Federal Railroad Administration January 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2005-01 to advise all railroads to review their operating rules and take certain other action necessary to ensure that train crews who operate manual (hand-operated) main track switches in non-signaled territory restore the switches to their normal position after use. FRA intends this advisory to reduce the risk of serious injury or death both to railroad employees and the general public due to not restoring such switches to their normal position after use.

On November 2, 2004, FRA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register (69 FR 63890) proposing to establish comprehensive, minimum standards for locomotive crashworthiness. In that NPRM, FRA established a January 3, 2005 deadline for submission of written comments. FRA has received a request to extend the comment period to give interested parties additional time to review, analyze, and submit comments on the NPRM. After considering this request, FRA has decided to extend the comment period until February 3, 2005. This notice announces the extension of the comment period.

FRA is issuing this final rule to mandate the reflectorization of freight rolling stock (freight cars and locomotives) to enhance the visibility of trains in order to reduce the number and severity of accidents at highway-rail grade crossings in which train visibility is a contributing factor. This rule establishes a schedule for the application of retroreflective material and prescribes standards for the construction, performance, application, inspection, and maintenance of the material.