Rail transit workers get new federal safety rules, enforced by states

The US government has set new minimum safety standards for workers on rail transit tracks. State agencies must now oversee and enforce these rules for local transit systems.

Before this, safety rules for rail transit workers varied widely by state or local agency. Now, there is a federal baseline for how transit systems must protect workers on tracks. This means all rail transit agencies must adopt specific safety practices, like detailed manuals and risk-based protections, which state regulators must check.