US DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR Parts 171 to 180) 172.820-822: Rail carriers of security-sensitive materials: annual commodity data, route analysis, alternative route evaluation and selection, with public point of contact and storage limits (172.820, 172.822)

A rail carrier transporting the security-sensitive materials in 172.820(a) (explosives, poison inhalation hazard materials and highway route controlled quantities of radioactive material in specified quantities) must compile annual data on the number of cars and routes by material, analyse the safety and security risks of each route and of practicable alternative routes using the 27 factors in Appendix D to Part 172, select the route posing the least overall safety and security risk, document the analysis and selection by the end of the following March, and make it available to FRA and TSA. The carrier must also designate a point of contact for routing matters, address the security of the materials during storage in transit and in rail yards, and take measures to limit unattended storage. Section 172.822 limits what FRA may require after a route challenge.