Although exact wording hasn’t been made public, it’s been reported that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has submitted its final rule on train crew size to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review.
According to transportation industry publication Freight Waves, the final rule may potentially be released in March. Prior to becoming a final rule, proposed federal regulations are required to go to the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review. That process typically takes anywhere from 30 to 90 days.
The BLET, its members, and other rail labor unions filed comments in support of two-person train crews during the public comment period that began in 2022. It is unclear at this time how the final rule may differ from the proposed rule, which was published in the Federal Register on July 28, 2022.