Railway Safety Standards in the US: Who Sets What, for Which Railroad

US railway safety standards come from two federal regulators and several voluntary bodies. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) writes binding rules in 49 CFR Chapter II, such as Part 213 for track, for the general railroad system. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) covers rail transit outside FRA jurisdiction through Parts 672 to 674 and state safety oversight agencies.

Industry bodies fill in the detail. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) writes equipment and interchange standards, AREMA publishes recommended engineering practices, and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) publishes transit and passenger rail standards. State commissions such as the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) add rules where federal law leaves room.

This page is a map, not a deep dive into any one rule. It tells you which agency or body sets each kind of standard, gives a one-line scope for each main FRA and FTA part, and ends with a table of which rules apply to which kind of railroad. For the detail of track rules, see our guide to FRA track safety standards (Part 213).

Who sets railway safety standards in the US?

Four kinds of bodies set railway safety standards, and only the first two have the force of federal law. The FRA regulates railroads; the FTA regulates rail transit through the states; industry associations publish voluntary standards; and state commissions add rules where federal law allows.

The FRA's power comes from the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970. The FTA's comes from 49 U.S.C. 5329, added by the 2012 surface transportation law (MAP-21), which also repealed the older state oversight statute, 49 U.S.C. 5330.

Key takeaway: if a requirement isn't in 49 CFR, a state order or your contract, it is guidance, however widely it is followed.

Which FRA safety regulations matter most?

The FRA's rules sit in 49 CFR Chapter II, and fourteen parts cover most day-to-day safety work on a railroad. Each part has its own applicability section, so read it before assuming a part applies. Most of them exclude plant railroads and urban rapid transit that isn't connected to the general railroad system.

Several other FRA parts belong on the map even though they fall outside the core list: Part 209 (enforcement procedures and the civil penalty schedules), Part 211 (rules of practice, including waivers), Part 212 (state participation), Part 219 (alcohol and drug use), Part 225 (accident reporting), Part 237 (bridge safety), Part 270 (system safety programs for passenger railroads) and Part 271 (risk reduction programs). Hazardous materials carried by rail fall under the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's rules, including 49 CFR Part 174, Carriage by Rail.

How the FRA parts group by subject

It helps to read the fourteen parts as four families rather than as a numbered list.

• Track and structures: Parts 213 and 237 (and the bridge worker rules in Part 214 Subpart B). These are the rules a track owner's engineering department lives by.
• Equipment: Parts 215 (freight cars), 229 (locomotives), 231 (safety appliances), 232 (freight brakes) and 238 (passenger equipment). These belong to the mechanical department.
• Signals and crossings: Parts 234 and 236, which the signal department maintains and tests.
• Operations and people: Parts 214 (roadway workers), 217 and 218 (operating rules and practices), 240 and 242 (engineer and conductor certification) and 243 (training for everyone else in a safety-related job).

Details that drafts often get wrong

• Part 213 is the owner's rule, not FRA's inspection. Section 213.7 makes each track owner designate qualified persons to inspect track; FRA and state inspectors audit that work. Detail is in our FRA track safety standards guide, and the internal rail test interval is covered in 49 CFR 213.237.
• Part 218 now includes crew size. Subpart G, added by a final rule published April 9, 2024 (89 FR 25109), sets a general minimum of two crewmembers per train, with listed exceptions.
• Part 232 is freight only, except Subpart E. Passenger train brakes are in Part 238, but the end-of-train device rules in Part 232 Subpart E apply to all trains on the general system.
• Part 236 Subpart I is where positive train control lives. The mandate itself is statutory, in 49 U.S.C. 20157, added by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

Key takeaway: there is no single "FRA safety standard"; there are separate parts for track, equipment, signals, operations and people, each with its own applicability section.

Where does FRA jurisdiction end and FTA's begin?

