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49 U.S.C. 28501: DefinitionsText contains those laws in effect through Public Law 119-120 (October 7, 2026).
From Title 49-TRANSPORTATIONCHAPTER 285-COMMUTER RAIL MEDIATION

§28501. Definitions

In this chapter⁠—

(1)  the term “Board” means the Surface Transportation Board;

(2)  the term “capital work” means maintenance, restoration, reconstruction, capacity enhancement, or rehabilitation work on trackage that would be treated, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, as a capital item rather than an expense;

(3)  the term “commuter rail passenger transportation” has the meaning given that term in section 24102;

(4)  the term “public transportation authority” means a local governmental authority (as defined in section 5302) established to provide, or make a contract providing for, commuter rail passenger transportation;

(5)  the term “rail carrier” means a person, other than a governmental authority, providing common carrier railroad transportation for compensation subject to the jurisdiction of the Board under chapter 105;

(6)  the term “segregated fixed guideway facility” means a fixed guideway facility constructed within the railroad right-of-way of a rail carrier but physically separate from trackage, including relocated trackage, within the right-of-way used by a rail carrier for freight transportation purposes; and

(7)  the term “trackage” means a railroad line of a rail carrier, including a spur, industrial, team, switching, side, yard, or station track, and a facility of a rail carrier.

(Added Pub. L. 110–432, div. B, title IV, § 401(a) , Oct. 16, 2008 , 122 Stat. 4955 ; amended Pub. L. 117–58, div. C, § 30001(b)(4) , Nov. 15, 2021 , 135 Stat. 890 .)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021⁠—Par. (4). Pub. L. 117–58 substituted “section 5302” for “section 5302(a)(6)”.