U.S. Department Office of Safety, RRS-23

of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE 

Federal Railroad Washington, D.C. 20590

Administration

Procedure for Updating the DOT Crossing Inventory File

BACKGROUND

The Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory Program is a required process by law whereby every

crossing in the nation is assigned a Crossing Inventory Number (a six digit number followed by

an alphabetical character) which coincides with inventory information on the location,

classification, physical characteristics, traffic control and warning devices, railroad data, and

highway data that is obtained and recorded in the US DOT National Highway-Rail Crossing

Inventory File, as well as in individual State and Railroad files. All crossings in the United

States, public, private and pedestrian, both at-grade and grade-separated (underpasses and

overpasses) must have a DOT Crossing Inventory Number assigned. The number is like a

“street-name sign” and should be posted, preferably, on both sides of the crossing on a signal

mast, crossbuck post, sign post, or pole. They are usually made of aluminum, about motorcycle

license-plate size, and can be commercially purchased. Alternatively, the number might be

stenciled on the side of a bungalow or even painted on a tie. The responsibility for posting the

number-board signs is that of the railroad. 

The responsibility for updating the Inventory is that of both the State and the Railroad - each

updating the elements and data fields which are in their purview. Normally, FRA only accepts

updates to the Inventory File from the State and Railroad Inventory Contacts, those individuals

employed by the State or Railroad that are responsible for this activity. Updating should occur

whenever any of the crossing inventory characteristics change, such as the installation of new

traffic control or warning devices, a change in highway traffic counts, or a change in the number

of trains traveling over the crossing. As a minimum, all crossing inventory data should be

reviewed and updated at least once every three years to keep the File current. The following

Steps outline the procedure and activities necessary for a Quiet Zone Public Authority, either

currently having or creating a Quiet Zone(s), to perform an Inventory File update for crossings

within their jurisdiction.

STEP 1. Obtain the Current Record on File

The first step in updating is to obtain a copy of the Current Inventory Record on file for the

crossing(s). This can be found on the FRA Safety Data Website at 

http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/officeofsafety/. (It is suggested that a copy of this Home Page be

printed since it contains valuable information and references). Click on the Crossing Tab. If the

crossing number is known, enter it and obtain the two page Inventory Report for the crossing’s

Current Inventory Record. This copy can be used to indicate the changes and corrections.
If the crossing number(s) are unknown, the researcher can click on Query by Location/Railroad

which offers the selection of all crossings in a City or County of a State. The query will default

to “All Railroads,” or a specific railroad may be selected to narrow the search. A “Street Name”

may also be entered, but this is not always successful since street names may be misspelled,

route numbers may be used, or there may be multiple crossings with the same street name. 

Submit the query and a listing will appear which should allow identification of the crossing(s)

being searched. When searching for a crossing that can’t readily be found, try looking under

various railroads or other locations since it is possible that it may be incorrectly recorded in the

File. Inventory Reports may be obtained for the desired crossings by clicking on the small

square button in the lefthand column, and then clicking on “Generate Report.”

STEP 2. Perform a Site Survey and Contact Highway/Railroad Officials

Once the current Inventory Records have been obtained for the desired crossing(s), a site survey

must be conducted to verify and update the information. Additional research may be necessary

to obtain current traffic counts from local traffic engineers/officials and current train counts from

railroad officials, as well as other railroad data. The Current Inventory Record printout can be

marked-up in red pen to indicate the changes and corrections. Be sure to indicate the effective

date of the changes, or if that is unknown, use the date of the field trip. 

If the DOT Crossing Inventory Number for a particular crossing can not be identified after a very

careful search of the file, it will be necessary to contact the State Inventory Contact to determine

if the crossing is in the State file, or contact the railroad to determine if the crossing is in their

records. If this fails to identify the Crossing Number, there is a good chance that a Number was

never assigned (this is very unusual for a public at-grade crossing). If a Number can not be

identified for a crossing, a new number must be assigned. The procedure for assigning a new

crossing Inventory number is identified in a brief entitled “Assignment of Crossing Inventory

Numbers” located at http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/801 under Crossing Inventory Number

Information.

While updates and corrections can be submitted on a marked-up copy of the Current Inventory

Record or on the Crossing Inventory Form (in red pen), crossings with new assigned numbers

must be submitted on the Crossing Inventory Form. (Since November 1999, the two-sided fivepart white Inventory Form with the new (1999) data elements is to be used, although FRA will

continue to accept the older four-part ‘green’ Forms until they are exhausted.) The two-sided

single-sheet (or two pages) Form provides for easy photocopying and distribution to all involved

parties. 

STEP 3. Forward the New Information to the State Inventory Contact

Contact the State Inventory Contact to inform him (her) that updated crossing inventory

information is being forwarded to him with a cover letter. Request that the update be expedited

and forwarded to FRA for processing. Copy both the railroad and the FRA on the transmittal

letter and request that the State Inventory Contact copy you when the update is forwarded to

FRA. It will take about three months from the date that the State forwards the updated record to

FRA for this new information to appear in the National File.

If either the State or Railroad fails to provide needed information, or if the State fails to forward

an updated crossing inventory record to FRA in a timely manner, that is within 30 days, then the
Quiet Zone Public Authority filing the updated information may send the updated Inventory

Form directly to the Associate Administrator for Safety, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200

New Jersey Ave., SE, RRS-1, Washington, DC 20590. 

