49 U.S.C. § 20141 — Power brake safety

(a) Review and Revision of Existing Regulations. The Secretary of Transportation had to review the existing regulations on railroad power brakes and, by December 31, 1993, revise them based on safety information from that review. Where it applied, the Secretary had to set standards for dynamic braking equipment. (b) 2-Way End-of-Train Devices. (1) The Secretary had to require 2-way end-of-train devices (or devices that do the same job) on road trains — except locals, road switchers, or work trains — so emergency braking could be triggered from the rear of the train. The Secretary had to issue these rules as soon as possible, and no later than December 31, 1993. At minimum, the rules had to (A) set performance-based standards for the devices; (B) stop a railroad, starting one year after the rules were issued, from buying any end-of-train device that was not a 2-way device meeting those standards; (C) require trains to be equipped with qualifying 2-way devices within 4 years after the rules were issued; and (D) treat any 2-way device bought before the rules were issued as meeting the standards. (2) The Secretary could consider petitions to amend these rules to allow alternative technologies that meet the same basic performance requirements. (3) In writing these rules, the Secretary had to consider the information gathered under subsection (a). (c) Exclusions. The Secretary may exclude any category of trains or rail operations from the rules under (a) and (b) if the Secretary decides the exclusion serves the public interest and is consistent with railroad safety, and must publicly explain why. At minimum, the Secretary had to exclude from the rules under (b): (1) trains with manned cabooses; (2) passenger trains that have emergency brakes; (3) trains that run only on track outside the general railroad system; (4) trains that do not exceed 30 miles an hour and do not run on heavy grades, except for categories the Secretary specifically names; and (5) trains running in push mode.