The U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced it had finalized 11 deregulatory rules surrounding American rail operations.
FRA officials said the new rules would help American rail operators unleash innovation, modernize practices, and bolster worker and passenger safety. The department also said it had deleted more than 1,000 words from the Federal Register and that the moves were the latest effort to root out waste from the federal government.
“We can’t build big, beautiful infrastructure that will serve Americans for generations if our industries are burdened by outdated regulations that stifle innovation and ignore the latest safety practices,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. “These critical updates will enhance safety, support our great rail workforce, and enable the next wave of innovative technologies on our tracks.”
On July 1, 2025, FRA published a deregulatory package eliminating redundant and decades-old requirements and codifying longstanding FRA Safety Board waivers. The agency said it had finalized the first 11 of those rules, including: removing stenciling requirements for railroad freight cars used exclusively for tourist, historic, excursion, educational, recreational, or private purposes; allowing railroads to satisfy accident/incident reporting recordkeeping requirements by posting electronically; updating enforcement procedures to allow for electronic service and clarify FRA’s enforcement discretion; and codifying longstanding waivers granting relief from certain locomotive engineer and conductor certification requirements, among others.
“We can only usher in a Golden Age of Rail that Secretary Duffy and President Trump have promised if we can empower our railroad operators with commonsense regulations to deliver a stronger, safer rail system,” FRA Administrator David Fink said.