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Views & News
The date is February 22 for compliance with the new continuous welded rail (CWR) regulations by Class 3 railroads. These regs were released last August 25 by the Federal Railroad Administration. They are already effective for Class 1 and 2 railroads.
Requirements of the new CWR regs include the following, which are excerpted from the newsletter of NRCMA Board Member John Zuspan:
- A qualified person that inspects or supervises the installation, adjustment, or maintenance of CWR must complete a comprehensive training course and demonstrate his understanding of CWR.
- Fines for non-compliance have risen from a maximum of $650 per violation to $25,000 per violation. Willful violation has risen from $27,000 to $100,000.
- A CWR track owner must have a written CWR plan in place. The plan must be approved by the FRA.
- A bolted joint in CWR installed after August 25, 2009 must be welded within 60 days.
- A CWR track owner must establish a range (working range) that causes track buckling.
- A CWR track owner must determine areas that are prone to buckles and pull-aparts.
- A "Fracture Report" is now required for every broken joint bar. This report needs to be submitted to the FRA twice annually.
- A CWR track owner must have a training program that includes written procedures and provisions for annual re-training.
- A CWR track owner must also have a CWR standards and procedures manual at every location of CWR track.
A complete copy of the regulations is available by linking to http://fdsys.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2009-08-25/pdf/E9-20253.pdf.