SAFE TRAINS Act
The Stopping America’s Foreign Enemies Through Rail and Infrastructure National Security Act (SAFE TRAINS Act; 49 U.S.C. § 20171), signed into law on November 15, 2021, as Section 22425 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is bipartisan legislation originally introduced by Sens. Cornyn (R-TX), Baldwin (D-WI), and Moran (R-KS) that safeguards the North American freight rail industry and critical rail infrastructure from adversarial state-owned enterprises.
The law prohibits railroad freight cars from operating on the U.S. freight railroad interchange system if they are manufactured by or use sensitive technologies from a country of concern (COC) or an affiliated state-owned enterprise (SOE). COCs include nonmarket economies, those that inadequately protect intellectual property rights, and violators of certain foreign trade practices and agreements, for the purposes of the law, the only qualifying COC currently is China.
On December 19, 2024, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published the final rule, amending the Freight Car Safety Standards in 49 CFR Part 215 to incorporate the SAFE TRAINS Act, in the Federal Register.
RSA Documents
Timeline
November 15, 2021 – The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is signed into law.
- The SAFE TRAINS Act is included as Section 22425 of the legislation.
November 2023 – The statutory deadline for implementing regulations.
December 8, 2023 – The FRA published a Notice of Proposed Rule Making in the Federal Register.
February 6, 2024 – Public comments to the SAFE TRAINS NPRM are due.
May 9, 2024 – Sens. Baldwin (D-WI), Cornyn (R-TX), and Casey (D-PA) write to FRA Administrator Bose supporting implementation of the SAFE TRAINS Act.
November 2024 – Senator Baldwin, RSA, and industry representatives urge the FRA and OMB to complete their review of and to publish the SAFE TRAINS final rule.
December 19, 2024 – FRA issued its final rule on the SAFE TRAINS Act in the Federal Register.
January 21, 2025 – The effective date of the SAFE TRAINS Act.
December 19, 2025 – Full implementation of the SAFE TRAINS Act.
Media
RSA Op-ed in Railway Age: SOEs Barred From U.S. Freight Car Market (1/8/25).
Progressive Railroading: Rail Security Group Calls on Feds to Finalize SAFE TRAINS Rule (12/13/24).
RSA to FRA: Proposed Rule “Closes Gap,” Ensuring Freight Rail Security (2/7/24).
Additional Documents