[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 226 (Monday, November 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74783-74784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25835]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2020-0027-N-34]


Agency Request for Emergency Processing of Collection of 
Information by the Office of Management and Budget

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its 
implementing regulations, this document provides notice that FRA is 
submitting the following Information Collection Request to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) to collect information on ridership data 
and certified schedule metrics as required by the recently issued final 
rule on Metrics and Minimum Standards for Intercity Passenger Rail 
Service. FRA requests emergency processing and OMB authorization to 
collect the information after publication of this Notice for a period 
of six (6) months.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Kim Toone, Information Collection 
Clearance Officer, by email: [email protected] or by telephone: (202) 
493-6192.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 16, 2008, President George W. 
Bush signed the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, 
Public Law 110-432, 122 Stat. 4907 (PRIIA) into law. Section 207 of 
PRIIA requires FRA and Amtrak jointly to develop new or improved 
metrics and minimum standards for measuring the performance and service 
quality of intercity passenger train operations, including cost 
recovery, on-time performance and minutes of delay, ridership, on-board 
services, stations, facilities, equipment, and other services.
    Section 207 also calls for consultation with the Surface 
Transportation Board, rail carriers over whose rail lines Amtrak trains 
operate, States, Amtrak employees, and groups representing Amtrak 
passengers, as appropriate.
    Section 207 further provides that the metrics, at a minimum, must 
include: The percentage of avoidable and fully allocated operating 
costs covered by passenger revenues on each route; ridership per train 
mile operated; measures of on-time performance and delays incurred by 
intercity passenger trains on the rail lines of each rail carrier; and, 
for long-distance routes, measures of connectivity with other routes in 
all regions currently receiving Amtrak service and the transportation 
needs of communities and populations that are not well-served by other 
forms of intercity transportation.
    Section 207 also provides that the FRA Administrator must collect 
the necessary data and publish a quarterly report on the performance 
and service quality of intercity passenger train operations, including 
Amtrak's cost recovery, ridership, on-time performance and minutes of 
delay, causes of delay, on-board services, stations, facilities, 
equipment, and other services.
    In connection with the Congressional mandate, FRA's Metrics and 
Minimum Standards for Intercity Passenger Rail Service final rule \1\ 
sets forth a number of metrics. This emergency information request is 
for only two (2) of those metrics. A separate information collection 
request will be published at a later date, covering all information 
collections required under the final rule, which includes Amtrak 
reporting data to FRA associated with a total 17 of these metrics on a 
quarterly basis and 4 on an annual basis.
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    \1\ 85 FR 72971.
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    As provided under 5 CFR 1320.13, FRA is requesting emergency 
processing for Section 273.5(b) Ridership data metrics and 273.5(c) 
Certified schedule metrics. FRA cannot reasonably comply with normal 
clearance procedures since they would be reasonably likely to disrupt 
the function of the rule. As required by 49 CFR part 273, Section 
273.5(b), Amtrak is expected to begin reporting to FRA on the Ridership 
data metric in December 2020 and then by the 15th day of each month 
thereafter. As required by 49 CFR 273, Section 273.5(c), Amtrak is also 
expected to begin reporting to FRA on the Certified schedule metric on 
December 16, 2020, and then subsequently report monthly for six months, 
again in November 2021, and then every 12 months thereafter. Therefore, 
FRA cannot wait the typical 60-day period for public comment. 
Accordingly, FRA is requesting OMB approval as soon as possible (i.e., 
5 business days after publication of this Notice) for this collection 
of information.

[[Page 74784]]

    The associated collection of information is summarized below.
    Title: Metrics and Minimum Standards for Intercity Passenger Rail 
Service.
    Reporting Burden:

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                                                                                         Average time
               CFR section                     Respondent universe       Total annual    per responses      Total annual burden hours       Total cost
                                                                           responses        (hour)                                        equivalent \2\
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273.5(b)--Ridership data.................  1 railroad.................              12               1  22 hours (10 hour start-up                $1,704
                                                                                                         burden + average response time).
273.5(c)--Certified schedule.............  1 railroad.................               7               1  27 hours (20 hour start-up                 2,092
                                                                                                         burden + average response time).
                                          --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total................................  1 railroad.................              19               1  49 hours........................           3,796
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    \2\ The total cost equivalent is derived from the Surface 
Transportation Board's Full Year Wage A&B data series using the 
appropriate employee group hourly wage rate that includes a 75-
percent overhead charge.
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    Form Numbers: n/a.
    Respondent Universe: 1 (Amtrak).
    Frequency of Submission: varied; monthly; yearly.
    Total Annual Responses: 19.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden: 49 hours.
    Total Cost Equivalent: $3,796.
    Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b) and 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), 
FRA informs all interested parties that a respondent is not required to 
respond to, conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it 
displays a currently valid OMB control number.

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

Brett A. Jortland,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2020-25835 Filed 11-20-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P