Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
830,569Words in 55 parts
15.9Restriction density (per 1,000 words)
18.8Reading grade
0.0%Unchanged since 2017
5Flagged parts
2026-09-30Last change
Section changes per year
From the eCFR versioner, for the parts that the agency owns now. Before 2017 is the baseline load.
Text and size
- Sentences
- 34.2 words on average; 27.7% over 40 words; 36.4% passive; 12.4 cross-references per 1,000 words
- Sentence types
- definition 7.8% · prohibition 3.0% · paperwork 9.5% · obligation 29.6% · permission 7.9% · other 42.2%
- Checksum
7622154f89481c7a57a21553fde17a3dbaf17dc931c0f1193bcd50d25c6aad32
Review candidates in this agency
| Rank | Part | Words | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 168 top 10% | 49 CFR 246
CERTIFICATION OF SIGNAL EMPLOYEES
High signals: Paperwork share
+2.7 SD · Directive share
+1.8 SD · Size
+1.3 SD · Restriction density
+1.1 SD |
25,968 | 1.04 |
| 289 top 10% | 49 CFR 240
QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS
High signals: Directive share
+1.7 SD · Size
+1.5 SD · Reading grade
+1.4 SD · Paperwork share
+1.3 SD |
34,761 | 0.90 |
| 326 top 10% | 49 CFR 245
QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION OF DISPATCHERS
High signals: Paperwork share
+2.3 SD · Directive share
+1.6 SD · Size
+1.2 SD · Restriction density
+1.2 SD |
23,377 | 0.87 |
| 350 top 10% | 49 CFR 243
TRAINING, QUALIFICATION, AND OVERSIGHT FOR SAFETY-RELATED RAILROAD EMPLOYEES
High signals: Directive share
+1.9 SD · Restriction density
+1.5 SD · Paperwork share
+1.3 SD · Reading grade
+1.2 SD |
10,851 | 0.84 |
| 456 top 10% | 49 CFR 242
QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION OF CONDUCTORS
High signals: Directive share
+1.7 SD · Size
+1.3 SD · Paperwork share
+1.1 SD |
27,615 | 0.78 |
| 682 | 49 CFR 299
TEXAS CENTRAL RAILROAD HIGH-SPEED RAIL SAFETY STANDARDS
High signals: Restriction density
+2.3 SD · Size
+1.7 SD · Directive share
+1.7 SD |
44,652 | 0.69 |
| 698 | 49 CFR 217
RAILROAD OPERATING RULES
High signals: Paperwork share
+1.9 SD · Directive share
+1.5 SD · Restriction density
+1.3 SD · Reading grade
+1.1 SD |
3,752 | 0.68 |
| 861 | 49 CFR 229
RAILROAD LOCOMOTIVE SAFETY STANDARDS
High signals: Size
+1.7 SD · Restriction density
+1.6 SD · Directive share
+1.4 SD |
41,508 | 0.61 |
| 875 | 49 CFR 232
BRAKE SYSTEM SAFETY STANDARDS FOR FREIGHT AND OTHER NON-PASSENGER TRAINS AND EQUIPMENT; END-OF-TRAIN DEVICES
High signals: Directive share
+1.6 SD · Size
+1.5 SD · Restriction density
+1.4 SD |
35,523 | 0.61 |
| 896 | 49 CFR 234
GRADE CROSSING SAFETY
High signals: Paperwork share
+1.6 SD · Directive share
+1.2 SD · Restriction density
+1.1 SD |
18,871 | 0.60 |
| 929 | 49 CFR 213
TRACK SAFETY STANDARDS
High signals: Size
+1.6 SD · Directive share
+1.6 SD · Restriction density
+1.1 SD |
39,989 | 0.58 |
| 949 | 49 CFR 256
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR RAILROAD PASSENGER TERMINALS
High signals: Reading grade
+4.4 SD · Paperwork share
+1.2 SD |
6,116 | 0.57 |
| 1,085 | 49 CFR 214
RAILROAD WORKPLACE SAFETY
High signals: Directive share
+1.9 SD · Restriction density
+1.5 SD · Size
+1.2 SD |
23,160 | 0.53 |
| 1,165 | 49 CFR 235
INSTRUCTIONS GOVERNING APPLICATIONS FOR APPROVAL OF A DISCONTINUANCE OR MATERIAL MODIFICATION OF A SIGNAL SYSTEM OR RELIEF FROM THE REQUIREMENTS OF PART 236
High signals: Paperwork share
+2.3 SD · Reading grade
+1.7 SD · Directive share
+1.3 SD |
2,870 | 0.51 |
| 1,373 | 49 CFR 238
PASSENGER EQUIPMENT SAFETY STANDARDS
High signals: Size
+2.1 SD · Directive share
+1.1 SD |
69,663 | 0.45 |
| 1,619 | 49 CFR 219
CONTROL OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG USE
