Passenger Train Emergency Preparedness (Word Version)

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 4910-06-P

Federal Railroad Administration

Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

[Docket No. FRA-2013-0002-N-9]

Agency: Federal Railroad Administration, DOT.

Action: Notice and Request for Comments

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on January 23, 2013 (78 FR 4978).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before [30 days from date of publication].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Robert Brogan, Office of Planning and Evaluation Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Mail Stop 25, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6292), or Ms. Kimberly Toone, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Mail Stop 35, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6132). (These telephone numbers are not toll-free.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Pub. L. No. 104-13, § 2, 109 Stat. 163 (1995) (codified as revised at 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), and its implementing regulations,

5 CFR Part 1320, require Federal agencies to issue two notices seeking public comment on information collection activities before OMB may approve paperwork packages. 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.5, 1320.8(d)(1), 1320.12. On January 23, 2013, FRA published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register soliciting comment on ICRs that the agency was seeking OMB approval. 78 FR 4978. FRA received no comments after issuing this notice. Accordingly, DOT announces that these information collection activities have been re-evaluated and certified under 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and forwarded to OMB for review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12(c).

Before OMB decides whether to approve these proposed collections of information, it must provide 30 days for public comment. 44 U.S.C. 3507(b); 5 CFR 1320.12(d). Federal law requires OMB to approve or disapprove paperwork packages between 30 and 60 days after the 30 day notice is published. 44 U.S.C. 3507 (b)-(c); 5 CFR 1320.12(d); see also 60 FR 44978, 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. OMB believes that the 30 day notice informs the regulated community to file relevant comments and affords the agency adequate time to digest public comments before it renders a decision. 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. Therefore, respondents should submit their respective comments to OMB within 30 days of publication to best ensure having their full effect. 5 CFR 1320.12(c); see also 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995.

The summaries below describe the nature of the information collection requirements (ICRs) and the expected burden. The revised requirements are being submitted for clearance by OMB as required by the PRA.

Title: Passenger Train Emergency Preparedness

OMB Control Number: 2130-0545

Type of Request: Extension without change of a currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Railroads

Form(s): None

Abstract: The collection of information is due to the passenger train emergency regulations set

forth in 49 CFR Parts 223 and 239 which require railroads to meet minimum Federal standards

for the preparation, adoption, and implementation of emergency preparedness plans connected

with the operation of passenger trains, including freight railroads hosting operations of rail

passenger service. The regulations require luminescent or lighted emergency markings so that

passengers and emergency responders can readily determine where the closest and most

accessible exit routes are located and how the emergency exit mechanisms are operated.

Windows and doors intended for emergency access by responders for extrication of passengers

must be marked with retro-reflective material so that emergency responders, particularly in

conditions of poor visibility, can easily distinguish them from the less accessible doors and

windows. Records of the inspection, maintenance, and repair of emergency windows and

door exits, as well as records of operational efficiency tests, will be used to ensure compliance

with the regulations

Annual Estimated Burden: 11,520 hours

Addressee: Send comments regarding these information collections to the Office of Information

and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 Seventeenth Street, N.W.,

Washington, D.C., 20503, Attention: FRA Desk Officer.

Comments are invited on the following: Whether the proposed collections of information are

necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Department, including whether the

information will have practical utility; the accuracy of the Department’s estimates of the burden

of the proposed information collections; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the collections of information

on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of

information technology.

A comment to OMB is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of

publication of this notice in the Federal Register.

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

Issued in Washington, DC on .

____________________________

Rebecca Pennington

Chief Financial Officer

Federal Railroad Administration

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