(a) Railroad's certification program submission. (1) A railroad's certification program submission must include a copy of the certification program and a request for approval. If a railroad is submitting a material modification to its program, the copy of the certification program must incorporate all of the material modifications the railroad would like to make.

(2) For a railroad's initial certification program submission, the request for approval can be in letter or narrative format and shall include a statement that the railroad is seeking approval of its program by FRA.

(3) If a railroad is making a material modification to a program that has been previously approved by FRA, the request for approval can be in letter or narrative format and shall include an explanation of all of the material modifications that the railroad is making to its program.

(4) A railroad will receive approval or disapproval notices from FRA by email. (5) FRA may electronically store any materials required by this part.

(b) Organization of the certification program. Each program must be organized to present the required information in paragraphs (b)(1) through (6) of this section. Each section of the certification program must begin by giving the name, title, telephone number, and email address of the person to be contacted concerning the matters addressed by that section. If a person is identified in a prior section, it is sufficient to merely repeat the person's name in a subsequent section.

(1) Section 1 of the program: general information and elections. (i) The first section of the certification program must contain the name of the railroad, the person to be contacted concerning the request for approval (including the person's name, title, telephone number, and email address) and a statement electing either to accept responsibility for training persons not previously certified as dispatchers or to not accept this responsibility.

(ii) If a railroad elects not to provide initial dispatcher training, the railroad will be limited to recertifying persons initially certified by another railroad. A railroad can change its election by obtaining FRA approval of a material modification to its program in accordance with § 245.103(g).

(iii) If a railroad elects to accept responsibility for training persons not previously certified as dispatchers, the railroad must submit information on how such persons will be trained but is not required to actually perform such training. A railroad that elects to accept responsibility for the training of such persons may authorize another railroad or a non-railroad entity to perform the actual training effort. The electing railroad remains responsible for ensuring that such other training providers adhere to the training program the railroad submits.

(2) Section 2 of the program: training persons previously certified. The second section of the certification program must contain information about the railroad's program for training previously certified dispatchers, including all of the following information:

(i) As provided for in § 245.119(i), each railroad must have a program for the ongoing education of its dispatchers to ensure that they maintain the necessary knowledge concerning relevant Federal safety regulations, operating rules and practices, familiarity with physical characteristics of the territory, and the dispatching systems and technology. The railroad must describe in this section how it will ensure that its dispatchers remain knowledgeable concerning the safe discharge of their responsibilities so as to comply with the standard set forth in § 245.119(i).

(ii) In accordance with the requirements in § 245.119(i), this section must contain sufficient detail to permit effective evaluation of the railroad's training program in terms of the subject matters covered, the frequency and duration of the training sessions (including the interval between attendance at such trainings), the training environment employed (for example, use of classroom, use of computer-based training, use of film or slide presentations, and use of on-the-job training), and which aspects of the program are voluntary or mandatory.

(iii) How the training will address a certified dispatcher's loss of knowledge over time.

(iv) How the training will address changed circumstances over time such as the introduction of new or modified technology including software modifications to dispatch systems and related signal and train control systems, new operating rule books, or significant changes in operations including alteration in the territory dispatchers are authorized to work over.

(v) A plan for familiarization training that addresses how long a person can be absent from dispatching on a territory before needing to be requalified on that territory (a time period that cannot exceed 12 months), and once that threshold is reached, how the person will acquire the needed familiarization training.

(vi) How the railroad will administer the training of previously certified dispatchers who have had their certification expire. If a railroad's certification program fails to specify how it will train these dispatchers, then the railroad shall require these dispatchers to successfully complete the railroad's entire training program.

(3) Section 3 of the program: testing and evaluating persons previously certified. The third section of the certification program must contain information about the railroad's program for testing and evaluating previously certified dispatchers including all of the following information:

(i) The railroad must describe in this section how it will ensure that its dispatchers demonstrate their knowledge concerning the safe discharge of their responsibilities so as to comply with the standards set forth in § 245.121.

