Washington, D.C. – On January 17, 2025, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a response to several motions for reconsideration concerning its rule on the Certification of Train Dispatchers and Signal Employees. The motions sought varying degrees of change to FRA’s 2024 rule and were submitted by such rail trade groups as the Association of American Railroads (AAR), American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the Commuter Rail Coalition (CRC), and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).
Ultimately, FRA denied nine of the sixteen submitted motions, including one from AAR seeking to eliminate the Dispatcher Certification rule altogether. It did, however, grant APTA’s petition to delay the deadline for submission of Certification programs. While APTA initially sought an extension for commuter railroads until July 22, 2025, FRA went further by granting a six-month extension to all railroads. As a result, the new deadlines for Class I and Commuter railroads will be September 17, 2025. Class II and III railroads meanwhile, will have until May 12, 2026, to submit their programs.
“While we struggle with the rationale behind its decision to further delay the implementation of more stringent training and qualification requirements for these safety sensitive positions, we respect FRA’s decision and its response to the other petitions,” said ATDA Vice President Brandon Denucci. “ATDA will be prepared to thoroughly vet each Certification program as they are submitted to President Dowell and urge FRA to thoroughly consider any concerns raised by the Organization.” Once railroads submit their Dispatcher Certification programs to ATDA President Dowell and FRA, ATDA will then have 60 days to comment on their contents.