(a) Within 30 days of completing its internal assessment, a railroad shall develop an improvement plan that addresses the findings of its internal assessment.

(b) At a minimum, a railroad's improvement plan shall:

(1) Describe recommended improvements (including any proposed revisions or updates to the RRP plan the railroad expects to make through the amendment process described in § 271.303) that address the findings of the internal assessment for fully implementing the railroad's RRP, complying with the implemented elements of the RRP plan, achieving the goals identified in the railroad's RRP plan pursuant to § 271.203(c), and implementing previous internal assessment improvement plans and external audit improvement plans;

(2) Identify by position title the individual who is responsible for carrying out the recommended improvements;

(3) Contain a timeline describing when specific and measurable milestones for implementing the recommended improvements will be achieved; and

(4) Specify processes for monitoring the implementation and evaluating the effectiveness of the recommended improvements.