Conductor Certification

Nov. 10, 2010

Conductor certification coming Jan. 1, 2012

WASHINGTON -- In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Nov. 10 Federal Register, the Federal Railroad Administration proposes to make Jan. 1, 2012, the effective date for implementation of conductor certification.

The rulemaking on principles, elements and methods of conductor certification was ordered by Congress in the 2008 Rail Safety Improvement Act.

The NPRM -- preceding publication of a final rule, expected in early 2011 (ahead of implementation) -- was developed through the FRA's Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC), comprised of stakeholders, including affected labor unions, railroads, suppliers, manufacturers and FRA safety experts.