FRA Sends Electric Brake Final Rule to OMB

Yesterday, the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced that it had received a final rule from the DOT’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on “Amendments to Brake System Safety Standards Governing Operations Using Electronic Air Brake Slip System”. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for this rulemaking was published on January 15th, 2021.  

According to the 2026 Unified Agenda entry for this rulemaking: 

“This rulemaking proposes to amend FRA's brake system safety standards to govern operations using the eABS system developed by AAR member railroads. This rulemaking would provide an alternative regulatory framework for railroads to utilize when choosing to use the eABS system. The rulemaking would extend the distance individual rail cars may be moved without stopping for brake and mechanical inspections and tests if the cars have a valid eABS system record. The rulemaking also proposes to allow railroads to add multiple cars to a train or remove multiple cars from a train without conducting additional brake tests as currently required if the train is solely made up of cars with eABS records.” 

This final rule looks to be a bit more on the technical side of railroad operations that I typically cover in this blog. I do not expect to cover this in any detail, but I do plan on at least announcing its publication in the appropriate Short Takes post.