA believes providing the railroads 
with additional time to submit their plans will allow for sufficient 
time to draft the SSP plan and conduct the necessary consultation with 
the directly affected employees pursuant to Sec.  270.107.
    In addition, APTA raised concerns regarding the requirement that 
new starts submit their plans not less than 90 days before commencing 
operations. APTA believes this is not sufficient time if operations 
begin before the protections under Sec.  270.105 are effective and 
therefore requests FRA consider extending the amount of time a railroad 
has to submit a plan before commencing operations. Under paragraph 
(a)(1), a railroad must have its SSP plan in place 90 days before 
commencing operations, or by February 8, 2018 (i.e., 180 days after the 
date the protections of Sec.  270.105 become applicable), whichever is 
later. This means that if a new start is commencing operations before 
the date the protections of Sec.  270.105 become applicable, the 
railroad will have at least until 180 days after the date the 
protections of Sec.  270.105 become applicable to submit a plan, given 
that the later submission date will apply. Accordingly, FRA believes 
that the rule provides a sufficient amount of time for a new start to 
develop its SSP plan in consultation with its directly affected 
employees and submit the plan to FRA for approval.
    Paragraph (a)(2) provides that the railroad shall not include the 
results of its risk-based hazard analysis in its SSP plan that it 
submits to FRA pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of this section. The SSP 
plan should only include the processes and methods used in the risk-
based hazard analysis as described in Sec.  270.103(p). However, since 
the risk-based hazard analysis is a vital element of a SSP, FRA will be 
available to assist the railroads and other stakeholders to ensure that 
this analysis is robust and addresses all the necessary aspects of the 
railroad's operations. To achieve this goal, representatives of FRA and 
States participating under part 212 of this chapter will have access to 
the railroad's risk-based hazard analysis pursuant to paragraph (a)(2).
    As part of its submission, the railroad must provide certain 
additional information. Primarily, under paragraph (a)(3), the SSP plan 
submission shall include the signature, name, title, address, and 
telephone number of the chief official responsible for safety and who 
bears primary managerial authority for implementing the SSP for the 
submitting railroad. By signing, this chief official is certifying that 
the contents of the SSP plan are accurate and that the railroad will 
implement the contents of the program as approved by FRA. The SSP plan 
shall also include the contact information for the primary person 
managing the SSP and the senior representatives of host railroads, 
contract operators, and shared track/corridor operators, if any, and 
any other person who utilizes or provides significant safety-related 
services. The term ``person'' has been included in paragraph 
(a)(3)(iii) to clarify what was meant by ``others'' as proposed in the 
NPRM. The inclusion of a person that utilizes or provides significant 
safety-related services is consistent with the discussion of Sec.  
270.103(d)(2). The contact information for the primary person managing 
the SSP is necessary so that FRA knows who to contact regarding any 
issues with the railroad's SSP. Likewise, the contact information for 
the senior representatives of any host railroad, contract operator, 
shared track/corridor operator, or other person who utilizes or 
provides significant safety-related services is necessary so that FRA 
knows who to contact regarding the involvement of these parties in 
implementing and supporting the railroad's SSP. Separately, FRA notes 
that it has included proposed paragraph (a)(5) in paragraph (a)(3) to 
maintain clarity. Paragraph (a)(5) in the NPRM proposed to require the 
chief official responsible for safety and who bears primary managerial 
authority for implementing the railroad's SSP to certify that the 
contents of the railroad's SSP plan are accurate and that the railroad 
will implement the contents of the program as approved by Sec.  
270.201(b). This proposed requirement is specifically reflected in 
paragraph (a)(3)(i).
    Paragraph (a)(4) references the requirements of Sec.  270.107(b), 
which requires a railroad to submit with its SSP plan a consultation 
statement describing how it consulted with its directly affected 
employees on the contents of its SSP. When the railroad provides the 
consultation statement to FRA, Sec.  270.107(b)(3) also requires that 
the railroad simultaneously provide a copy of the statement to certain 
directly affected employees identified in a service list. The directly 
affected employees can then file a statement for FRA's consideration in 
evaluating the proposed plan if they do so within 30 days after the 
railroad has filed its

[[Page 53888]]

consultation statement, as discussed in Sec.  270.107(c)(2).
    Paragraph (b) sets forth the FRA approval process for a railroad's 
SSP plan. Within 90 days of receipt, FRA will review the SSP plan to 
determine if the elements prescribed in this part are sufficiently 
addressed in the railroad's submission. FRA notes that the NPRM also 
proposed that FRA review would alternatively take place ``within 90 
days of receipt of each SSP plan submitted before the commencement of 
railroad operations.'' However, FRA has not included this alternative 
condition in the final rule because it would be duplicative and 
erroneously imply a difference in the 90-day period, when there would 
be none. FRA's review will consider any statement submitted by directly 
affected employees pursuant to Sec.  270.107. As with drafting the 
plan, FRA intends to work with the railroad and any necessary 
stakeholders when reviewing the plan.
    Once FRA determines whether a railroad's SSP plan complies with the 
requirements of this part, FRA will notify, in writing, each person 
identified by the railroad in Sec.  270.201(a)(3) whether the 
railroad's SSP plan is approved or not. The NPRM proposed that FRA 
notify ``the primary contact person of each affected railroad''; 
however, to maintain consistency within this section, FRA revised the 
language to ``each person identified by the railroad in Sec.  
270.201(a)(3).'' If FRA does not approve a plan, it will inform the 
railroad of the specific points in which the plan is deficient. FRA 
will also provide the notification to each individual identified in the 
service list accompanying the consultation statement required under 
Sec.  270.107(b). When the railroad receives notification that the plan 
is not approved and notice of the specific points in which the plan is 
deficient, the railroad has 90 days to correct all of the deficiencies 
identified and resubmit the plan to FRA under paragraph (b)(3). FRA had 
received comments expressing concern that 60 days was not a sufficient 
amount of time for a railroad to address the deficient points of a SSP 
plan, as proposed in the NPRM. To address this concern, FRA has 
extended the deadline to 90 days in the final rule.
    AAJ and the Labor Organizations expressed concern that railroads 
may claim that they are immune from any safety hazard claim or that a 
State law claim is preempted because FRA has approved a railroad's SSP 
plan. The Labor Organizations provided the example that if an employee 
is injured because of defective ballast in a yard, and a State has a 
regulation that sets forth walkway standards, a railroad may claim that 
the State law is preempted because FRA had approved the railroad's SSP 
which included walkway safety. Accordingly, the Labor Organizations 
suggested the following language to address this concern: ``Neither the 
approval by FRA of a railroad's System Safety Plan nor its compliance 
by a railroad shall be admitted into evidence in a lawsuit seeking 
damages for alleged negligence, nor shall a railroad claim that a state 
law or regulation is preempted, or that a federal law or regulation is 
precluded, because of such FRA approval or a railroad's compliance.'' 
FRA understands the concerns expressed by the commenters, and has 
included paragraph (b)(4) to address those concerns.
    The final rule requires the development of a SSP that must be 
approved by FRA. Under Sec.  270.103(p), the SSP includes a risk-based 
hazard management program that establishes the processes used in the 
risk-based hazard analysis to identify hazards and corresponding risks 
on the railroad's system and the methods used to identify actions that 
mitigate or eliminate the hazards and corresponding risks. Section 
270.201(a)(2) provides that the railroad shall not include in its SSP 
the risk-based hazard analysis that is conducted pursuant to Sec.  
270.103(q). Section 270.103(q) in turn provides that once FRA approves 
a railroad's SSP, the railroad is to apply the risk-based hazard 
analysis to identify and analyze hazards on the railroad's system, 
determine the resulting risks, and identify and implement specific 
actions that will mitigate or eliminate the hazards. Since FRA will not 
be reviewing or approving the specific mitigation and elimination 
measures that a railroad may adopt to address the hazards and risks 
that it identifies, the final rule is not intended to preempt State 
standards of care regarding the specific risk mitigation and mitigation 
actions a railroad will implement under its SSP. Accordingly, Sec.  
270.201(b)(4) clarifies that FRA approval of a railroad's SSP plan 
under this final rule does not constitute approval of the specific 
mitigation and elimination measures that the railroad will implement 
pursuant to Sec.  270.103(q)(2) and should not be construed as 
establishing a Federal standard of care regarding those specific 
actions.
    Paragraph (c) addresses the process a railroad will follow whenever 
it amends its SSP. When a railroad amends its SSP plan it shall submit 
the amended SSP plan to FRA not less than 60 days before the proposed 
effective date of the amendment(s). The railroad shall file the amended 
SSP plan with a cover letter outlining the proposed changes to the 
original, approved SSP plan. The cover letter should provide enough 
information so that FRA knows what is being added, removed, or changed 
from the original approved SSP. The railroad will also be required to 
follow the process described pursuant to Sec.  270.107(d) regarding the 
consultation with directly affected employees concerning the 
amendment(s) to the SSP plan. The railroad will describe in the cover 
letter the process it used to consult with its directly affected 
employees on the amendment(s).
    FRA recognizes that some amendments may be safety-critical and that 
the railroad may not be able to submit the amended SSP plan to FRA 60 
days before the proposed effective date of the amendments. In these 
instances, the railroad shall submit the amended SSP plan to FRA as 
near as possible to 60 days before the proposed effective date of the 
amendment(s). The railroad shall provide an explanation why the 
amendment is safety-critical and describe the effects of the amendment. 
The requirement that the railroad explain why the amendment is safety-
critical was not proposed in the NPRM; however, it was added to the 
final rule to ensure that it is clear to FRA and other stakeholders the 
nature of the amendment and why the railroad believes it is safety-
critical.
    FRA also recognizes that some amendments may be purely 
administrative in nature. While Sec.  270.201 subjects all changes to a 
SSP plan to a formal review and approval process, FRA believes that 
purely administrative changes should be excluded from the process so 
that the agency can focus its resources on more substantive matters. 
FRA has therefore included paragraph (c)(1)(iii) in the final rule to 
limit the need for formal FRA approval of purely administrative changes 
to previously approved SSP plans. This paragraph will allow these 
specific types of amendments to become effective immediately upon 
filing with FRA and thereby help to streamline the approval process. 
All other proposed amendments must comply with the formal approval 
process in paragraph (c) of this section.
    Except as provided in paragraph (c)(1)(iii), FRA will review the 
proposed amended SSP plan within 45 days of receipt, under paragraph 
(c)(2)(i). FRA will then notify the primary contact person whether the 
proposed amended SSP plan has been approved by FRA. If the amended plan 
is not approved, FRA

[[Page 53889]]

will provide the specific points in which each proposed amendment to 
the plan is deficient. If FRA does not notify the railroad whether the 
amended plan is approved or not by the proposed effective date of the 
amendment(s) to the plan, the railroad may implement the amendment(s) 
to the plan. This implementation, however, is subject to FRA's pending 
decision regarding whether the amendment is approved or not. This 
provision provides flexibility for railroads to implement proposed 
amendments pending FRA's decision, should FRA not affirmatively act 
within the prescribed time periods. However, should FRA not approve a 
proposed amendment, the railroad must follow the procedures in 
paragraph (c)(2)(iii) to re-implement the amendment.
    If a proposed amendment to the SSP plan is not approved by FRA, the 
railroad has two options: Correct all deficiencies and resubmit the 
amendment to FRA, or provide notice to FRA that it is retracting the 
proposed amendment. The final rule makes clear that the railroad may 
retract the proposed amendment rather than correct it, whichever option 
it believes best. The railroad will have 60 days following receipt of 
FRA's written notice that any proposed amendment was not approved to 
either submit a corrected copy of the amendment that addresses all 
deficiencies noted by FRA or to submit notice that the railroad is 
retracting the amendment.
    Paragraph (d) allows FRA to reopen consideration of a plan or 
amendment after initial approval of the plan or amendment. Examples of 
the types of cause for which FRA may reopen review include FRA's 
determination that the railroad is not complying with its plan or plan 
amendment, and FRA's awareness of material information about which FRA 
was unaware when it originally reviewed the plan or amendment. The 
determination of whether to reopen consideration will be made solely 
within FRA's discretion on a case-by-case basis.
    FRA sought comment in the NPRM on whether electronic submission of 
a SSP plan should be permitted and, if so, what type of process FRA 
should use to accept such submissions. All of the commenters who 
responded to this request supported electronic submission. Therefore, 
paragraph (e) permits documents to be submitted electronically. To 
provide guidance on electronic submission, FRA added Appendix C, 
Procedures for Submission of System Safety Program Plans and Statements 
from Directly Affected Employees, which is addressed below.
Section 270.203 Retention of System Safety Program Plan
    This section sets forth the requirements for a railroad's retention 
of its SSP plan. FRA did not receive any comments in response to this 
section and, therefore, it remains unchanged from the NPRM. A railroad 
will be required to retain at its system headquarters, and at any 
division headquarters, a copy of its SSP plan and a copy of any 
amendments to the plan. The railroad must make the plan and any 
amendments available to representatives of FRA and States participating 
under part 212 of this chapter for inspection and copying during normal 
business hours.

