Under 49 U.S.C. 11145, annual reports are required to be filed by Class I [large] railroads (currently, six). The Class I annual reports are used to monitor and assess railroad industry growth, financial stability, traffic, and operations and to identify industry changes that may affect national transportation policy. Reports are also used to fulfill various statutory requirements under the Interstate Commerce Act, based on standard accounting and reporting requirements. Here the Board is also proposing to eliminate a portion of this collection. In an NPRM, the Board proposed to modify this information collection to eliminate supplemental reporting of certain Positive Train Control (PTC) expenditures. This will decrease the overall burdens on the six respondents.
US Code:
49 USC 11145
Name of Law: Interstate Commerce Act
This modification request stems from the Board’s proposed rule to terminate Class I carriers’ supplemental reporting of certain PTC expenditures in their Class I Railroad Annual Reports. PTC is a federally mandated safety system designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursions into established work zone limits, and the movement of a train through a switch left in the wrong position. 49 U.S.C. 20157(i)(5). Because PTC is now fully implemented, the new rule would be considered a deregulatory action to end the supplemental PTC reporting. In its notice of proposed rulemaking, Updating Class I Rail Carrier Reporting Requirements, STB Docket EP 787 (served Sept. 30, 2025) (NPRM), the Board found that the benefits from the supplemental PTC reporting no longer justify the burden of generating and reporting of detailed information required by 49 CFR 1241.11(b). The Board also found that “[e]nding these requirements would simplify annual R-1 reporting, . , ,” Moreover, PTC-related expenditures would still be reflected in the R-1 “capital investments and expenses” totals, but they would not be separately identifiable from non-PTC expenditures or reported separately. Therefore, in the NPRM, the Board proposes to discontinue the supplemental PTC reporting.
$1,867
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Christopher Oehrle 202 245-0375 Christopher.Oehrle@stb.gov
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
03/20/2026
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Class I Railroad Annual Report