FRA has jurisdiction over every railroad except urban rapid transit that is not connected to the general railroad system; that excluded transit is overseen by the states under FTA rules. Commuter rail is always FRA, whatever its physical connections. A light rail or subway line that shares track with a freight or commuter railroad is FRA-regulated on the shared track only.

The statute draws the line in the definition of "railroad" in 49 U.S.C. 20102. FRA's own policy statement in Part 209 Appendix A then explains how it applies the line:

"Under the Federal railroad safety laws, FRA has jurisdiction over all railroads except 'rapid transit operations in an urban area that are not connected to the general railroad system of transportation.'" — 49 CFR Part 209, Appendix A

The FTA side uses the same line from the other direction. Part 674 defines a rail fixed guideway public transportation system as one that "is not subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration", and lists rapid rail, heavy rail, light rail, monorail, trolley, inclined plane, funicular and automated guideway as examples (49 CFR 674.7).

How the split works in practice

One caution when you read Appendix A: it still refers to FTA's old rule, 49 CFR Part 659. FTA replaced Part 659 with Part 674 in 2016 and formally rescinded it on February 7, 2022 (87 FR 6783), so read "Part 659" in that appendix as Part 674 today.

Key takeaway: jurisdiction follows the track, not the agency; one transit system can have FRA-regulated segments and state-overseen segments.

What do FTA Parts 672, 673 and 674 require?

The three FTA parts set up a safety management framework, not prescriptive engineering standards. Part 673 requires each federally funded transit agency to keep a safety plan, Part 674 requires each state to oversee its rail transit systems through an independent agency, and Part 672 sets the training for the people doing that oversight.

Part 674 is specific about the oversight agency's independence. Under 674.13 the state must ensure the SSOA "is financially and legally independent" from the transit agencies it oversees, has "investigative, inspection, and enforcement authority", audits each system's compliance with its safety plan at least once every three years, and reports on each system at least once a year to the Governor, FTA and the agency's board.

FTA also runs a fourth rule that track workers meet directly: 49 CFR Part 671, Rail Transit Roadway Worker Protection, in effect since December 2, 2024. It is the transit counterpart to FRA's Part 214 Subpart C, and like Part 674 it doesn't apply to systems under FRA safety oversight (671.1(b)).

What the FTA rules don't contain

A full-text search of the 2025 CFR text of Parts 672, 673 and 674 found no track inspection interval, no rail flaw testing requirement and no track geometry limits. Those details come from the agency's own safety plan, the state's program standard and any industry standard the agency adopts. That is the main practical difference from FRA territory, where Part 213 sets the numbers.

Key takeaway: on transit outside FRA jurisdiction, the inspection interval you must meet is the one in your own safety plan and your state's program standard.

What role do AAR, AREMA and APTA standards play?

AAR, AREMA and APTA publish voluntary industry standards; none of them is a regulator, and none inspects or enforces track safety. Their documents become binding only when a regulation incorporates them, a contract or owner specification adopts them, or, for AAR, railroads agree to them for interchange. Our comparison of AREMA, FRA and ASTM covers how these documents sit beside federal rules.

AAR: interchange rules and the MSRP

The AAR's Technical Services committees handle the "development, maintenance, and enforcement of North American railroad interchange rules, mechanical standards, and component specifications" (AAR standards). The Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP) exists for the safe and uniform interchange of rail equipment; its sections cover draft gear, tank cars, trucks, brakes, wheels and axles, bearings, quality assurance (M-1003), electronics and locomotives, among others.

The MSRP has no track or rail testing section. AAR standards reach federal rules through equipment: Part 232 incorporates AAR brake standards by reference (S-469 in 232.103, S-486 and S-4027 in 232.305, the S-4200 ECP series in 232.603, and S-4045 in 232.717).

AREMA: recommended engineering practice

AREMA publishes the Manual for Railway Engineering (MRE), the Portfolio of Trackwork Plans and the Communications and Signals Manual. Its own catalog says MRE material "is published as a guide to railways in establishing their individual policies and practices" (AREMA publications). The 2026 MRE is the current edition, and rail is in Chapter 4.