Subpart D--System Safety Program Internal Assessments and External 
Auditing

    Subpart D sets forth the requirements for a railroad's internal SSP 
assessment and FRA's external audit of the railroad's SSP.
Section 270.301 General
    To determine whether a SSP is successful, it will need to be 
evaluated by both the railroad and FRA on a periodic basis. This 
section sets forth the general requirement that a railroad's SSP and 
its implementation will be assessed internally by the railroad and 
audited externally by FRA or FRA's designee. FRA did not receive any 
comments in response to this section and, therefore, it remains 
unchanged from the NPRM.
Section 270.303 Internal System Safety Program Assessment.
    This section sets forth the requirements for the railroad's 
internal SSP assessment. FRA did not receive any comments in response 
to this section and, therefore, it remains substantively unchanged from 
the NPRM. Once FRA approves a railroad's SSP plan, the railroad shall 
conduct an annual assessment of the extent to which: (1) The SSP is 
fully implemented; (2) the railroad is in compliance with the 
implemented elements of the approved SSP plan; and (3) the railroad has 
achieved the goals set forth in Sec.  270.103(c). This internal 
assessment will provide the railroad with an overall survey of the 
progress of its SSP implementation and the areas in which improvement 
is necessary.
    As part of its SSP plan, the railroad will describe the processes 
used to: (1) Conduct internal SSP assessments; (2) report the findings 
of the internal SSP assessments internally; (3) develop, track, and 
review recommendations as a result of the internal SSP assessments; (4) 
develop improvement plans based on the internal SSP assessments that, 
at a minimum, identify who is responsible for carrying out the 
necessary tasks to address assessment findings and specify a schedule 
of target dates with milestones to implement the improvements that 
address the assessment findings; and (5) manage revisions and updates 
to the SSP plan based on the internal SSP assessments. By describing 
these processes, the railroad will detail how it plans to assess its 
SSP and how it will improve it if necessary. Since this is an internal 
assessment, a railroad will tailor the processes to its specific 
operations.
    FRA notes that the NPRM also proposed that the railroad would 
describe the process it uses to comply with the reporting requirements 
set forth in proposed Sec.  270.201. However, FRA has determined that 
it is not necessary to adopt this proposed requirement, and it is not 
included in this paragraph (b).
    Within 60 days of completing its internal assessment, the railroad 
will submit a copy of its internal assessment report to the FRA 
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer, 
Mail Stop 25, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. The 
NPRM did not specify the individual at FRA to whom the internal 
assessment report will be sent, which has been clarified in the final 
rule. This report will include the SSP assessment and the status of 
internal assessment findings and improvement plans. The railroad will 
also outline the specific improvement plans for achieving full 
implementation of its SSP and the milestones it has set forth. The 
railroad's chief official responsible for safety shall certify the 
results of the railroad's internal SSP plan assessment.
Section 270.305 External Safety Audit
    This section sets forth the process FRA will utilize when it 
conducts audits of a railroad's SSP. FRA did not receive any comments 
in response to this section and, therefore, it is essentially unchanged 
from the NPRM. These audits will evaluate the railroad's compliance 
with the elements required by this part in the railroad's approved SSP 
plan. Because this section is predicated on the railroad's SSP plan and 
any amendments having already been approved by FRA pursuant to Sec.  
270.201(b) and (c), this section permits FRA to focus on the extent to 
which the railroad is complying with its own program.
    Similar to the SSP plan review process, FRA does not intend the 
audit to be conducted in a vacuum. Rather,

[[Page 53890]]

during the audit, FRA will maintain communication with the railroad and 
attempt to resolve any issues before completion of the audit. Once the 
audit is completed, FRA will provide the railroad with written 
notification of the audit results. These results will identify any 
areas where the railroad is not properly complying with its SSP, any 
areas that need to be addressed by the SSP but are not, and any other 
areas in which FRA believes the railroad and its plan are not in 
compliance with this part.
    If the results of the audit require the railroad to take any 
corrective action, the railroad is provided 60 days to submit for 
approval an improvement plan to address the audit findings. The 
improvement plan will identify who is responsible for carrying out the 
necessary tasks to address the audit findings and specify target dates 
and milestones to implement the improvements that address the audit 
findings. Specification of milestones is important because it will 
allow the railroad to determine the appropriate progress of the 
improvements while allowing FRA to gauge the railroad's compliance with 
its improvement plan.
    If FRA does not approve a railroad's improvement plan, FRA will 
notify the railroad of the specific deficiencies in the improvement 
plan. The railroad will then amend the improvement plan to correct the 
deficiencies identified by FRA and provide FRA a copy of the amended 
improvement plan no later than 30 days after the railroad has received 
notice from FRA that its improvement plan was not approved. This 
process is similar to the process provided in Sec.  270.201(b)(3) when 
FRA does not initially approve a railroad's SSP. Upon request, the 
railroad shall provide to FRA and States participating under part 212 
of this chapter for review a report regarding the status of the 
implementation of the improvements set forth in the improvement plan 
established pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
Appendix A to Part 270--Schedule of Civil Penalties
    Appendix A to part 270 contains a schedule of civil penalties for 
use to enforce this part. Because such penalty schedules are statements 
of agency policy, notice and comment are not required before their 
issuance. See 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(A). Nevertheless, FRA invited comment 
on the penalty schedule. However, FRA did not receive any comments 
other than the Labor Organizations' comment that the NPRM lacked a 
penalty schedule. As noted above, FRA typically does not include a 
penalty schedule in an NPRM. Accordingly, FRA is issuing this penalty 
schedule reflecting the requirements of this final rule.
Appendix B to Part 270--Federal Railroad Administration Guidance on the 
System Safety Program Consultation Process
    Appendix B contains guidance on how a railroad could comply with 
Sec.  270.107, which states that a railroad must in good faith consult 
with and use its best efforts to reach agreement with all of its 
directly affected employees on the contents of the SSP plan. The 
appendix begins with a general discussion of the terms ``good faith'' 
and ``best efforts,'' explaining that they are separate terms and that 
each has a specific and distinct meaning. For example, the good faith 
obligation is concerned with a railroad's state of mind during the 
consultation process, and the best efforts obligation is concerned with 
the specific efforts made by the railroad in an attempt to reach 
agreement with its directly affected employees. The appendix also 
explains that FRA will determine a railroad's compliance with the Sec.  
270.107 requirements on a case-by-case basis and outlines the potential 
consequences for a railroad that fails to consult with its directly 
affected employees in good faith and using best efforts.
    The appendix also contains specific guidance on the process a 
railroad may use to consult with its directly affected employees. This 
guidance would not establish prescriptive requirements with which a 
railroad must comply, but provides the road map for how a railroad may 
conduct the consultation process. The guidance also distinguishes 
between employees who are represented by a non-profit employee labor 
organization and employees who are not, as the processes a railroad may 
use to consult with represented and non-represented employees could 
differ significantly. Overall, however, the appendix stresses that 
there are many compliant ways in which a railroad may choose to consult 
with its directly affected employees and that FRA believes, therefore, 
that it is important to maintain a flexible approach to the Sec.  
270.107 consultation requirements, so a railroad and its directly 
affected employees may consult in the manner best suited to their 
specific circumstances.
Appendix C to Part 270--Procedures for Submission of System Safety 
Program Plans and Statements From Directly Affected Employees
    Appendix C provides railroads and directly affected employees the 
option to file SSP plans or consultation statements electronically. As 
discussed above, the NPRM requested comment regarding whether 
electronic submission of SSP materials should be allowed. All of the 
comments received in response to this request supported electronic 
submission, and, therefore, Appendix C has been added.
    FRA intends to create a secure document submission site and needs 
basic information from railroads or directly affected employees before 
setting up a user's account. To provide secure access, information 
regarding the points of contact is required. It is anticipated that FRA 
will be able to approve or disapprove all or part of a program and 
generate automated notifications by email to a railroad's points of 
contact. Thus, FRA needs each point of contact to understand that by 
providing any email addresses, the railroad is consenting to receive 
approval and disapproval notices from FRA by email. Railroads that 
allow notice from FRA by email gain the benefit of receiving such 
notices quickly and efficiently.
    Those railroads that choose to submit printed materials to FRA are 
required to deliver them directly to the specified address. Some 
railroads may choose to deliver a CD, DVD, or other electronic storage 
format to FRA rather than requesting access to upload the documents 
directly to the secure electronic database. Although that is an 
acceptable method of submission, FRA encourages each railroad to 
utilize the electronic submission capabilities of the system. Of 
course, if FRA does not have the capability to read the type of 
electronic storage format sent, FRA will reject the submission.
    FRA may be able to develop a secure document submission site so 
that confidential materials would be identified and not shared with the 
general public. However, FRA does not expect the information in a SSP 
plan to be of such a confidential or proprietary nature, particularly 
since each railroad is required to share the submitted SSP plan with 
individuals identified in the service list pursuant to Sec.  
270.107(b)(3). SSP records in FRA's possession are also exempted from 
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act pursuant to section 
20118, and Sec.  270.105 protects any information compiled or collected 
solely for the

[[Page 53891]]

purpose of developing, implementing, or evaluating a SSP from 
discovery, admission into evidence, or consideration for other purposes 
in a Federal or State court proceeding for damages involving personal 
injury, wrongful death, and property damage. Accordingly, FRA does not 
at this time believe it is necessary to develop a document submission 
system which addresses confidential materials at this time.

VII. Regulatory Impact and Notices

A. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 and DOT Regulatory Policies and 
Procedures

    This final rule has been evaluated under existing policies and 
procedures, and determined to be ``Other Significant'' under both 
Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 and DOT policies and procedures. 44 FR 
11034, Feb. 26, 1979. FRA has prepared and placed in the docket a 
regulatory impact analysis (RIA) addressing the economic impact of this 
final rule.
    This final rule directly responds to the Congressional mandate in 
section 20156(a) that FRA, by delegation from the Secretary, require 
each railroad that provides intercity rail passenger or commuter rail 
passenger transportation to establish a railroad safety risk reduction 
program. This final rule also implements section 20119(b), which 
authorizes FRA, by delegation from the Secretary, to issue a regulation 
protecting from discovery and admissibility into evidence in litigation 
documents generated for the purpose of developing, implementing, or 
evaluating a SSP. FRA believes that all of the requirements of this 
final rule are directly or implicitly required by these statutory 
mandates and will promote railroad safety.
    Most of the 30 existing commuter and intercity passenger railroads 
required to comply with the final rule belong to the APTA system safety 
program and are currently participating in the APTA system safety 
triennial audit program. The rule adopts many of the elements contained 
in the APTA ``Manual for the Development of System Safety Program Plans 
for Commuter Railroads.'' \10\ The rule's costs and benefits are 
incremental to the APTA program. Because FRA believes all but one 
covered railroad follows the APTA program, FRA does not expect this 
rule will have significant costs. Table E-1 presents a summary of the 
rule's benefits and costs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ https://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/commuter_rail_manual.pdf (last accessed on March 22, 
2016).
    \11\ The NPRM estimated the costs of the proposed rule to be 
$4.1 million. FRA estimates the final rule's costs are $4.7 million, 
a nominal increase of $620,000 (14.6 percent). The cost estimate 
increased from the NPRM to the final rule due to the following: (1) 
Application of the Congressional Budget Office real wage forecasts 
for each year of the analysis; (2) updating the wage inputs used to 
account for the Surface Transportation Board's newest wage rates for 
2012 and a 2015 base year; and (3) an adjustment to allow more time 
for railroad consultation with directly affected employees and 
statement preparation. (The consultation time with labor and 
affected employees is $135,000 of the $620,000 total.) See: https://www.dot.gov/regulations/economic-values-used-in analysis (DOT's 
guidance on Value of a Statistical Life (VSL)). (The VSL was further 
updated June 17, 2015 to $9.4 million.).

