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In 2006, FRA initiated an effort to define responsibility for safety at private highway-railroad grade crossings. This effort began with a series of open public meetings held in Fort Snelling, Minnesota; Raleigh, North Carolina; San Francisco, California; New Orleans, Louisiana; Syracuse, New York; and Washington, D.C. to solicit input from private crossing land owners, railroads, and other interested parties. The subjects on which the FRA solicited statements included, but were not be limited to, current practices concerning responsibility for safety at private grade crossings, the adequacy of warning devices at private crossings, and the relative merits of a more-uniform approach to improving safety at private crossings. FRA also opened a public docket on these issues, so that interested parties could submit written comments for public review and consideration.

In June 2008, FRA published the Private Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Research and Inquiry report.

Although all the public meetings scheduled for this safety inquiry have been conducted, the FRA continues to solicit comments, which may be submitted to the docket at Regulations.gov . The docket number is 23281.

The photo below shows railcars moving across a private highway-railroad grade crossing. Both the near-side and far-side warning devices are visible.

Other Links
    Alternative Approach Discussion Topics
    Press Release
    Federal Register Notice - April 13, 2007
    Federal Register Notice - March 21, 2007
    Federal Register Notice - January 5, 2007
    Federal Register Notice - September 22, 2006
    Federal Register Notice - July 27, 2006
    Secretary's Action Plan
    Docket Management System

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