Data / Federal rules / 2026-17782
Regulatory Relief for End of Car Cushioning Units
The Federal Railroad Administration published this final rule in the Federal Register on August 31, 2026. It took effect on September 30, 2026.
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What the agency says
This rule amends freight car draft arrangement and end-of-car cushioning unit (EOCC) regulations to make permanent relief currently provided by waiver. The amendments will allow a freight car to remain in service if the EOCC is operative and equipped with a unit condition indicator (UCI) that indicates a non-discharged EOCC. This change will permit such EOCCs to remain in service despite the presence of clearly formed oil droplets on the unit. The amendments preserve the requirement to repair or replace an EOCC with clearly formed oil droplets if the unit does not have a UCI.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-17782
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Final rule
- Agency
- Transportation Department; Federal Railroad Administration
- Published
- August 31, 2026
- Takes effect
- September 30, 2026
- Dates
- This rule is effective September 30, 2026.
- Docket
- Docket No. FRA-2025-0119
- Regulation ID (RIN)
- 2130-AD55
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 49 CFR 215
- Topics
- Freight; Penalties; Railroad safety; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
- Pages
- 4
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|---|---|---|
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| Repealing Special Approval Requirement for Freight Cars More Than 50 Years Old 2026-17787 | Final rule | Aug 31 |
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Everything from the Federal Railroad Administration · Rules on freight · Rules on penalties · Rules on railroad safety · Published in August 2026
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.