                               Table E-1--Summary of the Rule's Costs and Benefits
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                   Discounted at   Discounted at
                                                                   Undiscounted      7 percent       3 percent
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Costs....................  Over 20-years..............            \11\      $2,327,224      $3,412,651
                                                                      $4,743,039
                                     Annualized.................         237,152         219,674         229,384
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Cost From Risk Analyses and Risk     ...........................  Not estimated, as FRA lacks information to
 Mitigation.                                                      reliably estimate such costs, and it does not
                                                                  know the level of hazards and risks on each
                                                                  railroad and means railroads will use to
                                                                  mitigate.
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Benefits...........................  ...........................  Not estimated but expected to include safety
                                                                  improvements and operational efficiencies
                                                                  resulting primarily from more robust SSPs,
                                                                  additional and improved risk analysis and
                                                                  mitigation, better information about systems,
                                                                  and improved safety culture.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The SSP NPRM RIA was performed on a breakeven basis. FRA modified 
that approach in this final rule because FRA could not estimate all 
relevant regulatory costs, namely those resulting from risk analysis 
and risk mitigation. These costs are not reasonably predictable until 
data protections are in place and each railroad produces and implements 
their SSP plans assessing their hazards and risk levels. Nevertheless, 
the pool of potential safety benefits is large as evidenced by the 
number of accidents and incidents experienced on passenger railroads 
this rule could impact. FRA expects railroads will achieve sufficient 
safety benefits to justify quantified and unquantified costs.
Costs
    The rule has requirements in addition to those in the APTA program. 
FRA estimated the rule's costs for those additional requirements which 
include: Documenting the SSP plan and the safety certification process; 
SSP training; preparing for and providing information in response to 
external audits; providing mitigation method information to FRA; 
preparing technology analysis results and providing them to FRA; 
providing an annual assessment of SSP performance and improvement 
plans; consulting with directly affected employees and preparing 
consultation statements; amending SSP plans; retaining records; and 
conducting internal SSP assessments. (Table E-1 above summarizes these 
costs.) FRA did not estimate the full incremental costs of railroads 
conducting additional and more robust hazard and risk analysis or 
implementing actions to mitigate identified hazards and risks. FRA 
lacks information to reliably estimate such costs, as it does not know 
the level of hazards and risks on each railroad and the means railroads 
will use to mitigate these risks.
Benefits
    FRA could not estimate the final rule's full benefits 
quantitatively as SSPs are primarily an organizational structure and 
program to manage safety

[[Page 53892]]

through hazard analysis and mitigation. FRA cannot accurately estimate 
the rule's incremental safety benefits because FRA cannot reliably 
predict the specific risks each railroad will identify or the specific 
actions they will take to mitigate such risks relative to the APTA 
program. For these reasons, FRA assessed the rule's benefits 
qualitatively. FRA expects that safety and operational benefits will 
result from mechanisms in the rule leading to improved safety analysis 
and risk mitigation, including (1) requirements to demonstrate a robust 
SSP to FRA, (2) requirements designed to improve safety culture, and 
(3) protection of certain SSP information. Railroad management and 
employees will have to achieve the safety goals in their SSPs, but 
there will also be FRA oversight to monitor and require corrective 
actions if and when necessary.
    Congress directed FRA to conduct a study to determine if it was in 
the public interest to withhold certain information from discovery and 
admission into evidence in Federal or State court proceedings for 
damages involving personal injury and wrongful death, including the 
railroad's assessment of its safety risks and its mitigation measures. 
FRA contracted with an outside organization to conduct this study and 
the study concluded it was in the public interest to withhold this type 
of information from these types of proceedings. Thus, the rule sets 
forth protections of certain SSP information from discovery, admission 
into evidence, or use for other purposes in a proceeding for damages. 
FRA expects the information protections will result in railroads 
conducting more robust risk-based hazard analysis, keeping more 
detailed records of hazards and risks, and implementing additional 
actions to mitigate safety risks. FRA could not estimate the costs of 
the information protections or the resulting incremental safety risk 
analysis and mitigation activities, but believes they are justified by 
the resultant safety improvements' benefits.
    In conclusion, FRA determined the final rule's benefits justify its 
costs. To illustrate, FRA estimated the total cost of passenger 
railroad accidents/incidents is $33 billion (discounted at 7 percent) 
and $51 billion (discounted at 3 percent) over a 20-year future period. 
These costs show the potential pool of safety benefits this rule can 
impact is very large, especially compared to the rule's quantified 
costs. FRA expects railroads will implement the most cost-effective 
mitigations to eliminate or mitigate hazards. Railroads are not 
required to implement mitigations with net costs and FRA expects that 
railroads will implement mitigations with net benefits. FRA expects 
railroads can achieve sufficient safety benefits to justify both the 
costs FRA could estimate and those it could not.

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act and Executive Order 13272

    FRA developed the final rule under Executive Order 13272 (``Proper 
Consideration of Small Entities in Agency Rulemaking'') and DOT's 
procedures and policies to promote compliance with the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) to ensure potential impacts of 
rules on small entities are properly considered.
    The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) requires an agency to review 
regulations to assess their impact on small entities. An agency must 
conduct a regulatory flexibility analysis unless it determines and 
certifies that a rule is not expected to have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities.
    FRA conducted an Initial Regulatory Impact Analysis (IRFA) pursuant 
to the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 605(b)) for the SSP NPRM. 
77 FR 55397-99, Sept. 7, 2012. Furthermore, FRA invited all interested 
parties to submit data and information regarding this certification. 
The comments received are addressed below. FRA certifies that this 
final rule would not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities. Although a substantial number of 
small railroads would be affected by this final rule, none would be 
significantly impacted.
1. Description of Regulated Entities and Impacts
    The ``universe'' of the entities under consideration includes only 
those small entities that can reasonably be expected to be directly 
affected by the provisions of this final rule. For this final rule 
there is only one type of small entity that is affected: Small 
railroads.
    ``Small entity'' is defined in 5 U.S.C. 601. Section 601(6) defines 
``small entity'' as having ``the same meaning as the terms `small 
business', `small organization' and `small governmental jurisdiction' 
'' as defined by section 601. Section 601(3) defines ``small business'' 
as having the same meaning as ``small business concern'' under section 
3 of the Small Business Act. Section 601(4) defines ``small 
organization'' as ``any not-for-profit enterprise which is 
independently owned and operated and is not dominant in its field.'' 
Section 601(5) defines ``small governmental jurisdiction'' as 
``governments of cities, counties, towns, townships, villages, school 
districts, or special districts, with a population of less than fifty 
thousand.''
    The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) stipulates ``size 
standards'' for small entities. It provides that the largest a for-
profit railroad business firm may be (and still classify as a ``small 
entity'') is 1,500 employees for ``Line-Haul Operating'' railroads, and 
500 employees for ``Short-Line Operating'' railroads.\12\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \12\ ``Table of Size Standards,'' U.S. Small Business 
Administration, January 31, 1996, 13 CFR part 121.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Federal agencies may adopt their own size standards for small 
entities in consultation with SBA, and in conjunction with public 
comment. Pursuant to the authority provided to it by SBA, FRA has 
published a final policy, which formally establishes small entities as 
railroads that meet the line haulage revenue requirements of a Class 
III railroad.\13\ FRA used this definition for this rule making in 
preparation of the proposed rule along with the stipulation on 
government entities or agencies that serve small communities as stated 
above.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \13\ See 68 FR 24891, May 9, 2003.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Passenger and Commuter Railroads
    Commuter and intercity passenger railroads will have to comply with 
all provisions of part 270; however, the amount of effort to comply 
with this rule is commensurate with the size of the entity.
    For purposes of this analysis, FRA analyzed two intercity passenger 
railroads, Amtrak and the Alaska Railroad.\14\ Neither is considered a 
small entity. Amtrak is a Class I railroad and the Alaska Railroad is a 
Class II railroad. The Alaska Railroad is owned by the State of Alaska, 
which has a population well in excess of 50,000.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \14\ There are state-sponsored intercity passenger rail 
services, the vast majority of which will be part of Amtrak's SSP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There are 28 commuter or other short-haul passenger railroad 
operations in the U.S. Most of these commuter railroads are part of 
larger transit organizations that receive Federal funds and serve major 
metropolitan areas with populations greater than 50,000. However, two 
of these railroads do not fall in this category and are considered 
small entities: Saratoga & North Creek Railway (SNC) and the Hawkeye 
Express (operated by the Iowa Northern Railway Company (IANR)). All 
other passenger railroad operations in the United States are part of 
larger governmental entities, whose service jurisdictions exceed 50,000 
in population, and based on the definition,

[[Page 53893]]

they are not considered to be small entities.
Significant Economic Impact Criteria
    FRA estimates that the total cost for the final rule will be $4.7 
million (undiscounted)--$2.3 million (discounted at 7 percent), or $3.4 
million (discounted at 3 percent), for the railroad industry over a 20-
year period. The cost burden to the two small entities will be 
considerably less on average than that of the other 28 railroads. FRA 
estimates impacts on these two railroads could range on average between 
$1,590 and $3,346 annualized (non-discounted) to comply with the 
regulation, depending on the existing level of compliance and discount 
rate. This estimate was prepared and presented in the IRFA for the NPRM 
and adjusted in the final rule for revised cost factors applied in the 
Regulatory Impact Analysis, e.g. inflating wages and salaries at 1.07 
percent per annum.
    Since the time that the NPRM IRFA was prepared, both of the two 
small entities herein have produced preliminary SSP plans. That plan 
preparation, with the assistance of FRA and others, will have 
accomplished much of the work effort envisioned for preparing the 
formal SSP Plans once the Rule is in effect.
    Based on this, FRA concludes that the expected burden of this final 
rule will not have a significant impact on the competitive position of 
small entities, or on the small entity segment of the railroad industry 
as a whole.

Substantial Number Criteria

    This final rule will likely burden only two small railroads; 
however, this is two out of 30 total railroads impacted by this Rule, 
and two out of two small railroads. Thus, as noted above, this final 
rule will impact a substantial number of small railroads.

Public Comments and Revisions to the Analysis

    The final rule is a performance-based rule and the NPRM, and the 
regulatory evaluation for the NPRM, requested comments and input on the 
rulemaking and its supporting documents. The following provides a 
summary of the comments received that pertained to RFA for small 
businesses, and how those comments were addressed. FRA did not receive 
any comments from SBA.
    APTA commented that they ``believe FRA has applied faulty criteria 
in determining only two railroads should be treated as small 
entities.'' FRA determined that there would be only two passenger 
railroads affected by the SSP rulemaking as small entities. In applying 
the guidelines of RFA, FRA includes most Class III railroads impacted 
by a rule as a small business. Only one railroad that will be governed 
under this final rule is a Class III railroad. RFA guidelines also 
indicate that if the entity is a part of or agent of governments of 
cities, counties, towns, townships, villages, or special districts 
serving a population of more than 50,000, they would not be classified 
as a small business. Essentially all, except the two railroads FRA 
classified as small businesses, are a governmental related 
transportation agency serving population areas of 50,000 or more or an 
intercity service provider (Amtrak and Alaska), or both.\15\ (The 
definition, SBA based, of small entity that FRA used in the IRFA, 
results in only two entities considered to be small.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \15\ Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.): ``Small 
governmental jurisdictions'' are governments of cities, counties, 
towns, townships, villages, school districts, or special districts 
with a population of less than 50,000.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    APTA also suggested that FRA should ensure ``that this proposed 
rule's requirements are commensurate to the size of the entity'' and 
``compliance with this proposed rule should include flexibility, 
scalability, and program maturity as relevant factors to determine 
whether a program is `fully implemented.' '' FRA does expect the 
structure and scope of a SSP will be commensurate with the size and 
maturity of the entity. FRA has regularly provided assistance to both 
new and smaller passenger entities, including the two small entities 
considered herein, with setting up their safety programs, and with 
approaches to hazard and risk management. FRA will continue to provide 
that assistance in the plan development phase of preparing their SSP 
Plans. The SSP regulation provides a scalable approach that will be 
easier to implement on a small railroad.
2. Certification
    Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 605(b)), FRA 
certifies that this final rule will not have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities. FRA invited all 
interested parties to submit data and information regarding the 
potential economic impact that will result from adoption of the 
proposals in the NPRM and has addressed those comments in determining 
that although a substantial number of small railroads will be affected 
by this final rule, none of these entities will be significantly 
impacted.
C. Federalism
    Executive Order 13132, ``Federalism'' (64 FR 43255, Aug. 10, 1999), 
requires FRA to develop an accountable process to ensure ``meaningful 
and timely input by State and local officials in the development of 
regulatory policies that have federalism implications.'' ``Policies 
that have federalism implications'' are defined in the Executive Order 
to include regulations that have ``substantial direct effects on the 
States, on the relationship between the national government and the 
States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the 
various levels of government.'' Under Executive Order 13132, the agency 
may not issue a regulation with federalism implications that imposes 
substantial direct compliance costs and that is not required by 
statute, unless the Federal government provides the funds necessary to 
pay the direct compliance costs incurred by State and local governments 
or the agency consults with State and local government officials early 
in the process of developing the regulation. Where a regulation has 
federalism implications and preempts State law, the agency seeks to 
consult with State and local officials in the process of developing the 
regulation.
    This final rule has been analyzed under the principles and criteria 
in Executive Order 13132. FRA has determined that this rule does not 
have substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship 
between the national government and the States, or on the distribution 
of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government. 
In addition, FRA has determined that this rule does not impose 
substantial direct compliance costs on State and local governments. 
Therefore, the consultation and funding requirements of Executive Order 
13132 do not apply.
    This rule adds part 270, System Safety Program. FRA notes that this 
part could have preemptive effect by the operation of law under a 
provision of the former Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970, repealed 
and codified at 49 U.S.C. 20106 (Sec. 20106). Sec. 20106 provides that 
States may not adopt or continue in effect any law, regulation, or 
order related to railroad safety or security that covers the subject 
matter of a regulation prescribed or order issued by the Secretary of 
Transportation (with respect to railroad safety matters) or the 
Secretary of Homeland Security (with respect to railroad security 
matters), except when the State law, regulation, or order qualifies 
under the ``essentially

