RAILROAD REVITALIZATION AND REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 1976

RAILROAD REVITALIZATION AND REGULATORY
REFORM ACT OF 1976

AN ACT To improve the quality of rail services in the United States through regulatory reform, coordination of rail services and facilities, and rehabilitation and improvement financing, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act, divided into titles and sections according to the following table of contents, may be cited as the "Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976”:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE I-GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 101. Declaration of policy.

Sec. 102. Definitions.

TITLE II-RAILROAD RATES

Sec. 201. Expeditious divisions of revenues.

Sec. 202. Railroad ratemaking.

Sec. 203. Tariff modifications.

Sec. 204. Investigation of discriminatory freight rates for the transportation of recyclable or recycled materials. 1

Sec. 205. Adequate revenue levels.

Sec. 206. Rate incentives for capital investment.

Sec. 207. Exemptions from Interstate Commerce Act.

Sec. 208. Rate bureaus.

Sec. 209. Filing procedures.

Sec. 210. Intrastate railroad rate proceedings.

Sec. 211. Demurrage charges.

Sec. 212. Car service compensation and practices.

TITLE III-REFORM OF THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION

Sec. 301. Access to information by congressional committees.

Sec. 302. Effective date of orders of the Commission.

Sec. 303. Commission hearing and appellate procedure.

Sec. 304. Office of Rail Public Counsel.

Sec. 305. Reform of rules of practice before the Commission. 2

Sec. 306. Prohibiting discriminatory tax treatment of transportation property.
Sec. 307. Uniform cost and revenue accounting system.

Sec. 308. Securities.

Sec. 309. Rail Services Planning Office.

Sec. 310. Equitable distribution of cars for unit train service.

Sec. 311. Appropriations request.

Sec. 312. Law revision. 2

TITLE IV-MERGERS AND CONSOLIDATIONS

Sec. 401. Responsibilities of the Secretary.

Sec. 402. Merger procedure.

Sec. 403. Expedited railroad merger procedure.

1 Public Law 95-437 repealed section 204 without repealing the item relating to section 204 in the table of contents.

2 Public Law 95-374 repealed sections 305 and 312 without repealing the items relating to those sections in the table of contents.

TITLE V-RAILROAD REHABILITATION AND IMPROVEMENT FINANCING

Sec. 501. Definitions.

Sec. 502. Direct loans and loan guarantees.

Sec. 503. Administration of direct loans and loan guarantees.

Sec. 504. Employee protection.

TITLE VI-IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FINAL SYSTEM PLAN

Sec. 601. General.

Sec. 602. Special court.

Sec. 603. Finance Committee.

Sec. 604. Obligations of the Association.

Sec. 605. Debentures and series A preferred stock.

Sec. 606. Loans.

Sec. 607. Miscellaneous amendments to title II.

Sec. 608. Capitalization of the Corporation.

Sec. 609. Protection of Federal funds.

Sec. 610. Continuing reorganization; supplemental transactions.

Sec. 611. Officers and directors of the Corporation.

Sec. 612. Miscellaneous amendments to title III.

Sec. 619. Application of the National Environmental Policy Act.

TITLE VII-NORTHEAST CORRIDOR PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

Sec. 701. National Railroad Passenger Corporation. 1

Sec. 703. Required goals.

Sec. 704. Funding.

Sec. 705. Transfer of authority.

Sec. 706. Conforming amendments.

Sec. 707. Facilities with historical or architectural significance.

Sec. 708. Program master plan.

TITLE VIII-LOCAL RAIL SERVICE CONTINUATION

Sec. 801. Extension of service.

Sec. 802. Discontinuance or abandonment.

Sec. 803. Local rail service assistance.

Sec. 804. Termination and continuation of rail services.

Sec. 805. Continuation assistance.

Sec. 806. Repeal.

Sec. 807. Rail passenger service.

Sec. 808. Emergency operating assistance.

Sec. 809. Conversion of abandoned railroad rights-of-way.

TITLE IX-MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Sec. 901. Comprehensive study of rail system.

Sec. 902. Study of aid to rail transportation.
Sec. 903. Study of conglomerates.
Sec. 904. Rail abandonment report.
Sec. 905. Nondiscrimination.

Sec. 906. Minority Resource Center.

TITLE I-GENERAL PROVISIONS

DECLARATION OF POLICY

SEC. 101. (a) PURPOSE.-It is the purpose of the Congress in this Act to provide the means to rehabilitate and maintain the physical facilities, improve the operations and structure, and restore the financial stability of the railway system of the United

1 Sections 701-706(a), (c)–(i), 707, 803, 808, 901-904 were repealed by P.L. 103-272 without repealing the corresponding items in the table of contents.