Certification of Dispatchers; Extension of Comment Period

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

49 CFR Part 245

[Docket No. FRA-2022-0019, Notice No. 6]

RIN 2130-AD03

Certification of Dispatchers; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY:

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment period.

SUMMARY:

On May 15, 2026, FRA published an NPRM proposing to rescind FRA's May 21, 2024 final rule requiring the certification of dispatchers. By this notice, FRA is extending the NPRM's comment period by 30 days.

DATES:

The comment period for the proposed rule published May 15, 2026, at 91 FR 27901, is extended. Comments should be received on or before August 13, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

Comments:

Comments related to Docket No. FRA-2022-0019, Notice No. 5, may be submitted by going to

https://www.regulations.gov

and following the online instructions for submitting comments.

Instructions:

All submissions must include the agency name, docket name, and docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for this rulemaking (2130-AD03). Note that all comments received will be posted without change to

https://www.regulations.gov,

including any personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading in the

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section of this document for Privacy Act information related to any submitted comments or materials.

Docket:

For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to

https://www.regulations.gov

and follow the online instructions for accessing the docket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Curtis Dolan, Railroad Safety Specialist, Dispatch Operating Practices, telephone: (470) 522-6633 or email:

curtis.dolan@dot.gov;

or Michael C. Spinnicchia, Attorney Adviser, Office of the Chief Counsel, telephone: (202) 713-7671 or email:

michael.spinnicchia@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In a July 1, 2026 petition, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) requested a 60-day extension of the comment period for FRA's NPRM proposing to rescind the agency's May 21, 2024 final rule requiring the certification of signal employees.

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BRS stated additional time was needed to evaluate the impacts of rescinding the rule and develop comprehensive comments supported by technical, operational, and historical information. Since FRA is granting a 30-day extension of the comment period for the NPRM proposing the rescission of the Certification of Signal Employees final rule, the agency determined a similar 30-day extension is warranted for the comment period for the NPRM proposing the rescission of the Certification of Dispatchers final rule.

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FRA-2022-0020-0052.

The comment period for this NPRM is scheduled to close on July 14, 2026. As FRA is partially granting BRS's request, the comment period is now extended to August 13, 2026, which is a total of 30 days.

Privacy Act

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these comments, without edit, to

https://www.regulations.gov,

as described in the system of records notice, DOT/ALL-14 FDMS, accessible through

www.dot.gov/privacy.

To facilitate comment tracking and

response, we encourage commenters to provide their name, or the name of their organization; however, submission of names is completely optional. Whether or not commenters identify themselves, all timely comments will be fully considered. If you wish to provide comments containing proprietary or confidential information, please contact the agency for alternate submission instructions.

Authority:

49 U.S.C. 20103, 20107, 20162, 21301, 21304, 21311; 28 U.S.C. 2461 note; 49 CFR 1.89; and Pub. L. 110-432, sec. 402, 122 Stat. 4884.

Issued in Washington, DC.

Carolyn R. Hayward-Williams,

Director, Office of Railroad Systems and Technology.

[FR Doc. 2026-14160 Filed 7-13-26; 8:45 am]

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