FRA's Third Info Collection Plea: Anyone? Bueller?
Published Date: 9/16/2026
Notice
Summary
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) wants your thoughts on a new info collection plan that helps them do their job better. If you’re involved with railroads or just curious, you can comment by November 16, 2026. This won’t cost you money but might ask for some time to share your input online.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.
Annual Paperwork Burden Reduced
If you operate one of the 773 railroads in the respondent universe, FRA reduced the annual information-collection burden for 49 CFR part 220 from 95,902 hours to 76,237 hours, a decrease of 19,665 hours. The ICR shows 3,068,004 total annual responses and an annual burden-hour dollar equivalent of $6,024,274.08. Comments on the ICR are due November 16, 2026.
Written Mandatory Directives Burden
For the written copy of mandatory directives (Sec. 220.61(b)(3)), the ICR estimates 3,040,000 directives annually, with an average of 90 seconds per response, totaling 76,000 burden hours and a wage-equivalent cost of $6,005,520 per year. This applies to the 773 railroads in the respondent universe.
More Employee Training Records Estimated
FRA increased its estimate of employee training records under Sec. 220.313(c) to 28,000 records annually, with each record estimated at 30 seconds, totaling 233 burden hours and a wage-equivalent cost of $18,438 per year for the respondent universe of 773 railroads.
Petitions for Waiver Paperwork Small Burden
Under Sec. 220.8, petitions to the Administrator for waiver of compliance are estimated as 2 petition letters totaling 2 burden hours and a wage-equivalent cost of $158.04 annually for the respondent universe. This applies to railroads that seek waivers.
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this federal register document means for your household, plus every other regulation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-17904, National Environmental Policy Act Regulations
FHWA, FRA, and FTA (collectively referred to as the "Agencies") are finalizing the interim final rule (IFR) published on July 3, 2025, which revised the Agencies' National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 implementing regulations in light of the removal of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations, the amendments to NEPA included in the section of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FR Act) of 2023, known as the Building United States Infrastructure through Limited Delays and Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act of 2023, amendments regarding efficient environmental reviews included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, and the Supreme Court decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition. The Agencies provided a 30-day comment period for the public to review and comment on the IFR. This final rule addresses public comments received and finalizes the IFR with minor technical changes.
2026-19031, Safety Advisory 2025-02; Track Is Clear Determination During Shoving or Pushing Movements Across Highway-Rail Grade Crossings Equipped Only With Flashing Lights or Passive Warning Devices (Supplement)
The Federal Railroad Administration is stepping up safety for railroad crews pushing or shoving trains across crossings with just flashing lights or passive warnings. After more accidents, including one death, they’re adding new rules: railroads must hold in-person safety briefings and review training programs. These changes aim to keep workers safer without extra costs or delays.
2026-18981, Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
The Federal Railroad Administration wants your thoughts on their plan to collect information from the public and railroad companies. They’re checking if the questions they ask are useful, clear, and not too much work. You’ve got until November 16, 2026, to share your ideas before they ask for official approval, and this won’t cost you anything but a few minutes of your time!
2026-18986, Surface Transportation Project Delivery Program; Ohio Department of Transportation Audit Report
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is now in charge of handling environmental reviews for railroad projects instead of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). This change means ODOT must follow strict rules and is responsible for making sure projects meet environmental laws. The FRA is checking ODOT’s work with yearly audits for the next four years, and everyone can comment on the first audit report by October 16, 2026.
2026-17996, Safety Advisory 2026-01; Restricted Speed
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is reminding railroads and their workers to stick to 'restricted speed' rules to keep trains safe. This comes after seven recent accidents where trains didn’t slow down enough, especially in areas with Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. Railroads need to double-check their training and testing to make sure everyone can stop trains safely, or else risk more accidents and possible fines.
2026-17783, Regulatory Relief From Locomotive Horn Sounding Pattern at Public Highway-Rail Grade Crossings
Starting September 30, 2026, train engineers can switch from the old horn pattern to just one single blast when near public highway-rail crossings. This change affects all trains and locomotives stopping close to these crossings, making horn use simpler and less noisy. It’s a smart move to cut red tape without costing extra money or risking safety.
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-18981, Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
The Federal Railroad Administration wants your thoughts on their plan to collect information from the public and railroad companies. They’re checking if the questions they ask are useful, clear, and not too much work. You’ve got until November 16, 2026, to share your ideas before they ask for official approval, and this won’t cost you anything but a few minutes of your time!
Next: 2026-18983, Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) wants your thoughts on a new paperwork plan to help them do their job better. If you’re involved with railroads or just interested, you can comment by November 16, 2026. This won’t cost money but aims to make info collection clearer and less of a hassle for everyone.