No federal rule incorporates AREMA material by reference. FRA text does name the MRE in two places: 214.103(c), for bridge walkways and railings, and the non-binding policy statement in Part 237 Appendix A on bridge design and rating. More on the manual is in our guide to AREMA standards.

APTA: transit and passenger rail standards

APTA's standards program covers rail transit (documents numbered RT-) and commuter, intercity and high-speed passenger rail equipment (the PRESS program, documents numbered PR-). For track, the key document is APTA RT-FS-S-002-02 Rev. 1, Rail Transit Track Inspection and Maintenance (2017), which states that "ultrasonic rail flaw detection of mainline tracks shall be performed at least once per year". The same document says its application is voluntary and that federal and state regulations take precedence.

APTA material can also enter federal rules by incorporation. The only incorporation by reference in Part 213 is an APTA document: SS-M-015-06, Standard for Wheel Flange Angle of Passenger Equipment, used in Appendix D for vehicle qualification simulations.

Key takeaway: AAR governs equipment between railroads, AREMA guides engineering design, and APTA guides transit practice; for track, only the regulation and your own specification are mandatory.

Can states set their own railway safety standards?

States can regulate railroad safety only where federal rules leave a gap, or where a stricter rule meets three statutory tests; for rail transit, the state is the primary safety overseer. That is the main correction to the common claim that states may freely add "more stringent" railroad rules.

The preemption section of the federal rail safety law sets the rule:

"Laws, regulations, and orders related to railroad safety and laws, regulations, and orders related to railroad security shall be nationally uniform to the extent practicable." — 49 U.S.C. 20106(a)(1)

Under 20106(a)(2), a state rule on a subject FRA has already covered survives only if it is necessary to eliminate or reduce "an essentially local safety or security hazard", is not incompatible with federal law, and does not unreasonably burden interstate commerce. In freight and commuter territory, state inspectors mostly enforce the federal rules: 49 CFR Part 212 sets the standards for state participation in FRA investigative and surveillance work.

California as an example: CPUC General Orders

California's CPUC is the state safety oversight agency for rail transit. Its rail transit rules page lists these General Orders:

GO 164-F is the CPUC's Part 674 program in rule form. The current version was adopted January 16, 2025 (Resolution ST-259), superseding 164-E, and section 1.1 cites 49 U.S.C. 5329 and Part 674 as its authority. It applies to all rail transit agencies and rail fixed guideway systems in California.

For inspection work, the useful clause is 164-F section 3.2(n). It requires each agency's safety plan to describe its facilities and equipment safety inspections, including what is subject to inspection and testing, the techniques used, and the "inspection schedules and procedures". Section 3.4 adds an on-site CPUC review of each agency's safety plan at least once every three years.

GO 143-B covers light rail track. Its section 14.05 uses Part 213's 213.9 and Subparts B through E as a guideline for track standards and inspection intervals; Subpart F (which holds 213.237, the internal rail test rule) is not in that list. Check the current revision of each GO with the CPUC before relying on it.

Key takeaway: on freight lines a state mostly enforces FRA's rules; on transit lines the state writes and enforces its own.

Which railway safety standards apply to your railroad?

Start with what you run and whose track it is on; that decides whether FRA, FTA and the state, or neither, set your railway safety standards. The table below gives the starting set for each kind of operation. Always confirm against each part's applicability section, because exceptions are written part by part.

Key takeaway: the same rail testing job can be a federal requirement on one mile and a safety plan commitment on the next.

Worked example 1: a light rail line that shares 3 miles with a freight railroad

Inputs. A light rail system runs 20 route miles. On 3 miles it shares track with a short-line freight railroad, which runs at night when light rail is not in service. That shared track is Class 3. Light rail runs a regular passenger schedule on it, and annual traffic is 4 million gross tons (MGT). The other 17 miles are exclusive light rail track in California.

