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Released:  June 16, 2009

Effective July 16, 2009, the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) imposes significant changes to hours of service (HOS) rules for Train and Engine Service and Signal employees that will have a positive impact on fatigue in the workplace.

Changes for T&E employees (excluding passenger operations) under the new law include:

Prohibiting an employee from accumulating in a single calendar month more than 276 hours of (i) on duty time, (ii) time spent waiting for or in deadhead transportation to the place of final release, and (iii) time spent in any other mandatory service for the carrier; Prohibiting an employee from accumulating in a single calendar month more than 40 hours of limbo time (defined as time after 12 hours on duty spent waiting for or in deadhead transportation to the place of final release), dropping to a limit of 30 hours on October 16, 2009; Requiring an employee to receive 48 hours off duty at his or her home terminal after initiating an on-duty period for six consecutive calendar days.   An exception allows a seventh day of work to return to the home terminal, provided the employee then receives 72 hours off duty; Requiring an employee to receive at least 10 consecutive hours of undisturbed rest between tours of duty; Requiring an employee to receive additional undisturbed rest if limbo time (as defined above) was accrued on a previous tour of duty.

Changes for Signal employees under the new law include:

Requiring an employee to receive at least 10 consecutive hours of undisturbed rest between tours of duty; Eliminating dual HOS requirements for signal employees driving motor vehicles.   These employees will now be covered only by FRA HOS rules.

A cross-functional CSXT team has been actively engaged both internally and externally preparing for implementation of the new HOS rules by doing the following:

Participation with other railroad and labor representatives in a Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) Working Group convened by FRA to develop new HOS record-keeping and reporting requirements.   FRA recently issued its amended recordkeeping rule, which largely follows the consensus recommendations of the Working Group. Discussions of the major new T&E HOS rules with labor representatives to assure a complete understanding of how the new rules will impact our work force and collective bargaining agreements so that we can work together towards a smooth transition. Revision of crew calling and HOS recordkeeping computer programs to reflect the new rules.   This process will continue as FRA issues additional interpretations of the new rules. Development of a training plan and materials for managers and employees to ensure that employees fully understand the new HOS rules and the process for recording the additional information required by those rules. As we get closer to the July implementation, we will continue to update employees on how the law applies to CSXT operations and how employees will be affected.