Data / Federal rules / 2026-17787
Repealing Special Approval Requirement for Freight Cars More Than 50 Years Old
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 FRA's freight car safety regulations to repeal the requirement for special approval to place or to continue a freight car in service if it is more than 50 years old or equipped with any design or type component listed in appendix A to part 215. This final rule allows railroads to continue or to place such cars in service with notice to FRA, providing certain information that has previously been required in petitions for special approval.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-17787
- 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-2025-0117
- Regulation ID (RIN)
- 2130-AD46
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 49 CFR 215
- Topics
- Freight; Penalties; Railroad safety; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
- Pages
- 7
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|---|---|---|
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| Miscellaneous Amendments to FRA's Accident Reporting Regulations 2026-17791 | Final rule | Aug 31 |
| Retiring Form FRA F 6180.107 and Form FRA F 6180.150 2026-17790 | Final rule | Aug 31 |
| Repealing Outdated Railroad Workplace Safety Requirements and Making Other Improvements 2026-17789 | Final rule | Aug 31 |
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| Enhancing Railroad Discretion in Sounding Locomotive Horns at Passenger Stations 2026-17786 | 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.