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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Joint Statement of Agency Policy Concerning Shared Use of the Tracks of the General Railroad System by Conventional Railroads and Light Rail Transit Systems

Policy statement.

On May 25, 1999, FRA and FTA published a proposed joint statement of agency policy concerning safety issues related to light rail transit operations that take place, or are planned to take place, on the tracks of the general railroad system. 64 FR 59046. In the same docket, on November 1, 1999, FRA published a separate proposed statement of policy providing details on its railroad safety jurisdiction and a detailed explanation of issues that will be addressed in its waiver process related to shared use of the general system. FRA also addressed the process of obtaining waivers of its safety regulations. After consideration of the nearly 50 written comments received and discussions of these issues in a variety of public forums, the agencies now issue this final joint statement of agency policy that explains generally how the two agencies intend to coordinate use of their respective safety authorities with regard to such shared-track operations. FRA is separately publishing today its final Statement of Agency Policy Concerning Jurisdiction Over the Safety of Railroad Operations, which includes a discussion of the comments received in this docket.

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