[[Page 53894]]

local safety or security hazard'' exception to Sec. 20106. FRA has 
determined that certain State laws may be preempted by this part. FRA 
is aware of one State that has a State Safety Oversight program 
pursuant to 49 CFR part 659 that has certain elements that will be 
preempted by part 270. Further, Sec.  270.105(d) specifically addresses 
the preemption of State discovery rules and sunshine laws to the extent 
those laws would require disclosure of information protected by Sec.  
270.105 in a Federal or State court proceedings for damages involving 
personal injury, wrongful death, or property damage. The preemption of 
State discovery rules and sunshine laws are discussed further in the 
section-by-section analysis of Sec.  270.105(d). In addition, as 
previously discussed, section 20119(b) authorizes FRA to issue a rule 
governing the discovery and use of risk analysis information in 
litigation.
    In sum, FRA has analyzed this proposed rule under the principles 
and criteria in Executive Order 13132. As explained above, FRA has 
determined that this proposed rule has minimal federalism implications. 
Accordingly, FRA has determined that preparation of a federalism 
summary impact statement for this proposed rule is not required.
D. International Trade Impact Assessment
    The Trade Agreement Act of 1979 prohibits Federal agencies from 
engaging in any standards or related activities that create unnecessary 
obstacles to the foreign commerce of the United States. Legitimate 
domestic objectives, such as safety, are not considered unnecessary 
obstacles. The statute also requires consideration of international 
standards and where appropriate, that they be the basis for U.S. 
standards. This rulemaking is purely domestic in nature and is not 
expected to affect trade opportunities for U.S. firms doing business 
overseas or for foreign firms doing business in the United States.
E. Paperwork Reduction Act
    The information collection requirements in this final rule are 
being submitted for approval to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. 
The sections that contain the new information collection requirements 
are duly designated, and the estimated time to fulfill each requirement 
is as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Total annual       Average time per    Total annual
       CFR Section/Subject         Respondent universe       responses             response        burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
270.103--System Safety Program     30 railroads.......  30 plans...........  40 hours (32 hrs.             1,200
 Plan (SSPP)--Comprehensive                                                   for plan + 8 hrs.
 Written SSPP Meeting All of This                                             review).
 Section's Requirements.
    --System Safety Training by    30 railroads.......  450 trained          2 hours............             900
     RR of Employees/Contractors/                        individuals.
     Others.
    --Records of System Safety     30 railroads.......  450 records........  2 minutes..........              15
     Trained Employees/
     Contractors/Others.
    --Furnishing of RR Results of  30 railroads.......  10 analyses results  20 hours...........             200
     Risk-based Hazard Analysed
     Upon FRA/Participating Part
     212 States.
    --Furnishing of Descriptions   30 railroads.......  10 mitigation        10 hours...........             100
     of Railroad's Specific Risk                         methods
     Mitigation Methods That                             descriptions.
     Address Hazards Upon FRA
     Request.
    --Furnishing of Results of     30 railroads.......  30 results of        40 hours...........           1,200
     Railroad's Technology                               technology
     Analysis Upon FRA/                                  analysis.
     Participating Part 212
     States' Request.
270.107(a)--Consultation           30 railroads.......  30 consults (w/      40 hours...........           1,200
 Requirements--RR Consultation                           labor union reps.).
 with Its Directly Affected
 Employees on System Safety
 Program Plan (SSPP).
    --RR Notification to Directly  30 railroads.......  30 notices.........  8 hours............             240
     Affected Employees of
     Preliminary Meeting at Least
     60 Days Before Being Held.
    --(b) RR Consultation          30 railroads.......  28 statements + 2    80 hours + 2 hours.           2,244
     Statements.                                         statement.
    --Copies of Consultations      30 railroads.......  30 copies..........  1 minute...........               1
     Statements by RR to Service
     List Individuals.
270.201--SSPPs Found Deficient by  30 railroads.......  4 amended plans....  40 hours...........             160
 FRA and Requiring Amendment.
    --Review of Amended SSPPs      30 railroads.......  1 amended plans....  40 hours...........              40
     Found Deficient and
     Requiring Amendment.
    --Reopened Review of Initial   30 railroads.......  2 amended plans....  40 hours...........              80
     SSPP Approval For Cause
     Stated.
270.203--Retention of SSPPs......  30 railroads.......  37 copies..........  10 minutes.........               6
 -- Retained copies of SSPPs
270.303--Annual Internal SSPP      30 railroads.......  30 evaluation        40 hours...........           1,200
 Assessments/Reports Conducted by                        reports.
 RRs.
    --Certification of Results of  30 railroads.......  30 statements......  8 hours............             240
     RR Internal Assessment by
     Chief Safety Official.
270.305--External Safety Audit...  30 railroads.......  6 plans............  40 hours...........             240
    --RR Submission of
     Improvement Plans in
     Response to Results of FRA
     Audit.
    --Improvement Plans Found      30 railroads.......  2 amended plans....  24 hours...........              48
     Deficient by FRA and
     Requiring Amendment.
    --RR Status Report to FRA of   30 railroads.......  2 reports..........  4 hours............               8
     Implementation of
     Improvements Set Forth in
     the Improvement Plan.
Appendix B--Additional Documents   30 railroads.......  2 documents........  30 minutes.........               1
 Provided to FRA Upon Request.

[[Page 53895]]

 
    --Notifications/Good Faith     2 railroads........  2 notices/consults.  8 hours............              16
     Consultation with Non-
     Represented Employees by RRs.
    --Meeting with Non-            2 railroads........  2 meetings.........  8 hours............              16
     Represented Employees within
     180 Days of Final Rule
     Effective Date About
     Consultation Process.
Appendix C--Written Requests by    30 railroads.......  20 written requests  30 minutes.........              10
 RRs to File Required Submissions
 Electronically.
                                  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals.......................  30 railroads.......  1,240 replies/       6.832 hours........           9,365
                                                         responses.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    All estimates include the time for reviewing instructions; 
searching existing data sources; gathering or maintaining the needed 
data; and reviewing the information. For information or a copy of the 
paperwork package submitted to OMB, contact Mr. Robert Brogan at 202-
493-6292 or Ms. Kimberly Toone at 202-493-6132 or via email at the 
following addresses: Robert.Brogan@dot.gov; or Kim.Toone@dot.gov.
    Organizations and individuals desiring to submit comments on the 
collection of information requirements should direct them to the Office 
of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Washington, DC 20503, Attention: FRA Desk Officer. Comments may also be 
sent via email to the Office of Management and Budget at the following 
address: oira_submissions@omb.eop.gov
    OMB is required to make a decision concerning the collection of 
information requirements contained in this final rule between 30 and 60 
days after publication of this document in the Federal Register. 
Therefore, a comment to OMB is best assured of having its full effect 
if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.
    FRA is not authorized to impose a penalty on persons for violating 
information collection requirements which do not display a current OMB 
control number, if required. FRA intends to obtain current OMB control 
numbers for any new information collection requirements resulting from 
this rulemaking action prior to the effective date of the final rule. 
The OMB control number, when assigned, will be announced by separate 
notice in the Federal Register.
F. Environmental Assessment
    FRA has evaluated this rule under its ``Procedures for Considering 
Environmental Impacts'' (FRA's Procedures) (64 FR 28545, May 26, 1999) 
as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.), other environmental statutes, Executive Orders, and related 
regulatory requirements. FRA has determined that this rule is not a 
major FRA action (requiring the preparation of an environmental impact 
statement or environmental assessment) because it is categorically 
excluded from detailed environmental review pursuant to section 
4(c)(20) of FRA's Procedures. See 64 FR 28547, May 26, 1999. Section 
4(c)(20) reads as follows: ``(c) Actions categorically excluded. 
Certain classes of FRA actions have been determined to be categorically 
excluded from the requirements of these Procedures as they do not 
individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human 
environment. * * * The following classes of FRA actions are 
categorically excluded:
    * * * (20) Promulgation of railroad safety rules and policy 
statements that do not result in significantly increased emissions or 
air or water pollutants or noise or increased traffic congestion in any 
mode of transportation.''
    Consistent with section 4(c) and (e) of FRA's Procedures, the 
agency has further concluded that no extraordinary circumstances exist 
with respect to this regulation that might trigger the need for a more 
detailed environmental review. As a result, FRA finds that this rule is 
not a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the 
human environment.
G. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995
    Pursuant to section 201 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 
(Public Law 104-4, 2 U.S.C. 1531), each Federal agency ``shall, unless 
otherwise prohibited by law, assess the effects of Federal regulatory 
actions on State, local, and tribal governments, and the private sector 
(other than to the extent that such regulations incorporate 
requirements specifically set forth in law).'' Section 202 of the Act 
(2 U.S.C. 1532) further requires that ``before promulgating any general 
notice of proposed rulemaking that is likely to result in the 
promulgation of any rule that includes any Federal mandate that may 
result in expenditure by State, local, and tribal governments, in the 
aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100,000,000 or more (adjusted 
annually for inflation) in any 1 year, and before promulgating any 
final rule for which a general notice of proposed rulemaking was 
published, the agency shall prepare a written statement'' detailing the 
effect on State, local, and tribal governments and the private sector. 
For the year 2015, this monetary amount of $100,000,000 has been 
adjusted to $156,000,000 to account for inflation. This final rule will 
not result in the expenditure of more than $156,000,000 by the public 
sector in any one year, and thus preparation of such a statement is not 
required.
H. Energy Impact
    Executive Order 13211 requires Federal agencies to prepare a 
Statement of Energy Effects for any ``significant energy action.'' 66 
FR 28355, May 22, 2001. Under the Executive Order, a ``significant 
energy action'' is defined as any action by an agency (normally 
published in the Federal Register) that promulgates, or is expected to 
lead to the promulgation of, a final rule or regulation (including a 
notice of inquiry, advance notice of proposed rulemaking, and notice of 
proposed rulemaking) that (1)(i) is a significant regulatory action 
under Executive Order 12866 or any successor order and (ii) is likely 
to have a significant adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or 
use of energy; or (2) is designated by the Administrator of the Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs as a significant energy action. 
FRA has evaluated this rule under Executive Order 13211. FRA has 
determined that this rule will not have a significant adverse effect on 
the supply, distribution, or use of energy. Consequently, FRA has 
determined that this regulatory action is not a ``significant energy 
action'' within the meaning of Executive Order 13211.

[[Page 53896]]

I. Privacy Act
    Interested parties should be aware that anyone is able to search 
the electronic form of all comments received into any agency docket by 
the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the 
comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor 
union, etc.). You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in 
the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or 
you may visit https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.html.

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 270

    Penalties; Railroad safety; Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements; and System safety.

The Rule

0
In consideration of the foregoing, FRA adds part 270 to Chapter II, 
Subtitle B of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, to read as 
follows:

PART 270--SYSTEM SAFETY PROGRAM

Subpart A--General
Sec.
270.1 Purpose and scope.
270.3 Application.
270.5 Definitions.
270.7 Penalties and responsibility for compliance.
Subpart B--System Safety Program Requirements
270.101 System safety program; general.
270.103 System safety program plan.
270.105 Discovery and admission as evidence of certain information.
270.107 Consultation requirements.
Subpart C--Review, Approval, and Retention of System Safety Program 
Plans
270.201 Filing and approval.
270.203 Retention of system safety program plan.
Subpart D--System Safety Program Internal Assessments and External 
Auditing
270.301 General.
270.303 Internal system safety program assessment.
270.305 External safety audit.
Appendix A to Part 270--Schedule of Civil Penalties
Appendix B to Part 270--Federal Railroad Administration Guidance on 
the System Safety Program Consultation Process
Appendix C to Part 270--Procedures for Submission of SSP Plans and 
Statements from Directly Affected Employees

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 20103, 20106-20107, 20118-20119, 20156, 
21301, 21304, 21311; 28 U.S.C. 2461, note; and 49 CFR 1.89.

Subpart A--General


Sec.  270.1  Purpose and scope.

    (a) The purpose of this part is to improve railroad safety through 
structured, proactive processes and procedures developed and 
implemented by railroads. This part requires certain railroads to 
establish a system safety program that systematically evaluates 
railroad safety hazards and the resulting risks on their systems and 
manages those risks to reduce the number and rates of railroad 
accidents, incidents, injuries, and fatalities.
    (b) This part prescribes minimum Federal safety standards for the 
preparation, adoption, and implementation of railroad system safety 
programs. This part does not restrict railroads from adopting and 
enforcing additional or more stringent requirements not inconsistent 
with this part.
    (c) This part prescribes the protection of information generated 
solely for the purpose of planning, implementing, or evaluating a 
system safety program under this part.


Sec.  270.3  Application.

    (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, this part 
applies to all--
    (1) Railroads that operate intercity or commuter passenger train 
service on the general railroad system of transportation; and
    (2) Railroads that provide commuter or other short-haul rail 
passenger train service in a metropolitan or suburban area (as 
described by 49 U.S.C. 20102(2)), including public authorities 
operating passenger train service.
    (b) This part does not apply to:
    (1) Rapid transit operations in an urban area that are not 
connected to the general railroad system of transportation;
    (2) Tourist, scenic, historic, or excursion operations, whether on 
or off the general railroad system of transportation;
    (3) Operation of private cars, including business/office cars and 
circus trains; or
    (4) Railroads that operate only on track inside an installation 
that is not part of the general railroad system of transportation 
(i.e., plant railroads, as defined in Sec.  270.5).


Sec.  270.5  Definitions.

