(a) Each owner of track to which this part applies shall keep a record of each inspection required to be performed on that track under this subpart.

(b) Each record of an inspection under §§213.4, 213.119, 213.233, and 213.235 shall be prepared on the day the inspection is made and signed or otherwise certified by the person making the inspection. Records shall specify the author of the record, the type of track inspected, date and location of inspection, location and nature of any deviation from the requirements of this part, and the remedial action taken by the person making the inspection. The track owner shall designate the location(s) where each original record shall be maintained for at least one year after the inspection covered by the record. The track owner shall also designate one location, within 100 miles of each State in which it conducts operations, where copies of records that apply to those operations are maintained or can be viewed following 10 days' notice by the Federal Railroad Administration.

(c) Records of internal rail inspections required by §213.237 shall specify the—

(1) Date of inspection;

(2) Track inspected, including beginning and end points;

(3) Location and type of defects found under §213.113;

(4) Size of defects found under §213.113, if not removed prior to the next train movement;

(5) Initial remedial action taken and the date thereof; and

(6) Location of any track not tested pursuant to §213.237(g).

(d) The track owner shall retain a rail inspection record under paragraph (c) of this section for at least two years after the inspection and for one year after initial remedial action is taken.

(e) The track owner shall maintain records sufficient to demonstrate the means by which it computes the service failure rate on all track segments subject to the requirements of §213.237(a) for the purpose of determining compliance with the applicable service failure rate target.

(f) Records of continuous rail testing under §213.240 shall—

(1) Include all information required under §213.240(e);

(2) State whether the test is being conducted to satisfy the requirements for an internal rail inspection under §213.237;

(3) List the date(s) and time(s) of the continuous rail test data collection, including the date and time of the start and end of the test run, and the date and time each suspect location was identified and field-verified;

(4) Include the determination made after field verification of each suspect location, including the:

(i) Location and type of defect found;

(ii) Size of defect; and

(iii) Initial remedial action taken, if required, and the date thereof; and

(5) Be retained for at least two years after the inspection and for at least one year after initial remedial action is taken, whichever is later.

(g) Track owners that elect to utilize continuous rail testing under §213.240 shall maintain records of all continuous rail testing operations sufficient for monitoring and determining compliance with all applicable regulations and shall make those records available to FRA during regular business hours following reasonable notice.

(h) Track inspection records shall be kept available to persons who performed the inspections and to persons performing subsequent inspections of the track segment.

(i) Each track owner required to keep inspection records under this section shall make those records available for inspection and copying by FRA upon request during regular business hours following reasonable notice.

(j) For purposes of complying with the requirements of this section, a track owner may create, retain, transmit, store, and retrieve records by electronic means provided that—

(1) The system used to generate the electronic record meets all requirements and contains the information required under this subpart;

(2) The track owner monitors its electronic records database to ensure record accuracy;

(3) The electronic system is designed to uniquely identify the author of the record. No two persons shall have the same electronic identity;

(4) The electronic system ensures that each record cannot be modified in any way, or replaced, once the record is completed;

(5) The electronic storage of each record shall be initiated by the person making the inspection within 72 hours following the completion of that inspection; and

(6) Any amendment to a record shall be electronically stored apart from the record which it amends. Each amendment to a record shall be uniquely identified as to the person making the amendment.

[63 FR 34029, June 22, 1998, as amended at 70 FR 66298, Nov. 2, 2005; 79 FR 4259, Jan. 24, 2014; 85 FR 63390, Oct. 7, 2020]