Step 1: who has jurisdiction on each segment? On the 3 shared miles, FRA does. Part 209 Appendix A says time separation does not remove jurisdiction, though it could support a waiver request under Part 211. On the 17 exclusive miles, the CPUC does, as the SSOA under Part 674 and GO 164-F.

Step 2: the internal rail test interval on the shared miles. Section 213.237(a) requires internal rail inspection on Class 3 track that carries regularly scheduled passenger trains. The interval is 370 days or 30 MGT, whichever is shorter. At 4 MGT a year, 30 MGT would take 30 ÷ 4 = 7.5 years, so the 370-day limit controls and the 3 miles must be tested at least every 370 days.

Step 3: visual inspection on the shared miles. Section 213.233(c) sets weekly inspection for Class 3 main track, but twice weekly (at least 1 calendar day apart) where passenger trains run. At two a week that is about 52 × 2 = 104 visual inspections a year, on the 3 shared miles only.

Step 4: the exclusive 17 miles. No federal rule sets a rail test interval here. The interval is whatever the agency's safety plan commits to under GO 164-F 3.2(n). If the agency has adopted APTA RT-FS-S-002-02, that means mainline ultrasonic testing at least once a year.

Result. One annual test campaign can cover all 20 miles, but the records for the 3 shared miles must meet 49 CFR 213.241, and the operator on those miles must be qualified under 213.238. On the other 17 miles, the agency's own procedure sets the records standard. For how intervals are calculated in general, see how often rail must be tested.

Worked example 2: a short line with an industrial spur

Inputs. A Class III freight railroad operates 40 miles of Class 2 track and serves a cement plant. Inside the plant, the plant's own locomotive switches cars on 2 miles of track for its own processes. The short line's crews also deliver cars over 0.5 mile of that plant track to a loading track.

Which rules apply where?

Result. The short line must inspect all 40.5 miles it operates over under 213.233, by persons it designates under 213.7. Whether to ultrasonically test any of it is the owner's risk decision, not a federal requirement, unless the route qualifies as a hazmat route under 213.237(j). The plant's 1.5 miles are the plant's own business. Many industrial owners test anyway, because a broken rail in a plant is still a derailment.

Which rules reach contractors and inspection firms?

Several FRA parts bind contractors directly, not just the railroads that hire them. A rail testing or track inspection contractor working on the general system should expect at least these:

Hiring a contractor doesn't move the owner's duty. Under 213.5, the track owner stays responsible unless it formally assigns responsibility with written notice to FRA at least 30 days ahead, and FRA may still hold either party responsible.

What this map does not cover

This page maps who sets railway safety standards; it doesn't replace the regulation text, and it leaves several areas out.

• Interval and limit detail. Track class speeds, geometry limits, defect remedial actions and test intervals are in Part 213; see our FRA track safety standards guide.
• Hazardous materials packaging and tank car design (PHMSA, 49 CFR Parts 171–180) beyond the pointer to Part 174.
• Security rules from the Transportation Security Administration, which 20106 also covers.
• Worker health rules from OSHA, which may apply on plant track.
• Canada and Mexico. Canadian railways answer to Transport Canada under its own Railway Safety Act. The 2013 Lac-Mégantic derailment was a Canadian accident, investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, and did not change FRA track inspection rules.
• Pending legislation. A US bill called the Railway Safety Act of 2023 (S. 576) was reported by the Senate Commerce Committee, but we found no record that it became law in the 118th Congress. Don't cite it as current law.
• Rule changes after October 2026. Penalty amounts in Part 209 Appendix A are adjusted every year, and FRA and FTA both amended rules in 2024–2026. Check the eCFR for the current text.

Paraphrase is also a limit. Each one-line scope here summarizes a part's scope and applicability sections; the rule text, read in full, controls.