    As used in this part--
    Administrator means the Federal Railroad Administrator or his or 
her delegate.
    Configuration management means a process that ensures that the 
configurations of all property, equipment, and system design elements 
are accurately documented.
    FRA means the Federal Railroad Administration.
    Fully implemented means that all elements of a system safety 
program as described in the SSP plan are established and applied to the 
safety management of the railroad.
    Hazard means any real or potential condition (as identified in the 
railroad's risk-based hazard analysis) that can cause injury, illness, 
or death; damage to or loss of a system, equipment, or property; or 
damage to the environment.
    Passenger means a person, excluding an on-duty employee, who is on 
board, boarding, or alighting from a rail vehicle for the purpose of 
travel.
    Person means an entity of any type covered under 1 U.S.C. 1, 
including, but not limited to, the following: a railroad; a manager, 
supervisor, official, or other employee or agent of a railroad; any 
owner, manufacturer, lessor, or lessee of railroad equipment, track, or 
facilities; any independent contractor or subcontractor providing goods 
or services to a railroad; and any employee of such owner, 
manufacturer, lessor, lessee, or independent contractor or 
subcontractor.
    Plant railroad means a plant or installation that owns or leases a 
locomotive, uses that locomotive to switch cars throughout the plant or 
installation, and is moving goods solely for use in the facility's own 
industrial processes. The plant or installation could include track 
immediately adjacent to the plant or installation if the plant railroad 
leases the track from the general system railroad and the lease 
provides for (and actual practice entails) the exclusive use of that 
trackage by the plant railroad and the general system railroad for 
purposes of moving only cars shipped to or from the plant. A plant or 
installation that operates a locomotive to switch or move cars for 
other entities, even if solely within the confines of the plant or 
installation, rather than for its own purposes or industrial processes, 
is not considered a plant railroad because the performance of such 
activity makes the operation part of the general railroad system of 
transportation.
    Positive train control system means a system designed to prevent 
train-to-train collisions, overspeed derailments, incursions into 
established work zone limits, and the movement of a train through a 
switch left in the wrong position, as described in subpart I of part 
236 of this chapter.

[[Page 53897]]

    Rail vehicle means railroad rolling stock, including, but not 
limited to, passenger and maintenance vehicles.
    Railroad means--
    (1) Any form of non-highway ground transportation that runs on 
rails or electromagnetic guideways, including--
    (i) Commuter or other short-haul rail passenger service in a 
metropolitan or suburban area and commuter railroad service that was 
operated by the Consolidated Rail Corporation on January 1, 1979; and
    (ii) High speed ground transportation systems that connect 
metropolitan areas, without regard to whether those systems use new 
technologies not associated with traditional railroads, but does not 
include rapid transit operations in an urban area that are not 
connected to the general railroad system of transportation; and
    (2) A person or organization that provides railroad transportation, 
whether directly or by contracting out operation of the railroad to 
another person.
    Risk means the combination of the probability (or frequency of 
occurrence) and the consequence (or severity) of a hazard.
    Risk-based hazard management means the processes (including 
documentation) used to identify and analyze hazards, assess and rank 
corresponding risks, and eliminate or mitigate the resulting risks.
    Safety culture means the shared values, actions and behaviors that 
demonstrate commitment to safety over competing goals and demands.
    SSP plan means system safety program plan.
    System safety means the application of management, economic, and 
engineering principles and techniques to optimize all aspects of 
safety, within the constraints of operational effectiveness, time, and 
cost, throughout all phases of a system life cycle.
    System safety program means a comprehensive process for the 
application of management and engineering principles and techniques to 
optimize all aspects of safety.
    System safety program plan means a document developed by the 
railroad that implements and supports the railroad's system safety 
program.
    Tourist, scenic, historic, or excursion operations means railroad 
operations that carry passengers, often using antiquated equipment, 
with the conveyance of the passengers to a particular destination not 
being the principal purpose. Train movements of new passenger equipment 
for demonstration purposes are not tourist, scenic, historic, or 
excursion operations.


Sec.  270.7  Penalties and responsibility for compliance.

    (a) Any person who violates any requirement of this part or causes 
the violation of any such requirement is subject to a civil penalty of 
at least $839 and not more than $27,455 per violation, except that: 
Penalties may be assessed against individuals only for willful 
violations, and, where a grossly negligent violation or a pattern of 
repeated violation has created an imminent hazard of death or injury to 
persons, or has caused death or injury, a penalty not to exceed 
$109,819 per violation may be assessed. Each day a violation continues 
shall constitute a separate offense. Any person who knowingly and 
willfully falsifies a record or report required by this part may be 
subject to criminal penalties under 49 U.S.C. 21311 (formerly codified 
in 45 U.S.C. 438(e)). Appendix A to this part contains a schedule of 
civil penalty amounts used in connection with this part.
    (b) Although the requirements of this part are stated in terms of 
the duty of a railroad, when any person, including a contractor or 
subcontractor to a railroad, performs any function covered by this 
part, that person (whether or not a railroad) shall perform that 
function in accordance with this part.

Subpart B--System Safety Program Requirements


Sec.  270.101   System safety program; general.

    (a) Each railroad subject to this part shall establish and fully 
implement a system safety program that continually and systematically 
evaluates railroad safety hazards on its system and manages the 
resulting risks to reduce the number and rates of railroad accidents, 
incidents, injuries, and fatalities. A system safety program shall 
include a risk-based hazard management program and risk-based hazard 
analysis designed to proactively identify hazards and mitigate or 
eliminate the resulting risks. The system safety program shall be fully 
implemented and supported by a written SSP plan described in Sec.  
270.103.
    (b) A railroad's system safety program shall be designed so that it 
promotes and supports a positive safety culture at the railroad.


Sec.  270.103  System safety program plan.

    (a) General. (1) Each railroad subject to this part shall adopt and 
fully implement a system safety program through a written SSP plan 
that, at a minimum, contains the elements in this section. This SSP 
plan shall be approved by FRA under the process specified in Sec.  
270.201.
    (2) Each railroad subject to this part shall communicate with each 
railroad that hosts passenger train service for that railroad and 
coordinate the portions of the SSP plan applicable to the railroad 
hosting the passenger train service.
    (b) System safety program policy statement. Each railroad shall set 
forth in its SSP plan a policy statement that endorses the railroad's 
system safety program. This policy statement shall:
    (1) Define the railroad's authority for the establishment and 
implementation of the system safety program;
    (2) Describe the safety philosophy and safety culture of the 
railroad; and
    (3) Be signed by the chief official at the railroad.
    (c) System safety program goals. Each railroad shall set forth in 
its SSP plan a statement defining the goals for the railroad's system 
safety program. This statement shall describe clear strategies on how 
the goals will be achieved and what management's responsibilities are 
to achieve them. At a minimum, the goals shall be:
    (1) Long-term;
    (2) Meaningful;
    (3) Measurable; and
    (4) Focused on the identification of hazards and the mitigation or 
elimination of the resulting risks.
    (d) Railroad system description. (1) Each railroad shall set forth 
in its SSP plan a statement describing the railroad's system. The 
description shall include: the railroad's operations, including any 
host operations; the physical characteristics of the railroad; the 
scope of service; the railroad's maintenance activities; and any other 
pertinent aspects of the railroad's system.
    (2) Each railroad shall identify the persons that enter into a 
contractual relationship with the railroad to either perform 
significant safety-related services on the railroad's behalf or to 
utilize significant safety-related services provided by the railroad 
for purposes related to railroad operations.
    (3) Each railroad shall describe the relationships and 
responsibilities between the railroad and: host railroads, contract 
operators, shared track/corridor operators, and persons providing or 
utilizing significant safety-related services as identified by the 
railroad pursuant to paragraph (d)(2) of this section.
    (e) Railroad management and organizational structure. Each railroad 
shall set forth a statement in its SSP plan that describes the 
management and organizational structure of the railroad.

[[Page 53898]]

This statement shall include the following:
    (1) A chart or other visual representation of the organizational 
structure of the railroad;
    (2) A description of the railroad's management responsibilities 
within the system safety program;
    (3) A description of how safety responsibilities are distributed 
within the railroad organization;
    (4) Clear identification of the lines of authority used by the 
railroad to manage safety issues; and
    (5) A description of the roles and responsibilities in the 
railroad's system safety program for each host railroad, contract 
operator, shared track/corridor operator, and any persons utilizing or 
providing significant safety-related services as identified by the 
railroad pursuant to (d)(2) of this section. As part of this 
description, the railroad shall describe how each host railroad, 
contractor operator, shared track/corridor operator, and any persons 
utilizing or providing significant safety-related services as 
identified by the railroad pursuant to paragraph (d)(2) of this section 
supports and participates in the railroad's system safety program, as 
appropriate.
    (f) System safety program implementation process. (1) Each railroad 
shall set forth a statement in its SSP plan that describes the process 
the railroad will use to implement its system safety program. As part 
of the railroad's implementation process, the railroad shall describe:
    (i) Roles and responsibilities of each position that has 
significant responsibility for implementing the system safety program, 
including those held by employees and other persons utilizing or 
providing significant safety-related services as identified by the 
railroad pursuant to (d)(2) of this section; and
    (ii) Milestones necessary to be reached to fully implement the 
program.
    (2) A railroad's system safety program shall be fully implemented 
within 36 months of FRA's approval of the SSP plan pursuant to subpart 
C of this part.
    (g) Maintenance, repair, and inspection program. (1) Each railroad 
shall identify and describe in its SSP plan the processes and 
procedures used for maintenance and repair of infrastructure and 
equipment directly affecting railroad safety. Examples of 
infrastructure and equipment that directly affect railroad safety 
include: Fixed facilities and equipment, rolling stock, signal and 
train control systems, track and right-of-way, passenger train/station 
platform interface (gaps), and traction power distribution systems.
    (2) Each description of the processes and procedures used for 
maintenance and repair of infrastructure and equipment directly 
affecting safety shall include the processes and procedures used to 
conduct testing and inspections of the infrastructure and equipment.
    (3) If a railroad has a manual or manuals that comply with all 
applicable Federal regulations and that describe the processes and 
procedures that satisfy this section, the railroad may reference those 
manuals in its SSP plan. FRA approval of a SSP plan that contains or 
references such manuals is not approval of the manuals themselves; each 
manual must independently comply with applicable regulations and is 
subject to a civil penalty if not in compliance with applicable 
regulations.
    (4) The identification and description required by this section of 
the processes and procedures used for maintenance, repair, and 
inspection of infrastructure and equipment directly affecting railroad 
safety is not intended to address and should not include procedures to 
address employee working conditions that arise in the course of 
conducting such maintenance, repair, and inspection of infrastructure 
and equipment directly affecting railroad safety as set forth in the 
plan. FRA does not intend to approve any specific portion of a SSP plan 
that relates exclusively to employee working conditions.
    (h) Rules compliance and procedures review. Each railroad shall set 
forth a statement describing the processes and procedures used by the 
railroad to develop, maintain, and comply with the railroad's rules and 
procedures directly affecting railroad safety and to comply with the 
applicable railroad safety laws and regulations found in this chapter. 
The statement shall identify:
    (1) The railroad's operating and safety rules and maintenance 
procedures that are subject to review under this chapter;
    (2) Techniques used to assess the compliance of the railroad's 
employees with the railroad's operating and safety rules and 
maintenance procedures, and applicable railroad safety laws and 
regulations; and
    (3) Techniques used to assess the effectiveness of the railroad's 
supervision relating to the compliance with the railroad's operating 
and safety rules and maintenance procedures, and applicable railroad 
safety laws and regulations.
    (i) System safety program employee/contractor training. (1) Each 
employee who is responsible for implementing and supporting the system 
safety program, and any persons utilizing or providing significant 
safety-related services will be trained on the railroad's system safety 
program.
    (2) Each railroad shall establish and describe in its SSP plan the 
railroad's system safety program training plan. A system safety program 
training plan shall set forth the procedures by which employees that 
are responsible for implementing and supporting the system safety 
program, and any persons utilizing or providing significant safety-
related services will be trained on the railroad's system safety 
program. A system safety program training plan shall help ensure that 
all personnel who are responsible for implementing and supporting the 
system safety program understand the goals of the program, are familiar 
with the elements of the program, and have the requisite knowledge and 
skills to fulfill their responsibilities under the program.
    (3) For each position identified pursuant to paragraph (f)(1)(i) of 
this section, the training plan shall describe the frequency and 
content of the system safety program training that the position 
receives.
    (4) If a position is not identified under paragraph (f)(1)(i) of 
this section as having significant responsibility to implement the 
system safety program but the position is safety-related or has a 
significant impact on safety, personnel in those positions shall 
receive training in basic system safety concepts and the system safety 
implications of their position.
    (5) Training under this subpart may include, but is not limited to, 
classroom, computer-based, or correspondence training.
    (6) The railroad shall keep a record of all training conducted 
under this part and update that record as necessary. The system safety 
program training plan shall set forth the process used to maintain and 
update the necessary training records required by this part.
    (7) The system safety program training plan shall set forth the 
process used by the railroad to ensure that it is complying with the 
training requirements set forth in the training plan.
    (j) Emergency management. Each railroad shall set forth a statement 
in its SSP plan that describes the processes used by the railroad to 
manage emergencies that may arise within its system including, but not 
limited to, the processes to comply with applicable emergency equipment 
standards in part 238 of this chapter and the passenger train emergency 
preparedness requirements in part 239 of this chapter.
    (k) Workplace safety. Each railroad shall set forth a statement in 
its SSP plan that describes the programs