High signals: Size
+1.4 SD |
30,590 | 0.38 |
| 1,679 | 49 CFR 250
GUARANTEE OF CERTIFICATES OF TRUSTEES OF RAILROADS IN REORGANIZATION
High signals: Reading grade
+1.7 SD · Paperwork share
+1.2 SD |
3,612 | 0.36 |
| 1,699 | 49 CFR 266
ASSISTANCE TO STATES FOR LOCAL RAIL SERVICE UNDER SECTION 5 OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ACT
High signals: Reading grade
+2.1 SD |
9,903 | 0.36 |
| 1,708 | 49 CFR 236
RULES, STANDARDS, AND INSTRUCTIONS GOVERNING THE INSTALLATION, INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR OF SIGNAL AND TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES
High signals: Size
+1.9 SD |
53,355 | 0.35 |
| 1,716 | 49 CFR 200
INFORMAL RULES OF PRACTICE FOR PASSENGER SERVICE
High signals: Restriction density
+2.5 SD · Paperwork share
+2.2 SD · Directive share
+1.2 SD |
1,210 | 0.35 |
| 1,822 | 49 CFR 225
RAILROAD ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS: REPORTS CLASSIFICATION, AND INVESTIGATIONS
High signals: Paperwork share
+1.6 SD |
15,800 | 0.32 |
| 1,877 | 49 CFR 270
SYSTEM SAFETY PROGRAM
High signals: Directive share
+1.3 SD |
12,398 | 0.31 |
| 2,126 | 49 CFR 224
REFLECTORIZATION OF RAIL FREIGHT ROLLING STOCK
High signals: Restriction density
+1.7 SD · Directive share
+1.0 SD |
6,555 | 0.24 |
| 2,179 | 49 CFR 239
PASSENGER TRAIN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
High signals: none above 1 SD; ranked by the combined score |
6,994 | 0.23 |
| 2,192 | 49 CFR 218
RAILROAD OPERATING PRACTICES
High signals: Size
+1.2 SD · Reading grade
+1.0 SD |
24,279 | 0.23 |
Score: the mean of six signals, in standard deviations (SD). Across the CFR, the top 641 of 6,402 ranked parts (10%) get a flag for review; this list shows 25. A flag is not a finding.
Statutes behind the most text
- 28 U.S.C. 2461: 766,132 words in 38 parts (92.2% of this agency's text)
- 49 U.S.C. 20103: 499,060 words in 25 parts (60.1% of this agency's text)
- 49 U.S.C. 20102: 216,422 words in 11 parts (26.1% of this agency's text)
- 49 U.S.C. 103: 45,357 words in 3 parts (5.5% of this agency's text)
- 49 U.S.C. 20140: 30,590 words in 1 parts (3.7% of this agency's text)
- 49 U.S.C. 21301: 27,060 words in 1 parts (3.3% of this agency's text)
- 49 U.S.C. 5123: 26,805 words in 1 parts (3.2% of this agency's text)
- 45 U.S.C. 432: 14,851 words in 1 parts (1.8% of this agency's text)
- 5 U.S.C. 554: 14,851 words in 1 parts (1.8% of this agency's text)
- 49 U.S.C. 1654: 9,903 words in 1 parts (1.2% of this agency's text)
From the authority notes. A citation is not proof that the statute requires the rule.
Largest parts
- 49 CFR 238: PASSENGER EQUIPMENT SAFETY STANDARDS (69,663 words)
- 49 CFR 236: RULES, STANDARDS, AND INSTRUCTIONS GOVERNING THE INSTALLATION, INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR OF SIGNAL AND TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES (53,355 words)
- 49 CFR 299: TEXAS CENTRAL RAILROAD HIGH-SPEED RAIL SAFETY STANDARDS (44,652 words)
- 49 CFR 229: RAILROAD LOCOMOTIVE SAFETY STANDARDS (41,508 words)
- 49 CFR 222: USE OF LOCOMOTIVE HORNS AT PUBLIC HIGHWAY-RAIL GRADE CROSSINGS (41,443 words)
- 49 CFR 213: TRACK SAFETY STANDARDS (39,989 words)
- 49 CFR 232: BRAKE SYSTEM SAFETY STANDARDS FOR FREIGHT AND OTHER NON-PASSENGER TRAINS AND EQUIPMENT; END-OF-TRAIN DEVICES (35,523 words)
- 49 CFR 240: QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS (34,761 words)
- 49 CFR 219: CONTROL OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG USE (30,590 words)
- 49 CFR 231: RAILROAD SAFETY APPLIANCE STANDARDS (28,485 words)
Reading grade and sentence types are approximate. Simple rules label each sentence; the first match wins.