The FRA crossing inventory: what is in the record?

Form 71 collects the inventory information.

FRA Form 6180.71 is the crossing inventory form. Read its field definitions before combining values or interpreting a code.

The same crossing ID connects inventory research across tools. Keep the full identifier, including zeros at the beginning and the final letter.

Sources: FRA: crossing inventory reporting; 49 CFR Part 234: crossing warning systems and inventory.

Reporting responsibilities are shared.

Railroads and public authorities have reporting responsibilities under the crossing inventory rules. Responsibility varies by field and type of update.

If a value appears wrong, identify the crossing and field and contact the relevant reporting organization. A note to the Atlas does not amend the federal record.

Sources: 49 CFR Part 234: crossing warning systems and inventory.

Updates do not refresh every observation.

The rules set reporting duties for inventory changes. A recently updated record may still carry a road count from a much earlier year.

Read the count year beside the value. Where a separate observation date is not reported, do not present the inventory update as the date the activity was measured.

Sources: 49 CFR Part 234: crossing warning systems and inventory.

Public, private and closed crossings need separate context.

A public-crossing directory and the wider inventory need not cover the same locations. Check the population before comparing totals.

The Atlas's published browsing data can also differ from historical agency files. A record absent from one view is not enough to establish closure.

Sources: FRA: crossing inventory reporting.

Unreported fields need to stay unreported.

A blank gate count does not prove that gates are absent. A road count outside a valid year range needs checking rather than automatic inclusion.

Use record history to identify corrections and changes, then check the source. Preserve uncertainty when the record cannot answer the question.

Read the history of a reported field.

Use source documents and selected reports.

Open the FRA source for its record definitions and original documents. The Atlas provides public browsing and selected reports under their existing access rules.

Keep a dated citation for the records used in your work. Selected reports do not provide a national file or an unrestricted record export.

Sources: FRA: crossing inventory reporting.

Read the Atlas data and coverage notes.