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The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has issued a final rule to limit the number of consecutive hours passenger railroad employees can work.

The new Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) rule will help improve safety for the railroad industry, USDOT officials said in a prepared statement, adding that for the first time, the rule differentiates between freight and passenger service.

Designed to reduce accidents caused by worker fatigue, the final rule applies “fatigue science” to work schedules to determine maximum on-duty and minimum off-duty periods for passenger train employees, including locomotive engineers and conductors, they said. The USDOT is trying to apply scientific data to work scheduling, and the FRA rule is the first outcome from that effort.

The rule recognizes the difference between work during daylight and nighttime hours, when fatigue is most likely to occur, USDOT officials said. The final rule calls for railroads to identify schedule-specific risks of fatigue using an approved, scientifically validated, and calibrated bio-mathematical model of human performance and fatigue; and develop and carry out plans to mitigate fatigue risks.

The final rule also requires railroads to submit certain work schedules of their passenger train employees and fatigue mitigation plans to the FRA for approval, and to provide fatigue training.

“This new program will let us recognize and prevent fatigue problems for passenger train crews before they arise,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.