(a) In general. A railroad shall adopt and implement its FRMP through an FRA-approved FRMP plan, developed in consultation with directly affected employees as described under § 271.207. A railroad FRMP plan must contain the elements described in this section. The railroad must submit the plan to FRA for approval under the criteria of subpart D.

(b) Goals. An FRMP plan must contain a statement that defines the specific fatigue-related goals of the FRMP and describes strategies for reaching those goals.

(c) Methods—(1) Analysis of fatigue risk. An FRMP plan shall describe a railroad's method(s) for conducting its fatigue-risk analysis as part of its FRMP. The description shall specify:

(i) The scope of the analysis, which is the covered population of safety-related railroad employees;

(ii) The processes a railroad will use to identify fatigue-related railroad safety hazards on its system and determine the degree of risk associated with each fatigue-related hazard identified;

(iii) The processes a railroad will use to compare and prioritize identified fatigue-related risks for mitigation purposes; and

(iv) The information sources a railroad will use to support ongoing identification of fatigue-related railroad safety hazards and determine the degree of risk associated with those hazards.

(2) Mitigation strategies. An FRMP plan shall describe a railroad's processes for:

(i) Identifying and selecting fatigue risk mitigation strategies; and

(ii) Monitoring identified fatigue-related railroad safety hazards.

(3) Evaluation. An FRMP plan shall describe:

(i) A railroad's processes for monitoring and evaluating the overall effectiveness of its FRMP and the effectiveness of fatigue-related mitigation strategies the railroad uses under § 271.607; and

(ii) A railroad's procedures for reviewing the FRMP as part of the annual assessment of its RRP under § 271.401 and for updating the FRMP plan under the process for amending its RRP plan under § 271.303.

(d) FRMP implementation plan. A railroad shall describe in its FRMP plan how it will implement its FRMP. This description must cover an implementation period not to exceed 36 months, and shall include:

(1) A description of the roles and responsibilities of each position or job function with significant responsibility for implementing the FRMP, including those held by employees, contractors who provide significant FRMP-related services, and other entities or persons that provide significant FRMP services;

(2) A timeline describing when certain milestones that must be met to implement the FRMP fully will be achieved. Implementation milestones shall be specific and measurable;

(3) A description of how the railroad may make significant changes to the FRMP plan under the process for amending its RRP plan in § 271.303; and

(4) The procedures for consultation with directly affected employees on any subsequent substantive amendments to the railroad's FRMP plan. The requirements of this section do not apply to non-substantive amendments (e.g., amendments that update names and addresses of railroad personnel).