[[Page 53899]]

established by the railroad that protect the safety of the railroad's 
employees and contractors. The statement shall include a description 
of:
    (1) The processes that help ensure the safety of employees and 
contractors while working on or in close proximity to the railroad's 
property as described in paragraph (d) of this section;
    (2) The processes that help ensure that employees and contractors 
understand the requirements established by the railroad pursuant to 
paragraph (f)(1) of this section;
    (3) Any fitness-for-duty programs or any medical monitoring 
programs; and
    (4) The standards for the control of alcohol and drug use in part 
219 of this chapter.
    (l) Public safety outreach program. Each railroad shall establish 
and set forth a statement in its SSP plan that describes its public 
safety outreach program to provide safety information to railroad 
passengers and the general public. Each railroad's safety outreach 
program shall provide a means for railroad passengers and the general 
public to report any observed hazards.
    (m) Accident/incident reporting and investigation. Each railroad 
shall set forth a statement in its SSP plan that describes the 
processes that the railroad uses to receive notification of accidents/
incidents, investigate and report those accidents/incidents, and 
develop, implement, and track any corrective actions found necessary to 
address an investigation's finding(s).
    (n) Safety data acquisition. Each railroad establish and shall set 
forth a statement in its SSP plan that describes the processes it uses 
to collect, maintain, analyze, and distribute safety data in support of 
the system safety program.
    (o) Contract procurement requirements. Each railroad shall set 
forth a statement in its SSP plan that describes the process(es) used 
to help ensure that safety concerns and hazards are adequately 
addressed during the safety-related contract procurement process.
    (p) Risk-based hazard management program. Each railroad shall 
establish a risk-based hazard management program as part of the 
railroad's system safety program. The risk-based hazard management 
program shall be fully described in the SSP plan.
    (1) The risk-based hazard management program shall establish:
    (i) The processes or procedures used in the risk-based hazard 
analysis to identify hazards on the railroad's system;
    (ii) The processes or procedures used in the risk-based hazard 
analysis to analyze identified hazards and support the risk-based 
hazard management program;
    (iii) The methods used in the risk-based hazard analysis to 
determine the severity and frequency of hazards and to determine the 
corresponding risk;
    (iv) The methods used in the risk-based hazard analysis to identify 
actions that mitigate or eliminate hazards and corresponding risks;
    (v) The process for setting goals for the risk-based hazard 
management program and how performance against the goals will be 
reported;
    (vi) The process to make decisions that affect the safety of the 
rail system relative to the risk-based hazard management program;
    (vii) The methods used in the risk-based hazard management program 
to support continuous safety improvement throughout the life of the 
rail system; and
    (viii) The methods used to maintain records of identified hazards 
and risks and the mitigation or elimination of the identified hazards 
and risks throughout the life of the rail system.
    (2) The railroad's description of the risk-based hazard management 
program shall include:
    (i) The position title of the individual(s) responsible for 
administering the risk-based hazard management program;
    (ii) The identities of stakeholders who will participate in the 
risk-based hazard management program; and
    (iii) The position title of the participants and structure of any 
hazard management teams or safety committees that a railroad may 
establish to support the risk-based hazard management program.
    (q) Risk-based hazard analysis. (1) Once FRA approves a railroad's 
SSP plan pursuant to Sec.  270.201(b), the railroad shall apply the 
risk-based hazard analysis methodology identified in paragraphs 
(p)(1)(i) through (iii) of this section to identify and analyze hazards 
on the railroad system and to determine the resulting risks. At a 
minimum, the aspects of the railroad system that shall be analyzed 
include: Operating rules and practices, infrastructure, equipment, 
employee levels and schedules, management structure, employee training, 
and other aspects that have an impact on railroad safety not covered by 
railroad safety regulations or other Federal regulations.
    (2) A risk-based hazard analysis shall identify and the railroad 
shall implement specific actions using the methods described in 
paragraph (p)(1)(iv) of this section that will mitigate or eliminate 
the hazards and resulting risks identified by paragraph (q)(1) of this 
section.
    (3) A railroad shall also conduct a risk-based hazard analysis 
pursuant to paragraphs (q)(1) and (2) of this section when there are 
significant operational changes, system extensions, system 
modifications, or other circumstances that have a direct impact on 
railroad safety.
    (r) Technology analysis and implementation plan. (1) A railroad 
shall develop, and periodically update as necessary, a technology 
analysis and implementation plan as described by this paragraph. The 
railroad shall include this technology analysis and implementation plan 
in its SSP plan.
    (2) A railroad's technology analysis and implementation plan shall 
describe the process the railroad will use to:
    (i) Identify and analyze current, new, or novel technologies that 
will mitigate or eliminate the hazards and resulting risks identified 
by the risk-based hazard analysis pursuant to paragraph (q)(1) of this 
section; and
    (ii) Analyze the safety impact, feasibility, and costs and benefits 
of implementing the technologies identified by the processes under 
paragraph (r)(2)(i) of this section that will mitigate or eliminate 
hazards and the resulting risks.
    (3) Once FRA approves a railroad's SSP plan pursuant to Sec.  
270.201(b), including the technology analysis and implementation plan, 
the railroad shall apply:
    (i) The processes described in paragraph (r)(2)(i) of this section 
to identify and analyze technologies that will mitigate or eliminate 
the hazards and resulting risks identified by the risk-based hazard 
analysis pursuant to paragraph (q)(1) of this section. At a minimum, 
the technologies a railroad shall consider as part of its technology 
analysis are: Processor-based technologies, positive train control 
systems, electronically-controlled pneumatic brakes, rail integrity 
inspection systems, rail integrity warning systems, switch position 
monitors and indicators, trespasser prevention technology, and highway-
rail grade crossing warning and protection technology; and
    (ii) The processes described in paragraph (r)(2)(ii) of this 
section to the technologies identified by the analysis under paragraph 
(r)(3)(i) of this section.
    (4) If a railroad decides to implement any of the technologies 
identified in paragraph (r)(3) of this section, in the technology 
analysis and implementation plan in the SSP plan, the railroad shall:

[[Page 53900]]

    (i) Describe how it will develop, adopt, implement, maintain, and 
use the identified technologies; and
    (ii) Set forth a prioritized implementation schedule for the 
development, adoption, implementation and maintenance of those 
technologies over a 10-year period.
    (5) Except as required by subpart I of part 236 of this chapter, if 
a railroad decides to implement a positive train control system as part 
of its technology analysis and implementation plan, the railroad shall 
set forth and comply with a schedule for implementation of the positive 
train control system consistent with the deadlines in the Positive 
Train Control Enforcement and Implementation Act of 2015, Public Law 
114-73, 129 Stat. 576-82 (Oct. 29, 2015), and 49 CFR 236.1005(b)(7).
    (6) The railroad shall not include in its SSP plan the analysis 
conducted pursuant to paragraph (r)(3) of this section. The railroad 
shall make the results of any analysis conducted pursuant to paragraph 
(r)(3) of this section available upon request to representatives of FRA 
and States participating under part 212 of this chapter.
    (s) Safety Assurance--(1) Change management. Each railroad shall 
establish and set forth a statement in its SSP plan describing the 
processes and procedures used by the railroad to manage significant 
operational changes, system extensions, system modifications, or other 
significant changes that will have a direct impact on railroad safety.
    (2) Configuration management. Each railroad shall establish a 
configuration management program and describe the program in its SSP 
plan. The configuration management program shall--
    (i) Identify who within the railroad has authority to make 
configuration changes;
    (ii) Establish processes to make configuration changes to the 
railroad's system; and
    (iii) Establish processes to ensure that all departments of the 
railroad affected by the configuration changes are formally notified 
and approve of the change.
    (3) Safety certification. Each railroad shall establish and set 
forth a statement in its SSP plan that describes the certification 
process used by the railroad to help ensure that safety concerns and 
hazards are adequately addressed before the initiation of operations or 
major projects to extend, rehabilitate, or modify an existing system or 
replace vehicles and equipment.
    (t) Safety culture. A railroad shall set forth a statement in its 
SSP plan that describes how it measures the success of its safety 
culture identified in paragraph (b)(2) of this section.


Sec.  270.105  Discovery and admission as evidence of certain 
information.

    (a) Protected information. Any information compiled or collected 
after August 14, 2017, solely for the purpose of planning, 
implementing, or evaluating a system safety program under this part 
shall not be subject to discovery, admitted into evidence, or 
considered for other purposes in a Federal or State court proceedings 
for damages involving personal injury, wrongful death, or property 
damage. For purposes of this section--
    (1) ``Information'' includes plans, reports, documents, surveys, 
schedules, lists, or data, and specifically includes a railroad's 
analysis of its safety risks under Sec.  270.103(q)(1) and a railroad's 
statement of mitigation measures under Sec.  270.103(q)(2); and
    (2) ``Solely'' means that a railroad originally compiled or 
collected the information for the exclusive purpose of planning, 
implementing, or evaluating a system safety program under this part. 
Information compiled or collected for any other purpose is not 
protected, even if the railroad also uses that information for a system 
safety program. ``Solely'' also means that a railroad continues to use 
that information only for its system safety program. If a railroad 
subsequently uses for any other purpose information that was initially 
compiled or collected for a system safety program, this section does 
not protect that information to the extent that it is used for the non-
system safety program purpose. The use of that information within the 
railroad's system safety program, however, remains protected. This 
section does not protect information that is required to be compiled or 
collected pursuant to any other provision of law or regulation.
    (b) Non-protected information. This section does not affect the 
discovery, admissibility, or consideration for other purposes in a 
Federal or State court proceedings for damages involving personal 
injury, wrongful death, or property damage of information compiled or 
collected for a purpose other than that specifically identified in 
paragraph (a) of this section. Such information shall continue to be 
discoverable, admissible, or considered for other purposes in a Federal 
or State court proceedings for damages involving personal injury, 
wrongful death, or property damage if it was discoverable, admissible, 
or considered for other purposes in a Federal or State court 
proceedings for damages involving personal injury, wrongful death, or 
property damage on or before August 14, 2017. Specifically, the types 
of information not affected by this section include:
    (1) Information compiled or collected on or before August 14, 2017;
    (2) Information compiled or collected on or before August 14, 2017, 
and that continues to be compiled or collected, even if used to plan, 
implement, or evaluate a railroad's system safety program; or
    (3) Information that is compiled or collected after August 14, 
2017, and is compiled or collected for a purpose other than that 
identified in paragraph (a) of this section.
    (c) Information protected by other law or regulation. Nothing in 
this section shall affect or abridge in any way any other protection of 
information provided by another provision of law or regulation. Any 
such provision of law or regulation applies independently of the 
protections provided by this section.
    (d) Preemption. To the extent that State discovery rules and 
sunshine laws would require disclosure of information protected by this 
section in a Federal or State court proceedings for damages involving 
personal injury, wrongful death, or property damage, those rules and 
laws are preempted.


Sec.  270.107   Consultation requirements.

    (a) General duty. (1) Each railroad required to establish a system 
safety program under this part shall in good faith consult with, and 
use its best efforts to reach agreement with, all of its directly 
affected employees, including any non-profit labor organization 
representing a class or craft of directly affected employees, on the 
contents of the SSP plan.
    (2) A railroad that consults with such a non-profit employee labor 
organization as required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section is 
considered to have consulted with the directly affected employees 
represented by that organization. If a railroad contracts out 
significant portions of its operations, the contractor and the 
contractor's employees performing the railroad's operations shall be 
considered directly affected employees for the purposes of this part.
    (3) A railroad shall have a preliminary meeting with its directly 
affected employees to discuss how the consultation process will 
proceed. A railroad is not required to discuss the substance of a SSP 
plan during this preliminary meeting. A railroad must:

[[Page 53901]]

    (i) Hold the preliminary meeting no later than April 10, 2017; and
    (ii) Notify the directly affected employees of the preliminary 
meeting no less than 60 days before it is held.
    (4) Appendix B to this part contains non-mandatory guidance on how 
a railroad may comply with the requirements of this section.
    (b) Railroad consultation statements. A railroad required to submit 
a SSP plan under Sec.  270.201 must also submit, together with the 
plan, a consultation statement that includes the following information:
    (1) A detailed description of the process the railroad utilized to 
consult with its directly affected employees;
    (2) If the railroad could not reach agreement with its directly 
affected employees on the contents of its SSP plan, identification of 
any known areas of disagreement and an explanation of why it believes 
agreement was not reached; and
    (3) A service list containing the name and contact information for 
each international/national president of any non-profit employee labor 
organization representing a class or craft of the railroad's directly 
affected employees. The service list must also contain the name and 
contact information for any directly affected employee who 
significantly participated in the consultation process independently of 
a non-profit employee labor organization. When a railroad submits its 
SSP plan and consultation statement to FRA pursuant to Sec.  270.201, 
it must also simultaneously send a copy of these documents to all 
individuals identified in the service list.
    (c) Statements from directly affected employees. (1) If a railroad 
and its directly affected employees cannot reach agreement on the 
proposed contents of a SSP plan, the directly affected employees may 
file a statement with the FRA Associate Administrator for Railroad 
Safety and Chief Safety Officer explaining their views on the plan on 
which agreement was not reached with the FRA Associate Administrator 
for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer at Mail Stop 25, 1200 New 
Jersey Ave SE., Washington, DC 20590. The FRA Associate Administrator 
for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer shall consider any such 
views during the plan review and approval process.
    (2) A railroad's directly affected employees have 30 days following 
the date of the railroad's submission of a proposed SSP plan to submit 
the statement described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section.
    (d) Consultation requirements for system safety program plan 
amendments. A railroad's SSP plan must include a description of the 
process the railroad will use to consult with its directly affected 
employees on any subsequent substantive amendments to the railroad's 
system safety program. The requirements of this paragraph do not apply 
to non-substantive amendments (e.g., amendments that update names and 
addresses of railroad personnel).

