Federal Railroad Safety Act

RAIL AND RAILROAD—The terms rail and railroad have the meaning given the term railroad in section 202(e) of the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 (45 U.S.C. 431(e)). 

EXCEPTION—To the extent that compliance with subsection (b)(2)(C) or (b)(7) would significantly alter the historic or antiquated character of a historical or antiquated rail passenger car, or a rail station served exclusively by such cars, or would result in violation of any rule, regulation, standard, or order issued by the Secretary of Transportation under the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970, such compliance shall not be required. 

The result of FRA and congressional initiatives was the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 which gave the FRA rulemaking authority to ... 

Railroad-safety legislation is within Title 49 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations and occupies parts 40, 174-180, 209-245 and 840. Each of the regulations summarized starts with its part number, and also an indication of the date and the legislation by which the regulations were introduced. The following abbreviations are used for certain Acts FRSA 1970 is the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970, HMTA 1975 is the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act of 1975, FRSAA 1976 is the Federal Railroad Safety Authorization Act of 1976, and RSIA 1988 is the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 1988. 

The concern about accidents caused by human factors was addressed in the Federal Railroad Safety Authorization Act of 1976 which promulgated rules to protect workers going between cars. The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 1988... 

Transportation Safety. The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 created the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and authorized it to promulgate and enforce motor vehicle safety standards and to order recalls of unsafe motor vehicles. Two earlier enacted transportation safety statutes empowered the Federal Aviation Administration to regulate airline safety and the Federal Railroad Administration to regulate railroad safety. 

Regulations for trahsportation of explosives and of other dangerous materials were prescribed for US railroads by the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission), under the authority of the federal law, Act of Congress, approved June 25, 1948. The ICC may utilize the services of The Bureau of Explosives , organized by the American Railway Association in. 1906 to secure safety in the transportation of expls... 

Early in the development of the railroad industry, there were few uniform equipment standards. The first significant federal safety regulation was the Safety Appliance Act of 1893, which required the use of the Westinghouse Brake and Janney Couplers. Other federal legislation was passed in the early 1900s. Among the contributions of those laws were to ... 

Contains a statement of FRA policy concerning enforcement of safety laws. The FRA can inqx)se civil penalties. The amount of the penalty is indicated in each section of the federal regulations. The Safety Appliance, Boiler Inspection, Signal Inspection, Accident Report, and Hours of Service Acts also allow for collection of civil penalties. The RSIA 1988 increased the amount of the fines. A 1983 amendment made railroads strictly liable for any penalties, irrespective of whether they were aware of the violation "It shall be unlawful... 

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