49 C.F.R. §§ 214.321–214.323

The track within working limits shall be placed under the control of one roadway worker in charge by either:

An authority for exclusive track occupancy given to the roadway worker in charge of the working limits shall be transmitted on a written or printed document directly, by relay through a designated employee, in a data transmission, or by oral communication, to the roadway worker in charge by the train dispatcher or control operator in charge of the track.

The extent of working limits established through exclusive track occupancy shall be defined by one of the following physical features clearly identifiable to a locomotive engineer or other person operating a train or railroad equipment:

Movements of trains and roadway maintenance machines within working limits established through exclusive track occupancy shall be made only under the direction of the roadway worker in charge of the working limits. Such movements shall be at restricted speed unless a higher authorized speed has been specifically authorized by the roadway worker in charge of the working limits.

Working limits established by exclusive track occupancy authority may occur behind designated trains moving through the same limits in accordance with the following provisions:

While it is in effect, all the contents of an authority electronically displayed shall be readily viewable by the roadway worker in charge that is using the authority to provide on-track safety for a roadway work group.

If the electronic display device malfunctions, fails, or cannot display an authority while it is in effect, the roadway worker in charge shall either obtain a written or printed copy of the authority in accordance with § 214.321 (except that on-track roadway maintenance machine and hi-rail movements must stop) or establish another form of on-track safety without delay. In the event that a written or printed copy of the authority cannot be obtained or another form of on-track safety cannot be established after failure of an electronic display device, the roadway worker in charge shall instruct all roadway workers to stop work and occupy a place of safety and conduct an on-track safety job briefing to determine the safe course of action with the roadway work group.

All authorized users of an electronic display system shall be uniquely identified to support individual accountability. A user may be a person, a process, or some other system that accesses or attempts to access an electronic display system to perform tasks or process an authority.

All authorized users of an electronic display system must be authenticated prior to being granted access to such system. The system shall ensure the confidentiality and integrity of all internally stored authentication data and protect it from access by unauthorized users. The authentication scheme shall utilize algorithms approved by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), or any similarly recognized and FRA approved standards body.

The integrity of all data must be ensured during transmission/reception, processing, and storage. All new electronic display systems implemented on or after July 1, 2017 shall utilize a Message Authentication Code (MAC) to ensure that all data is error free. The MAC shall utilize algorithms approved by NIST, or any similarly recognized and FRA approved standards body. Systems implemented prior to July 1, 2017 may utilize a Cyclical Redundancy Code (CRC) to ensure that all data is error free provided:

Authorities transmitted to each electronic display device shall be retained in the device's non-volatile memory for not less than 72 hours.

If any electronic display device used to obtain an authority is involved in an accident/incident that is required to be reported to FRA under part 225 of this chapter, the railroad or employer that was using the device at the time of the accident shall, to the extent possible, and to the extent consistent with the safety of life and property, preserve the data recorded by each such device for analysis by FRA. This preservation requirement permits the railroad or employer to extract and analyze such data, provided the original downloaded data file, or an unanalyzed exact copy of it, shall be retained in secure custody and shall not be utilized for analysis or any other purpose except by direction of FRA or the National Transportation Safety Board. This preservation requirement shall expire one (1) year after the date of the accident unless FRA or the National Transportation Safety Board notifies the railroad in writing that the data are desired for analysis.

New electronic display systems implemented on or after July 1, 2017 shall provide Level 3 assurance as defined by NIST Special Publication 800-63-2, Electronic Authentication Guideline, “Computer Security,” August 2013. Systems implemented prior to July 1, 2017 shall provide Level 2 assurance. Systems implemented prior to July 1, 2017 that do not provide Level 2 or higher assurance must be retired, or updated to provide Level 2 assurance, no later than July 1, 2018. The incorporation by reference of this NIST Special Publication was approved by the Director of the Federal Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. You may obtain a copy of the incorporated document from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8930, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8930, http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-63-2.pdf. You may inspect a copy of the document at the Federal Railroad Administration, Docket Clerk, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, or at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call (202) 741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html.

For purposes of complying with paragraph (h) of this section, electronic display systems may use multi-factor authentication for digital authentication of the subject.

Foul time may be given orally or in writing by the train dispatcher or control operator only after that employee has withheld the authority of all trains or other on-track equipment to move into or within the working limits during the foul time period.

Each roadway worker in charge to whom foul time is transmitted orally shall repeat the track number or identifier, track limits and time limits of the foul time to the issuing employee for verification before the foul time becomes effective.

The train dispatcher or control operator shall not permit the movement of trains or other on-track equipment into working limits protected by foul time until the roadway worker in charge who obtained the foul time has reported clear of the track.

The roadway worker in charge shall not permit the movement of trains or other on-track equipment into or within working limits protected by foul time.