Railroads Seek Comments on Their Latest Paperwork Plan—Snore Fest
Published Date: 3/25/2025
Notice
Summary
The Federal Railroad Administration wants your thoughts on a new paperwork plan to make sure it’s useful and not too much work. This affects anyone who deals with railroad info collection, and they’re asking for comments by May 27, 2025. No big costs yet, just a chance to help shape how info is gathered and used.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
New lone-worker recordkeeping added
FRA added a previously omitted recordkeeping requirement under Sec. 214.337(f) for lone workers, which the agency quantifies as 208,000 responses at about 3 minutes each, adding 10,400 burden hours and a wage-equivalent cost shown as $725,816. The requirement is attributed to the 800 railroads in the respondent universe.
Paperwork burden and cost increase
If you are a railroad, contractor, roadway worker, or state safety inspector, FRA now estimates total annual paperwork burden rises from 5,619 hours to 13,604 hours and annual responses from 105,751 to 290,698. FRA says the respondent universe is 800 railroads, 200 contractors, 43,000 roadway workers, and 350 State Inspectors, and the total estimated annual dollar cost equivalent is $966,583.
Several paperwork burdens reduced
FRA reduced estimated burdens in multiple places: burden for on-track safety program submissions (Sec. 214.307) decreased from 679 hours to 37 hours; recordkeeping burden overall decreased from 3,387 hours to 2,953 hours; average annual submissions of Form FRA F 6180.119 are now reported as six forms per year, reducing associated burden hours by 492. FRA also reduced the estimated time for certain designation lists (Sec. 214.505(c)) from 1 hour to 5 minutes.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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