How EMA Industries applies this

EMA Industries provides ultrasonic rail flaw testing for transit agencies, short lines and industrial track owners, along with rail weld inspection. It is based in Southern California and mobilizes nationwide. The first question on any job is the one this page answers: which segments fall under 213.237, 213.238 and 213.241, and which fall under the owner's safety plan or its own procedure. Answering it up front sets the right records and qualification requirements for each mile. To scope a testing program across mixed jurisdictions, contact EMA Industries.

For transit-specific practice, see ultrasonic rail testing for metro and light rail systems and our rail inspection RFP guide.

Frequently asked questions

Who regulates railroad safety in the United States?

The Federal Railroad Administration regulates safety on every railroad in the general railroad system, including freight, intercity passenger and commuter rail, under 49 CFR Chapter II. Rail transit that isn't connected to that system is overseen by state safety oversight agencies under FTA rules in 49 CFR Part 674. Hazardous materials rules for rail come from PHMSA.

Is AREMA a federal standard?

AREMA is not a regulator, and its Manual for Railway Engineering is a set of recommended practices published "as a guide to railways". No federal rule incorporates AREMA material by reference, although FRA names the manual in 214.103(c) and in a non-binding bridge policy statement. AREMA becomes mandatory only when an owner's specification or a contract adopts it.

Does the FRA regulate light rail and subways?

Only where they connect to the general railroad system. A subway or light rail line on its own track falls under the state safety oversight agency and FTA's Parts 673 and 674. If a light rail line shares track with a freight or commuter railroad, FRA rules apply on the shared track, even when the two never run at the same time.

What is the difference between Part 673 and Part 674?

Part 673 is the transit agency's duty: keep a Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan built on Safety Management Systems principles. Part 674 is the state's duty: run an FTA-approved oversight program through an independent agency that approves, audits and enforces each agency's plan. Part 672 then sets the training for the people doing that oversight.

Can a state set stricter railroad safety rules than the FRA?

Only within narrow limits. Under 49 U.S.C. 20106, once FRA has covered a subject, a state rule on it survives only if it addresses an essentially local hazard, doesn't conflict with federal law and doesn't unreasonably burden interstate commerce. Rail transit outside FRA jurisdiction is different: there the state writes and enforces the safety rules.

Does the AAR inspect railroads?

The AAR doesn't inspect track or enforce safety law. It writes interchange rules and mechanical standards that member railroads agree to follow when they exchange cars, and some AAR brake standards are incorporated into FRA's Part 232. Track inspection on the general system is the owner's duty under Part 213, audited by FRA and state inspectors.

Sources

• 49 CFR Chapter II parts 213, 214, 215, 217, 218, 229, 231, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240, 242 and 243, eCFR (scope and applicability sections read on the Cornell LII copy, October 2026)
• 49 CFR Part 209, Appendix A: Statement of Agency Policy Concerning Enforcement of the Federal Railroad Safety Laws, Cornell LII
• 49 CFR 213.3, Application, eCFR
• 49 CFR Part 218 Subpart G, Train Crew Size Safety Requirements (89 FR 25109, April 9, 2024), eCFR
• 49 CFR Part 672, Part 673 and Part 674, eCFR; 2025 CFR XML on govinfo
• 49 CFR Part 671, Rail Transit Roadway Worker Protection, eCFR
• Rail Fixed Guideway Systems; State Safety Oversight; Rescission (Part 659), 87 FR 6783, February 7, 2022, Federal Register
• 49 U.S.C. 20106, Preemption and 49 U.S.C. 20102, Definitions, Cornell LII
• 49 CFR Part 212, State Safety Participation Regulations, eCFR
• CPUC rail transit rules and regulations and General Order 164-F (January 16, 2025), California Public Utilities Commission
• AAR standards, Association of American Railroads
• AREMA publications catalog, AREMA
• APTA RT-FS-S-002-02 Rev. 1, Rail Transit Track Inspection and Maintenance, American Public Transportation Association
• 49 CFR Part 174, Carriage by Rail, eCFR