MN SF3828

Commissioner of Transportation must amend Minnesota Rules to adopt a schedule of civil penalties and fines for railroad noncompliance with safety, service, and employment standards by December 31, 2021.

Schedule must categorize separate penalties for Class I and Class II railroad carriers, Class III railroad carriers, and industry track owners or maintenance parties.

Penalties must be specific to different railroad disciplines including track, operations, mechanical, signal, and motive power violations.

Civil penalties must distinguish between violations and willful violations, with progressive increases in penalty rates for consecutive violations, using comparable federal standards from Code of Federal Regulations title 49, sections 200 to 299.

Commissioner must adopt rules requiring the Department of Transportation to issue notices of noncompliance with compliance deadlines and allowing emergency repair orders, including track embargoes for imminent dangers.