Subpart C--Review, Approval, and Retention of System Safety Program 
Plans


Sec.  270.201  Filing and approval.

    (a) Filing. (1) Each railroad to which this part applies shall 
submit one copy of its SSP plan to the FRA Associate Administrator for 
Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer, Mail Stop 25, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, no later than February 8, 2018 or not 
less than 90 days before commencing operations, whichever is later.
    (2) The railroad shall not include in its SSP plan the risk-based 
hazard analysis conducted pursuant to Sec.  270.103(q). The railroad 
shall make the results of any risk-based hazard analysis available upon 
request to representatives of FRA and States participating under part 
212 of this chapter.
    (3) The SSP plan shall include:
    (i) The signature, name, title, address, and telephone number of 
the chief safety officer who bears primary managerial authority for 
implementing the program for the submitting railroad. By signing, this 
chief official is certifying that the contents of the SSP plan are 
accurate and that the railroad will implement the contents of the 
program as approved by FRA;
    (ii) The contact information for the primary person responsible for 
managing the system safety program; and
    (iii) The contact information for the senior representatives of any 
host railroad, contract operator, shared track/corridor operator or 
persons utilizing or providing significant safety-related services.
    (4) As required by Sec.  270.107(b), each railroad must submit with 
its SSP plan a consultation statement describing how it consulted with 
its directly affected employees on the contents of its system safety 
program plan. Directly affected employees may also file a statement in 
accordance with Sec.  270.107(c).
    (b) Approval. (1) Within 90 days of receipt of a SSP plan, FRA will 
review the SSP plan to determine if the elements prescribed in this 
part are sufficiently addressed in the railroad's submission. This 
review will also consider any statement submitted by directly affected 
employees pursuant to Sec.  270.107(c).
    (2) FRA will notify each person identified by the railroad in Sec.  
270.201(a)(3) in writing whether the proposed plan has been approved by 
FRA, and, if not approved, the specific points in which the SSP plan is 
deficient. FRA will also provide this notification to each individual 
identified in the service list accompanying the consultation statement 
required under Sec.  270.107(b).
    (3) If FRA does not approve a SSP plan, the affected railroad shall 
amend the proposed plan to correct all deficiencies identified by FRA 
and provide FRA with a corrected copy of the SSP plan not later than 90 
days following receipt of FRA's written notice that the proposed SSP 
plan was not approved.
    (4) Approval of a railroad's SSP plan under this part does not 
constitute approval of the specific actions the railroad will implement 
under its SSP plan pursuant to Sec.  270.103(q)(2) and shall not be 
construed as establishing a Federal standard regarding those specific 
actions.
    (c) Review of amendments. (1)(i) A railroad shall submit any 
amendment(s) to the SSP plan to FRA not less than 60 days before the 
proposed effective date of the amendment(s). The railroad shall file 
the amended SSP plan with a cover letter outlining the changes made to 
the original approved SSP plan by the proposed amendment(s). The cover 
letter shall also describe the process the railroad used pursuant to 
Sec.  270.107(d) to consult with its directly affected employees on the 
amendment(s).
    (ii) If an amendment is safety-critical and the railroad is unable 
to submit the amended SSP plan to FRA 60 days before the proposed 
effective date of the amendment, the railroad shall submit the amended 
SSP plan with a cover letter outlining the changes made to the original 
approved SSP plan by the proposed amendment(s) and why the amendment is 
safety-critical to FRA as near as possible to 60 days before the 
proposed effective date of the amendment(s).
    (iii) If the proposed amendment is limited to adding or changing a 
name, title, address, or telephone number of a person, FRA approval is 
not required under the process in paragraphs (c)(1)(i) and (ii) of this 
section, although the railroad shall still file the proposed amendment 
with FRA's Associate

[[Page 53902]]

Administrator for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer. These 
proposed amendments may be implemented by the railroad upon filing with 
FRA. All other proposed amendments must comply with the formal approval 
process in paragraph (c) of this section.
    (2)(i) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(1)(iii) of this section, 
FRA will review the proposed amended SSP plan within 45 days of 
receipt. FRA will then notify the primary contact person of each 
affected railroad whether the proposed amended plan has been approved 
by FRA, and if not approved, the specific points in which each proposed 
amendment to the SSP plan is deficient.
    (ii) If FRA has not notified the railroad by the proposed effective 
date of the amendment(s) whether the proposed amended plan has been 
approved or not, the railroad may implement the amendment(s) pending 
FRA's decision.
    (iii) If a proposed SSP plan amendment is not approved by FRA, no 
later than 60 days following the receipt of FRA's written notice, the 
railroad shall provide FRA either a corrected copy of the amendment 
that addresses all deficiencies noted by FRA or written notice that the 
railroad is retracting the amendment.
    (d) Reopened review. Following initial approval of a plan, or 
amendment, FRA may reopen consideration of the plan or amendment for 
cause stated.
    (e) Electronic submission. All documents required to be submitted 
to FRA under this part may be submitted electronically. Appendix C to 
this part provides instructions on electronic submission of documents.


Sec.  270.203  Retention of system safety program plan.

    Each railroad to which this part applies shall retain at its system 
headquarters, and at any division headquarters, one copy of the SSP 
plan required by this part and one copy of each subsequent amendment to 
that plan. These records shall be made available to representatives of 
FRA and States participating under part 212 of this chapter for 
inspection and copying during normal business hours.

Subpart D--System Safety Program Internal Assessments and External 
Auditing


Sec.  270.301  General.

    The system safety program and its implementation shall be assessed 
internally by the railroad and audited externally by FRA or FRA's 
designee.


Sec.  270.303  Internal system safety program assessment.

    (a) Following FRA's initial approval of the railroad's SSP plan 
pursuant to Sec.  270.201, the railroad shall annually conduct an 
assessment of the extent to which:
    (1) The system safety program is fully implemented;
    (2) The railroad is in compliance with the implemented elements of 
the approved system safety program; and
    (3) The railroad has achieved the goals set forth in Sec.  
270.103(c).
    (b) As part of its SSP plan, the railroad shall set forth a 
statement describing the processes used to:
    (1) Conduct internal system safety program assessments;
    (2) Internally report the findings of the internal system safety 
program assessments;
    (3) Develop, track, and review recommendations as a result of the 
internal system safety program assessments;
    (4) Develop improvement plans based on the internal system safety 
program assessments. Improvement plans shall, at a minimum, identify 
who is responsible for carrying out the necessary tasks to address 
assessment findings and specify a schedule of target dates with 
milestones to implement the improvements that address the assessment 
findings; and
    (5) Manage revisions and updates to the SSP plan based on the 
internal system safety program assessments.
    (c)(1) Within 60 days of completing its internal SSP plan 
assessment pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the railroad 
shall:
    (i) Submit to FRA a copy of the railroad's internal assessment 
report that includes a system safety program assessment and the status 
of internal assessment findings and improvement plans to the FRA 
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer, 
Mail Stop 25, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590; and
    (ii) Outline the specific improvement plans for achieving full 
implementation of the SSP plan, as well as achieving the goals of the 
plan.
    (2) The railroad's chief official responsible for safety shall 
certify the results of the railroad's internal SSP plan assessment.


Sec.  270.305  External safety audit.

    (a) FRA may conduct, or cause to be conducted, external audits of a 
railroad's system safety program. Each audit will evaluate the 
railroad's compliance with the elements required by this part in the 
railroad's approved SSP plan. FRA shall provide the railroad written 
notification of the results of any audit.
    (b)(1) Within 60 days of FRA's written notification of the results 
of the audit, the railroad shall submit to FRA for approval an 
improvement plan to address the audit findings that require corrective 
action. At a minimum, the improvement plan shall identify who is 
responsible for carrying out the necessary tasks to address audit 
findings and specify target dates and milestones to implement the 
improvements that address the audit findings.
    (2) If FRA does not approve the railroad's improvement plan, FRA 
will notify the railroad of the specific deficiencies in the 
improvement plan. The affected railroad shall amend the proposed plan 
to correct the deficiencies identified by FRA and provide FRA with a 
corrected copy of the improvement plan no later than 30 days following 
its receipt of FRA's written notice that the proposed plan was not 
approved.
    (3) Upon request, the railroad shall provide to FRA and States 
participating under part 212 of this chapter for review a report upon 
request regarding the status of the implementation of the improvements 
set forth in the improvement plan established pursuant to paragraph 
(b)(1) of this section.

Appendix A to Part 270--Schedule of Civil Penalties

                          Penalty Schedule \1\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Willful
                                             Violation       violation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Subpart B--System Safety Program Requirements
------------------------------------------------------------------------
270.101--System safety program; general:
    (a) Failure to establish a system            $15,000         $30,000
     safety program.....................
    (a) Failure to include a risk-based           10,000          20,000
     hazard management program in the
     railroad's system safety program...
270.103--System safety program plan:

[[Page 53903]]

 
    (a)(1) Failure to include and comply           7,500          15,000
     with any required element or any
     sub-element in the SSP plan........
    (a)(2) Failure to communicate and              7,500          15,000
     coordinate with host railroad on
     the SSP plan.......................
270.107--Consultation Requirements:
    (a)(1) Failure to consult with                10,000          20,000
     directly affected employees........
    Failure to consult in good faith and/         10,000          20,000
     or use best efforts................
    (a)(3) Failure to hold preliminary             7,500          15,000
     meeting............................
    Failure to hold preliminary meeting            5,000          10,000
     within April 10, 2017..............
    Failure to notify directly affected            7,500          15,000
     employees no less than 60 days
     before meeting is held.............
    (b) Failure to submit consultation             7,500          15,000
     statement with plan submission.....
    Failure to include all required                5,000          10,000
     elements in consultation statement.
    (d) Failure to submit consultation             5,000          10,000
     statement with submission of plan
     amendment..........................
------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Subpart C--Review, Approval, and Retention of SSP Plans
------------------------------------------------------------------------
270.201--Filing and approval:
    (a)(1) Failure to file an initial             10,000          20,000
     SSP plan...........................
    Failure to file a SSP plan within 90          10,000          20,000
     days of commencing operations......
    (a)(3) Failure to include all                  5,000          10,000
     required information in submission.
    (b)(3) Failure to correct identified           7,500          15,000
     deficiencies and amend SSP plan....
    Failure to submit amended SSP plan..           7,500          15,000
    Failure to submit amended SSP plan             5,000          10,000
     within 90 days.....................
    (c)(1)(i) Failure to submit                    7,500          15,000
     amendment to SSP plan..............
    Failure to submit amendment to SSP             5,000          10,000
     plan within 60 days................
    (c)(2)(iii) Failure to submit                  7,500          15,000
     corrected amendment or notify FRA
     of retraction......................
    Failure to submit corrected                    5,000          10,000
     amendment within 60 days...........
270.203--Retention of SSP plan:
    Failure to retain a copy of the SSP           10,000          20,000
     plan at the system/division
     headquarters.......................
    Failure to make records available to           7,500          15,000
     representatives of FRA and States
     participating under part 212 of
     this chapter.......................
------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Subpart D--System Safety Program Internal Assessments and External
                                Auditing
------------------------------------------------------------------------
270.303--Internal program assessment:
    (a) Failure to conduct an annual              10,000          20,000
     internal assessment................
    Failure to include all required                7,500          15,000
     elements in the internal assessment
    (b) Failure to include a statement             5,000          10,000
     in the SSP plan describing the
     required elements..................
    (c)(1)(i) Failure to submit to FRA             7,500          15,000
     the internal assessment report.....
    Failure for the internal assessment            5,000          10,000
     report to contain all required
     elements and sub-elements..........
    (c)(1)(ii) Failure to develop and              7,500          15,000
     outline improvement plans..........
    Failure to comply with improvement             7,500          15,000
     plans..............................
    (c)(2) Failure of chief official               5,000          10,000
     responsible for safety to certify
     the results of the internal
     assessment.........................
270.305--External safety audit:
    (b)(1) Failure to submit improvement           7,500          15,000
     plans..............................
    Failure to submit improvement plans            5,000          10,000
     within 60 days.....................
    Failure to include all required                5,000          10,000
     elements in the improvement plans..
    (b)(2) Failure to amend and submit             7,500          15,000
     to FRA the improvement plan........
    Failure to submit amended                      5,000          10,000
     improvement plan within 30 days....
    (b)(3) Failure to provide a report             7,500          15,000
     regarding the status of the
     implementation of the improvements
     set forth in the improvement plan..
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ A penalty may be assessed against an individual only for a willful
  violation. The Administrator reserves the right to assess a penalty of
  up to $109,819 for any violation where circumstances warrant. See 49
  CFR part 209, appendix A.