ELECTRONIC UPDATES

FRA does not have a procedure for updating electronically on-line. This procedure is not

utilized because it would by-pass providing the same information to the State and Railroad for

their review and incorporation into their files. 

However, FRA does accept updated data electronically from States and Railroads in several

standard file formats including (1) Text [.txt] in either Positional or Comma Delimited, (2) Data

Base File [.dbf], (3) Excel [.xls], (4) Access Database [.mdb], and (5) via the GX32 Computer

Program. When using these formats, the data must be provided in the required field specification

format - refer to the “Data Field Specification” document. Files submitted in these formats must

meet the specifications for valid values, ranges, field names, sizes, types, and positional layout.

The GX32 Computer Program is a software package developed by FRA which allows the

updating of Inventory data on a monitor screen with a display that is similar to the Crossing

Inventory Form and which contains edits and checks to insure submittal of complete and

accurate data. When updates are sent to our data processing contractor, Creative Information

Technology, Inc. (CITI), an updated version of the software with the most current data can be

requested. 

This software is provided free and may be obtained directly from CITI. They will send a copy of

the software with the requestor’s State or Railroad data. All electronic updates should be sent

directly to CITI. Contact Ms. Angelica Mamani at 703-548-3313, ext. 223 to coordinate

submitting electronic updates or to request a copy of the GX32 Software. The address is: CITI,

FRA Project Office, 4601 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 1100, Arlington, VA 22203. 

If there are more than 40 crossings to update, the GX32 program may be an excellent mechanism

to update the data file electronically. If there are fewer than 40 crossings to update, than the

hardcopy or paper Inventory Form method is more efficient and should be used. In certain cases

where a group of crossings have a simple update change, for example, where crossings are just

being closed or where only the railroad ownership is being changed, a letter from the State or

Railroad Contact notifying FRA of the change and listing the affected crossings (or an electronic

file) will be sufficient. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Inventory File maintained by FRA is a historical file, that is, it contains all the records and

updates that have been submitted since inception in 1975. The responsibility for initially

numbering the crossing and for filing the initial inventory report is that of the “Operating

Railroad,” that is, the railroad that actually operates over the crossing and which would have to

file a report if an accident occurred. If multiple railroads operate over the crossing, then the

responsibility falls to the railroad who dispatches, owns and/or maintains the trackage. 

For public at-grade crossings, the railroad needs to complete Parts I, II, III & IV of the “U.S.

DOT Crossing Inventory Form,” except for those items that are clearly a State responsibility. 
The railroad then forwards the original Form to the appropriate "State Crossing Inventory

Contact." This is the State individual who is primarily responsible for submitting crossing

updates to the FRA. Normally, FRA will only accept updates from the State Inventory

Contact or the Railroad Inventory Contact. The State completes Part V which supplies the

vehicle traffic counts and other highway characteristic information. When completed, the State

Inventory Contact is required to send the Form to FRA for input into the National Crossing

Inventory File. 

For private and grade-separated crossings, only Part I (Location Information) is required, and the

railroad can usually forward these updates directly to FRA, but still should send a copy to the

State. Some States maintain a very complete and accurate Inventory, and to do that, they request

that all railroads in the State to send all updates to the State and not to FRA. They enter the

updates, usually into the GX32 Software, and forward this data to FRA. These States have a

strict policy whereby they forward updates to FRA every three months.

The “U.S. DOT Crossing Inventory Form” FRA-F-6180.71 is available electronically on FRA’s

Website at http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/801 in an Adobe Acrobat Reader [.pdf] format

and in an Word [.doc] fill-in template version. This Form should be used to submit updates in

hardcopy, or alternatively, a copy of the Current Inventory Record can be obtained from the

FRA Website and used to indicate changes and corrections. 

The Instructions for completing the Form are located on the Website at

http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/801. This site is titled “US DOT National Crossing Inventory

Program” and it is suggested that a copy of this page be printed for future reference. Click on

Crossing Inventory Policy, Procedures and Instructions, August 2007 to obtain the instructions. 

This page will also provide information on the Inventory Updating and Database Reconciliation

Processes, and Contact Lists for the State Inventory Contacts responsible for submitting

Inventory updates to FRA, and Railroad Inventory Contacts responsible for submitting railroad

inventory updates for many of the major railroads.

On the FRA Safety Data Website Home Page, under the Downloads Tab, the FRA Auxiliary

Tables contain a complete list of all railroads and their railroad codes. Data can also be

downloaded for a whole State or railroad from this location. Further, you can go directly to the

US DOT National Crossing Inventory Program information page from the Crossing Page by

clicking on DOT Crossing Inventory Information under Additional Links.

CONTACT FOR ASSISTANCE

Hardcopy or paper copies of Inventory updates should be sent to the FRA at the following

address. If you need additional information, assistance or have any questions, please call:

Thomas P. Woll (O) 202-493-6290 

Highway-Rail Crossing Safety Engineer (F) 202-493-6216 

Federal Railroad Administration (RRS-23) (E) tom.woll@dot.gov

1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, Mail Stop 25

Washington, DC 20590

April 7, 2009