Title 49

SECTION 238.19

238.19 Reporting and tracking of repairs to defective passenger equipment.

§ 238.19 Reporting and tracking of repairs to defective passenger equipment.

(a) General. Beginning on January 1, 2002, each railroad shall have in place a reporting and tracking system for passenger equipment with a defect not in conformance with this part. A railroad may request earlier application of these requirements upon written notification to FRA's Associate Administrator for Safety as provided in § 238.1(c) of this part. The reporting and tracking system shall record the following information:

(1) The identification number of the defective equipment;

(2) The date the defect was discovered;

(3) The nature of the defect;

(4) The determination made by a qualified person or qualified maintenance person on whether the equipment is safe to run;

(5) The name of the qualified person or qualified maintenance person making such a determination;

(6) Any operating restrictions placed on the equipment; and

(7) Repairs made and the date that they were made.

(b) Retention of records. At a minimum, each railroad shall keep the records described in paragraph (a) of this section for one periodic maintenance interval for each specific type of equipment as described in the railroad's inspection, testing, and maintenance plan required by § 238.107. FRA strongly encourages railroads to keep these records for longer periods of time because they form the basis for future reliability-based decisions concerning test and maintenance intervals that may be developed pursuant to § 238.307(b).

(c) Availability of records. Railroads shall make defect reporting and tracking records available to FRA upon request.

(d) List of power brake repair points. Railroads operating long-distance intercity and long-distance Tier II passenger equipment shall designate locations, in writing, where repairs to passenger equipment with a power brake defect will be made and shall provide the list to FRA's Associate Administrator for Safety and make it available to FRA for inspection and copying upon request. Railroads operating these trains shall designate a sufficient number of repair locations to ensure the safe and timely repair of passenger equipment. These designations shall not be changed without at least 30 days' advance written notice to FRA's Associate Administrator for Safety.

[64 FR 25660, May 12, 1999, as amended at 65 FR 41306, July 3, 2000]

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