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Rail agency extends comments on two locomotive inspection waiver requests to December 2

2 min read

Fictional editorial illustration reused from the Hugin archive; not a depiction of either railroad or its inspections. Not documentary evidence.

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The Federal Railroad Administration has extended the comment periods for separate Union Pacific and CSX locomotive inspection waiver petitions until December 2. Each request concerns inspections performed by qualified mechanical inspectors on certain microprocessor-equipped locomotives. The November 2 notices extend comment periods; they do not grant either waiver.

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The Federal Railroad Administration has extended the public comment periods on separate Union Pacific and CSX requests concerning locomotive inspections by qualified mechanical inspectors. Comments on both petitions are due December 2, 2026.

The agency's November 2 notices extend the periods for comment. They do not grant either railroad's request.

What the companies seek

In September notices describing the petitions, the agency said each railroad sought relief related to locomotives with advanced microprocessor-controlled systems. The requests concern a requirement for a qualified mechanical inspector to perform a daily inspection once every 33 days.

The agency said Union Pacific requested that this inspector requirement be waived for a microprocessor-equipped locomotive. The railroad told the agency it found no statistical difference in the quality of daily inspections performed by qualified mechanical inspectors and non-qualified inspectors. The notice reports the company's assertion; it does not independently establish that comparison.

For CSX, the agency described a request to eliminate the qualified-inspector requirement for that inspection on microprocessor-equipped locomotives maintained on extended 184-day periodic inspection cycles. CSX told the agency that its systems allow continuous monitoring and immediate digital reporting to mechanical personnel. The agency's notice attributes the claimed value of that monitoring to CSX.

Separate dockets

The two dockets are FRA-2026-1420 for Union Pacific and FRA-2026-1684 for CSX. The agency says the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO requested extensions for both petitions on September 9. The new notices each extend the period by 30 days.

FRA says it will consider communications received by December 2 before final action and consider later comments to the extent practicable. Its instructions say comments can be submitted through the federal rulemaking portal and must include the agency name and docket number. The agency warns that comments, including personal information provided, are posted without editing.

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