Category: Regulations

Larry Mann, rail safety coordinator to SMART TD’s Designated Legal Counsel.

Update on conductor certification

August 21, 2012 By Larry Mann, UTU Rail Safety Coordinator – The FRA amended its conductor certification rules in February, delaying the time for testing conductors, extending the time for formulating training programs and amending the territorial qualification requirements. By Sept. [...]

Tags conductor certification, Larry Mann

Conductor certification program available online

June 28, 2012 A slideshow presented to UTU members attending the union’s conductor certification workshop at the Portland, Ore., regional meeting is now available on the UTU website. The slideshow can be downloaded as a PowerPoint presentation by clicking here or in PDF format here. [...]

FRA interprets hours-of-service laws

March 2, 2012 WASHINGTON – In a Feb. 29, 2012, Federal Register notice, the Federal Railroad Administration provides its interpretation of hours-of-service laws “arising out of some of the complex and important amendments enacted in 2008 to the Federal railroad safety laws that govern such [...]

FRA amends conductor certification rule

February 10, 2012 WASHINGTON – Responding to petitions for reconsideration to its Nov. 9, 2011, final rule on conductor certification, the FRA has delayed for six months the testing implementation dates and clarified other mandates affecting territorial qualifications and the definition of hos [...]

Tags conductor certification, Federal Railroad Administration, FRA, training standards

FRA proposes new minimum training standards

February 8, 2012 WASHINGTON – New minimum training and qualification standards are being proposed by the Federal Railroad Administration for rail workers in safety sensitive positions. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published Feb. 7 in the Federal Register, the FRA said affected employees [...]

Tags Federal Railroad Administration, FRA, James Stem, training standards

Conductor certification now a reality

November 9, 2011 WASHINGTON – It’s now official. Conductor certification, mandated by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, became effective Jan. 1. In a final rule, published by the Federal Railroad Administration Nov. 9, railroads were ordered to implement, by Jan. 1, a formal trai [...]

Tags conductor certification, David Brooks, James Stem, John Lesniewski, John Risch, Larry Mann, Rail Safety Advisory Committee, ron Parsons, RSAC, Vinnie Tessitore

FRA’s final HOS rules for passenger, commuter service

August 15, 2011 WASHINGTON – Passenger and commuter train conductors and engineers face new hours-of-service rules effective Oct. 15 under a final rule published Aug. 12 by the Federal Railroad Administration. The new rules differ in certain areas from hours-of-service regulations imposed on [...]

Tags Amtrak, commuter, FRA, HOS, hours of service, passenger train

Conductor cert, passenger HOS regs on tap

June 22, 2011 WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration will soon publish final rules instituting conductor certification and imposing new hours-of-service limitations on intercity passenger-train and commuter employees in safety sensitive positions. FRA Associate Administrato [...]

Tags Brooks, conductor certification, FRA, HOS, hours-of-service, John Risch, Lesniewski, Mann, Parsons, RSAC, Stem, strang, Szabo, Tessitore

Court: Cab cams don’t violate privacy

June 3, 2011 LOS ANGELES — A lawsuit brought by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen against Los Angeles Metrolink to eliminate inward-facing video cameras in the cab has been dismissed by a judge here. Superior Court Judge Luis Lavin said the inward-facing cameras, [...]

Tags BLET, FRA, inward-facing cameras, Metrolink, privacy, texting, video cameras

Safety alert: Electronic device ban

April 4, 2011 The Federal Railroad Administration’s permanent ban on use of electronic devices, including cellphones, became effective March 28, 2011. Please make careful note of the following: In the event of a collision, derailment or fatality, one of the first actions taken by Nat [...]

Tags ban, cell phone, FRA, NTSB, Rail cellphone ban, Transportation Safety Task Force, UTU Rail Safety Task Force