§ 225.7 Public examination and use of reports.

Link to an amendment published at 91 FR 55771, Aug. 31, 2026.

(a) Accident/Incident reports made by railroads in compliance with these rules shall be available to the public in the manner prescribed by part 7 of this title. Accident/Incident reports may be inspected at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Safety, West Building 3rd Floor, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Written requests for a copy of a report should be addressed to the Freedom of Information Act Coordinator, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, RCC-10, Mail Stop 10, West Building 3rd Floor, Room W33-437, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, and be accompanied by the appropriate fee prescribed in part 7 of this title. To facilitate expedited handling, each request should be clearly marked “FOIA Request for Accident/Incident Report.” For additional information on submitting a FOIA request to FRA see FRA's website at https://railroads.dot.gov/freedom-information-act-foia.

(b) 49 U.S.C. 20903 provides that monthly reports filed by railroads under § 225.11 may not be admitted as evidence or used for any purpose in any action for damages growing out of any matters mentioned in these monthly reports. The Employee Human Factor Attachment, Notice, and Employee Supplement under § 225.12 are part of the reporting railroad's accident report to FRA pursuant to the 49 U.S.C. 20901 and, as such, shall not “be admitted as evidence or used for any purpose in any suit or action for damages growing out of any matter mentioned in said report * * *.” 49 U.S.C. 20903.

[39 FR 43224, Dec. 11, 1974, as amended at 51 FR 47019, Dec. 30, 1986; 53 FR 28601, July 28, 1988; 55 FR 37827, Sept. 13, 1990; 55 FR 52487, Dec. 21, 1990; 61 FR 30969, June 18, 1996; 75 FR 68905, Nov. 9, 2010; 90 FR 28158, July 1, 2025]