Federal Railroad Administration – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FRA is proposing to amend the Freight Car Safety Standards (FCSS) to implement section 22425 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Act). The Act places certain restrictions on newly built freight cars placed into service in the United States (U.S.) including limiting content that originates from a country of concern (COC) or is sourced from a state-owned enterprise (SOE) and prohibiting the use of sensitive technology that originates from a COC or SOE. The Act mandates that FRA issue a regulation to monitor and enforce industry's compliance with the standards of the Act.

Since the beginning of 2021, 123 rail accidents/incidents have been reported to FRA as having been caused, in whole or in part, by severe weather conditions or weather-related events (e.g., hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, flooding, mudslides, and summer heat). These extreme weather conditions and events not only present hazards to railroad workers, operations and infrastructure but can also severely impact the customers and communities relying on the railroads for travel and transportation of critical goods. To reduce weather-related accidents/incidents and improve the efficiency of the national rail network during severe weather events, FRA is issuing this Safety Advisory to recommend that railroads review existing policies, procedures, and operating rules related to predicting, monitoring, communicating, and operating during severe weather conditions or subsequent to extreme weather events. FRA also recommends that railroads collaborate to develop best practices for utilizing weather forecasting technologies, predictive weather models, and weather- related action plans throughout the industry.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, this notice announces that FRA is forwarding the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the information collection and its expected burden. On August 18, 2023, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR.

This document provides the public with notice that on November 3, 2023, twenty host railroads submitted a joint request for amendment (RFA) to their FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plans (PTCSP) to implement on-board software changes to the human-machine interface (HMI) which requires amendments to positive train control (PTC) training for train crews. As this joint RFA may involve requests for FRA's approval of proposed material modifications to FRA-certified PTC systems, FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on the railroads' joint RFA to their PTCSPs.

This document provides the public with notice that on October 28, 2023, Trinity Railway Express (TRE) submitted a request to field test trains on TRE's positive train control (PTC)-equipped Silver Line subdivision, which is equipped with the Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS). TRE's October 2023 test request also withdraws its pending test request that it had previously filed with FRA on August 29, 2023. FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on TRE's request to test its PTC system on the Silver Line subdivision.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below. Before submitting this ICR to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified in the ICR.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, this notice announces that FRA is forwarding the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the information collection and its expected burden. On August 25, 2023, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR.

This document provides the public with notice that, on October 20, 2023, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) submitted a request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-certified positive train control (PTC) system. FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on the railroad's RFA to its PTC system.

This document provides the public with notice that, on October 16, 2023, the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) submitted a request for amendment (RFA) to its FRA-certified positive train control (PTC) system to notify FRA of a planned PTC outage to perform a necessary PTC Back Office Subsystem upgrade during December 2023. FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on the railroad's RFA to its PTC system.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, this notice announces that FRA is forwarding the Information Collection Requests (ICRs) summarized below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. These ICRs describes the information collection and its expected burden. On August 8, 2023, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the two ICRs.

The purpose of this notice is to inform the public about FRA's regulations permitting railroads to temporarily reroute a train equipped with a positive train control (PTC) system onto a track not equipped with a PTC system, in the event an emergency prevents usage of the regularly used track. This notice contains information about the process a railroad must follow to notify FRA and/or obtain FRA's approval, depending on the duration of the rerouting.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below. Before submitting this ICR to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified in the ICR.

FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2023-06 to emphasize the importance of rules and procedures regarding the safety of roadway workers who operate or work near roadway maintenance machines (RMM). This safety advisory recommends that railroads and contractors review and update their rules regarding the safety of roadway workers who operate or work near RMMs, communicate those changes to their employees, and monitor their employees for compliance with existing rules and procedures and updated rules and procedures, if implemented. In addition, this safety advisory recommends that railroads and contractors conduct additional safety briefings to raise workers' awareness of the hazards associated with operating and working around RMMs.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below. Before submitting this ICR to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified in the ICR.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, this notice announces that FRA is forwarding the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the information collection and its expected burden. On November 14, 2022, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR.

This document provides the public with notice that on August 29, 2023, Trinity Railway Express (TRE) submitted a request together with the Silver Line (SLVR) to field test trains on TRE's positive train control (PTC)-equipped territory, which is equipped with the Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS). FRA is publishing this notice and inviting public comment on TRE and SLVR's joint request to test I-ETMS.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below. Before submitting this ICR to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified in the ICR.