(ii) The railroad must describe in this section how it will have ongoing testing and evaluation to ensure that its dispatchers have the necessary visual and hearing acuity as provided for in §§ 245.117 and 245.118. This section must also address how the railroad will ensure that its medical examiners have sufficient information concerning the railroad's operations, as well as the dispatcher's safety-related tasks, to effectively form appropriate conclusions about the ability of a particular individual to safely perform as a dispatcher.

(4) Section 4 of the program: training, testing, and evaluating persons not previously certified. Unless a railroad has made an election not to accept responsibility for conducting the initial training of dispatchers, the fourth section of the certification program must contain information about the railroad's program for educating, testing, and evaluating persons not previously certified as dispatchers including all of the following information:

(i) As provided for in § 245.119(c), a railroad that is issuing an initial dispatcher certification to a person must have a program for the training, testing, and evaluation of its dispatchers to ensure that they acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. A railroad must describe in this section how it will ensure that its dispatchers will acquire sufficient knowledge and skills and demonstrate their knowledge and skills concerning the safe discharge of their responsibilities.

(ii) This section must contain the same level of detail about the initial training program and the testing and evaluation of previously uncertified persons as is required for previously certified dispatchers in paragraphs (b)(2) and (3) of this section (Sections 2 and 3 of the program).

(iii) Railroads that elect to rely on other entities to conduct training away from the railroad's own territory and dispatching systems and technology must indicate how the student will be provided with the required training on the physical characteristics of the railroad's territory and the railroad's dispatching systems and technology.

(iv) How the railroad will administer the training of previously uncertified persons with extensive dispatching experience. If a railroad's certification program fails to specify how it will train these dispatchers, then the railroad shall require these dispatchers to successfully complete the railroad's entire training program.

(5) Section 5 of the program: monitoring operational performance by certified dispatchers. The fifth section of the certification program must contain information about the railroad's program for monitoring the operational performance of its certified dispatchers including all of the following information:

(i) Section 245.123 requires that a railroad perform ongoing monitoring of its dispatchers and that each dispatcher has an annual unannounced compliance test. A railroad must describe in this section how it will ensure that the railroad is monitoring that its dispatchers demonstrate their skills concerning the safe discharge of their responsibilities.

(ii) A railroad must describe the scoring system used by the railroad during an operational monitoring observation or unannounced compliance test administered in accordance with the procedures required under § 245.123.

(6) Section 6 of the program: procedures for routine administration of the dispatcher certification program. The final section of the certification program must contain a summary of how the railroad's program and procedures will implement the various aspects of the regulatory provisions in this part that relate to routine administration of its certification program for dispatchers. Specifically, this section must address the procedural aspects of the following provisions and must describe the manner in which the railroad will implement its program so as to comply with all of the following provisions:

(i) Section 245.301 which provides that each railroad must have procedures for review and comment on adverse information.

(ii) Sections 245.111, 245.113, 245.115, and 245.303 which require a railroad to have procedures for evaluating data concerning prior safety conduct as a motor vehicle operator and as a railroad worker.

(iii) Sections 245.109, 245.201, and 245.301 which place a duty on the railroad to make a series of determinations. When describing how it will implement its program to comply with these sections, a railroad must describe: the procedures it will utilize to ensure that all of the necessary determinations have been made in a timely fashion; who will be authorized to conclude that a person will or will be not certified; and how the railroad will communicate adverse decisions.

(iv) Sections 245.109, 245.117, 245.118, 245.119, and 245.121 which place a duty on the railroad to make a series of determinations. When describing how it will implement its program to comply with these sections, a railroad must describe how it will document the factual basis the railroad relied on in making determinations under these sections.

(v) Section 245.125 which permits reliance on certification determinations made by other railroads.

(vi) Sections 245.207 and 245.307 which contain the requirements for replacing lost certificates and the conduct of certification revocation proceedings.