§ 241.11 Prohibition against conducting a railroad operation dispatched by an extraterritorial dispatcher; exceptions.

General.(a) Except as provided in § 241.7 and paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, a railroad subject to this part shall not conduct, or contract for the conduct of, a railroad operation in the United States that is dispatched from a location outside of the United States.

Transitional period to continue existing extraterritorial dispatching.(b) A railroad that has normally conducted, or contracted for the conduct of, a railroad operation in the United States that is extraterritorially dispatched pursuant to the regulations contained in 49 CFR part 241, revised as of October 1, 2002, may continue to conduct or contract for the conduct of the operation until April 10, 2003, to permit the railroad an opportunity to file a waiver request pursuant to § 241.7.

Emergencies.(c) (1) In an emergency situation, a railroad may conduct, or contract for the conduct of, a railroad operation in the United States that is dispatched from a location outside the United States, provided that:

(i) The dispatching railroad notifies the Safety Management Team Railroad Administrator by email, as soon as practicable, of the emergency; and

(ii) The extraterritorial dispatching is limited to the duration of the emergency.

https://railroads.dot.gov/divisions/regional-offices/safety-management-teams.(2) A list of the FRA Safety Management Teams and contact information is available at

Liability.(d) The Administrator may hold either the railroad that conducts the railroad operation or the railroad contractor that conducts the operation, or both, responsible for compliance with this section and subject to civil penalties under § 241.15.

[67 FR 75960, Dec. 10, 2002, as amended at 90 FR 28192, July 1, 2025]