Appendix B to Part 270--Federal Railroad Administration Guidance on the 
System Safety Program Consultation Process

    A railroad required to develop a system safety program under 
this part must in good faith consult with and use its best efforts 
to reach agreement with its directly affected employees on the 
contents of the SSP plan. See Sec.  270.107(a). This appendix 
discusses the meaning of the terms ``good faith'' and ``best 
efforts,'' and provides non-mandatory guidance on how a railroad may 
comply with the requirement to consult with directly affected 
employees on the contents of its SSP plan. Guidance is provided for 
employees who are represented by a non-profit employee labor 
organization and employees who are not represented by any such 
organization.

The Meaning of ``Good Faith'' and ``Best Efforts''

    ``Good faith'' and ``best efforts'' are not interchangeable 
terms representing a vague standard for the Sec.  270.107 
consultation process. Rather, each term has a specific and distinct 
meaning. When consulting with directly affected employees, 
therefore, a railroad must independently meet the standards for both 
the good faith and best efforts obligations. A railroad that does 
not meet the standard for one or the other will not be in compliance 
with the consultation requirements of Sec.  270.107.
    The good faith obligation requires a railroad to consult with 
employees in a manner that is honest, fair, and reasonable, and to 
genuinely pursue agreement on the contents of a SSP plan. If a 
railroad consults with its employees merely in a perfunctory manner, 
without genuinely pursuing agreement, it will not have met the good 
faith requirement. For example, a lack of good faith may be found if 
a railroad's directly affected employees express concerns with 
certain parts of the railroad's SSP plan, and the railroad neither 
addresses those concerns in further consultation nor attempts to 
address those concerns by making changes to the SSP plan.
    On the other hand, ``best efforts'' establishes a higher 
standard than that

[[Page 53904]]

imposed by the good faith obligation, and describes the diligent 
attempts that a railroad must pursue to reach agreement with its 
employees on the contents of its system safety program. While the 
good faith obligation is concerned with the railroad's state of mind 
during the consultation process, the best efforts obligation is 
concerned with the specific efforts made by the railroad in an 
attempt to reach agreement. This would include considerations such 
as whether a railroad had held sufficient meetings with its 
employees to address or make an attempt to address any concerns 
raised by the employees, or whether the railroad had made an effort 
to respond to feedback provided by employees during the consultation 
process. For example, a railroad would not meet the best efforts 
obligation if it did not initiate the consultation process in a 
timely manner, and thereby failed to provide employees sufficient 
time to engage in the consultation process. A railroad may, however, 
wish to hold off substantive consultations regarding the contents of 
its SSP until one year after the publication date of the rule to 
ensure that certain information generated as part of the process is 
protected from discovery and admissibility into evidence under Sec.  
270.105 of the rule. Generally, best efforts are measured by the 
measures that a reasonable person in the same circumstances and of 
the same nature as the acting party would take. Therefore, the 
standard imposed by the best efforts obligation may vary with 
different railroads, depending on a railroad's size, resources, and 
number of employees.
    When reviewing SSP plans, FRA will determine on a case-by-case 
basis whether a railroad has met its Sec.  270.107 good faith and 
best efforts obligations. This determination will be based upon the 
consultation statement submitted by the railroad pursuant to Sec.  
270.107(b) and any statements submitted by employees pursuant to 
Sec.  270.107(c). If FRA finds that these statements do not provide 
sufficient information to determine whether a railroad used good 
faith and best efforts to reach agreement, FRA may investigate 
further and contact the railroad or its employees to request 
additional information. If FRA determines that a railroad did not 
use good faith and best efforts, FRA may disapprove the SSP plan 
submitted by the railroad and direct the railroad to comply with the 
consultation requirements of Sec.  270.107. Pursuant to Sec.  
270.201(b)(3), if FRA does not approve the SSP plan, the railroad 
will have 90 days, following receipt of FRA's written notice that 
the plan was not approved, to correct any deficiency identified. In 
such cases, the identified deficiency would be that the railroad did 
not use good faith and best efforts to consult and reach agreement 
with its directly affected employees. If a railroad then does not 
submit to FRA within 90 days a SSP plan meeting the consultation 
requirements of Sec.  270.107, the railroad could be subject to 
penalties for failure to comply with Sec.  270.201(b)(3).

Guidance on How a Railroad May Consult With Directly Affected Employees

    Because the standard imposed by the best efforts obligation will 
vary depending upon the railroad, there may be countless ways for 
various railroads to comply with the consultation requirements of 
Sec.  270.107. Therefore, FRA believes it is important to maintain a 
flexible approach to the Sec.  270.107 consultation requirements, to 
give a railroad and its directly affected employees the freedom to 
consult in a manner best suited to their specific circumstances.
    FRA is nevertheless providing guidance in this appendix as to 
how a railroad may proceed when consulting (utilizing good faith and 
best efforts) with employees in an attempt to reach agreement on the 
contents of a SSP plan. FRA believes this guidance may be useful as 
a starting point for railroads that are uncertain about how to 
comply with the Sec.  270.107 consultation requirements. This 
guidance distinguishes between employees who are represented by a 
non-profit employee labor organization and employees who are not, as 
the processes a railroad may use to consult with represented and 
non-represented employees could differ significantly.
    This guidance does not establish prescriptive requirements with 
which a railroad must comply, but merely outlines a consultation 
process a railroad may choose to follow. A railroad's consultation 
statement could indicate that the railroad followed the guidance in 
this appendix as evidence that it utilized good faith and best 
efforts to reach agreement with its employees on the contents of a 
SSP plan.

Employees Represented by a Non-Profit Employee Labor Organization

    As provided in Sec.  270.107(a)(2), a railroad consulting with 
the representatives of a non-profit employee labor organization on 
the contents of a SSP plan will be considered to have consulted with 
the directly affected employees represented by that organization.
    A railroad may utilize the following process as a roadmap for 
using good faith and best efforts when consulting with represented 
employees in an attempt to reach agreement on the contents of a SSP 
plan.
     Pursuant to Sec.  270.107(a)(3)(i), a railroad must 
meet with representatives from a non-profit employee labor 
organization (representing a class or craft of the railroad's 
directly affected employees) no later than April 10, 2017, to begin 
the process of consulting on the contents of the railroad's SSP 
plan. A railroad must provide notice at least 60 days before the 
scheduled meeting.
     During the time between the initial meeting and the 
applicability date of Sec.  270.105 the parties may meet to discuss 
administrative details of the consultation process as necessary.
     Within 60 days after the applicability date of Sec.  
270.105 a railroad should have a meeting with the directed affected 
employees to discuss substantive issues with the SSP.
     Pursuant to Sec.  270.201(a)(1), a railroad would file 
its SSP plan with FRA no later than February 8, 2018, or not less 
than 90 days before commencing operations, whichever is later.
     As provided by Sec.  270.107(c), if agreement on the 
contents of a SSP plan could not be reached, a labor organization 
(representing a class or craft of the railroad's directly affected 
employees) may file a statement with the FRA Associate Administrator 
for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer explaining its views on 
the plan on which agreement was not reached.

Employees Who Are Not Represented by a Non-Profit Employee Labor 
Organization

    FRA recognizes that some (or all) of a railroad's directly 
affected employees may not be represented by a non-profit employee 
labor organization. For such non-represented employees, the 
consultation process described for represented employees may not be 
appropriate or sufficient. For example, FRA believes that a railroad 
with non-represented employees should make a concerted effort to 
ensure that its non-represented employees are aware that they are 
able to participate in the development of the railroad's SSP plan. 
FRA therefore is providing the following guidance regarding how a 
railroad may utilize good faith and best efforts when consulting 
with non-represented employees on the contents of its SSP plan.
     By December 12, 2016 (i.e., within 60 days of the 
effective date of the final rule), a railroad may notify non-
represented employees that--
    (1) The railroad is required to consult in good faith with, and 
use its best efforts to reach agreement with, all directly affected 
employees on the proposed contents of its SSP plan;
    (2) The railroad is required to meet with its directly affected 
employees within 180 days of the effective date of the final rule to 
address the consultation process;
    (3) Non-represented employees are invited to participate in the 
consultation process (and include instructions on how to engage in 
this process); and
    (4) If a railroad is unable to reach agreement with its directly 
affected employees on the contents of the proposed SSP plan, an 
employee may file a statement with the FRA Associate Administrator 
for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer explaining his or her 
views on the plan on which agreement was not reached.
     This initial notification (and all subsequent 
communications, as necessary or appropriate) could be provided to 
non-represented employees in the following ways:
    (1) Electronically, such as by email or an announcement on the 
railroad's Web site;
    (2) By posting the notification in a location easily accessible 
and visible to non-represented employees; or
    (3) By providing all non-represented employees a hard copy of 
the notification. A railroad could use any or all of these methods 
of communication, so long as the notification complies with the 
railroad's obligation to utilize best efforts in the consultation 
process.
     Following the initial notification and initial meeting 
to discuss the consultation process (and before the railroad submits 
its SSP plan to FRA), a railroad should provide non-represented 
employees a draft proposal of its SSP plan. This draft proposal 
should solicit additional input from non-represented employees, and 
the railroad should provide

[[Page 53905]]

non-represented employees 60 days to submit comments to the railroad 
on the draft.
     Following this 60-day comment period and any changes to 
the draft SSP plan made as a result, the railroad should submit the 
proposed SSP plan to FRA, as required by this part.
     As provided by Sec.  270.107(c), if agreement on the 
contents of a SSP plan cannot be reached, then a non-represented 
employee may file a statement with the FRA Associate Administrator 
for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer explaining his or her 
views on the plan on which agreement was not reached.

Appendix C to Part 270--Procedures for Submission of SSP Plans and 
Statements From Directly Affected Employees

    This appendix establishes procedures for the submission of a 
railroad's SSP plan and statements by directly affected employees 
consistent with the requirements of this part.

Submission by a Railroad and Directly Affected Employees

    As provided for in Sec.  270.101, a system safety program shall 
be fully implemented and supported by a written SSP plan. Each 
railroad must submit its SSP plan to FRA for approval as provided 
for in Sec.  270.201.
    As provided for in Sec.  270.107(c), if a railroad and its 
directly affected employees cannot come to agreement on the proposed 
contents of the railroad's SSP plan, the directly affected employees 
have 30 days following the railroad's submission of its proposed SSP 
plan to submit a statement to the FRA Associate Administrator for 
Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer explaining the directly 
affected employees' views on the plan on which agreement was not 
reached.
    The railroad's and directly affected employees' submissions 
shall be sent to the FRA Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety 
and Chief Safety Officer, Mail Stop 25, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590. When a railroad submits its SSP plan and 
consultation statement to FRA pursuant to Sec.  270.201, it must 
also simultaneously send a copy of these documents to all 
individuals identified in the service list pursuant to Sec.  
270.107(b)(3).
    Each railroad and directly affected employee is authorized to 
file by electronic means any submissions required under this part. 
Before any person submitting anything electronically, the person 
shall provide the FRA Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety 
and Chief Safety Officer with the following information in writing:
    (1) The name of the railroad or directly affected employee(s);
    (2) The names of two individuals, including job titles, who will 
be the railroad's or directly affected employees' points of contact 
and will be the only individuals allowed access to FRA's secure 
document submission site;
    (3) The mailing addresses for the railroad's or directly 
affected employees' points of contact;
    (4) The railroad's system or main headquarters address located 
in the United States;
    (5) The email addresses for the railroad's or directly affected 
employees' points of contact; and
    (6) The daytime telephone numbers for the railroad's or directly 
affected employees' points of contact.
    A request for electronic submission or FRA review of written 
materials shall be addressed to the FRA Associate Administrator for 
Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer, Mail Stop 25, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. Upon receipt of a request 
for electronic submission that contains the information listed 
above, FRA will then contact the requestor with instructions for 
electronically submitting its program or statement. A railroad that 
electronically submits an initial SSP plan or new portions or 
revisions to an approved program required by this part shall be 
considered to have provided its consent to receive approval or 
disapproval notices from FRA by email. FRA may electronically store 
any materials required by this part regardless of whether the 
railroad that submits the materials does so by delivering the 
written materials to the Associate Administrator and opts not to 
submit the materials electronically. A railroad that opts not to 
submit the materials required by this part electronically, but 
provides one or more email addresses in its submission, shall be 
considered to have provided its consent to receive approval or 
disapproval notices from FRA by email or mail.

    Issued in Washington, DC, pursuant to the authority delegated 
under 49 CFR 1.89(b).
Sarah E. Feinberg,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2016-18301 Filed 8-11-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-06-P