(a) The Hours of Service Act, as amended (45 U.S.C. 61-64b), makes it unlawful for any common carrier engaged in interstate or foreign commerce by railroad to begin, on or after July 8, 1976, the construction or reconstruction of sleeping quarters for employees who perform duties covered by the act “within or in the immediate vicinity (as determined in accordance with rules prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation) of any area where railroad switching or humping operations are performed.” 45 U.S.C. 62(a)(4). This subpart sets forth (1) a general definition of “immediate vicinity” (§ 228.101(b)), (2) procedures under which a carrier may request a determination by the Federal Railroad Administration that a particular proposed site is not within the “immediate vicinity” of railroad switching or humping operations (§§ 228.103 and 228.105), and (3) the basic criteria utilized in evaluating proposed sites (§ 228.107).

(b) Except as determined in accordance with the provisions of this subpart, the ’immediate vicinity‘ shall mean the area within one-half mile (2,640 feet) (804 meters) of switching or humping operations as measured from the nearest rail of the nearest trackage where switching or humping operations are performed to the point on the site where the carrier proposes to construct or reconstruct the exterior wall of the structure, or portion of such wall, which is closest to such operations.

(c) As used in this subpart—

(1) Construction shall refer to the—

(i) Creation of a new facility;

(ii) Expansion of an existing facility;

(iii) Placement of a mobile or modular facility; or

(iv) Acquisition and use of an existing building.

(2) Reconstruction shall refer to the—

(i) Replacement of an existing facility with a new facility on the same site; or

(ii) Rehabilitation or improvement of an existing facility (normal periodic maintenance excepted) involving the expenditure of an amount representing more than 50 percent of the cost of replacing such facility on the same site at the time the work of rehabilitation or improvement began, the replacement cost to be estimated on the basis of contemporary construction methods and materials.

(3) Switching or humping operations includes the classification of placarded railroad cars according to commodity or destination, assembling of placarded cars for train movements, changing the position of placarded cars for purposes of loading, unloading, or weighing, and the placing of placarded cars for repair. However, the term does not include the moving of rail equipment in connection with work service, the moving of a train or part of a train within yard limits by a road locomotive or placing locomotives or cars in a train or removing them from a train by a road locomotive while en route to the train's destination. The term does include operations within this definition which are conducted by any railroad; it is not limited to the operations of the carrier contemplating construction or reconstruction of railroad employee sleeping quarters.

(4) Placarded car shall mean a railroad car required to be placarded by the Department of Transportation hazardous materials regulations (49 CFR 172.504).

(5) The term Leq (8) shall mean the equivalent steady state sound level which in 8 hours would contain the same acoustic energy as the time-varying sound level during the same time period.