(a) General. Except as provided in § 241.5(d) or paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, a railroad subject to this part shall not conduct, or contract for the conduct of, a railroad operation in the United States that is dispatched from a location outside of the United States.

(b) Transitional period to continue existing extraterritorial dispatching. A railroad that has normally conducted, or contracted for the conduct of, a railroad operation in the United States that is extraterritorially dispatched pursuant to the regulations contained in 49 CFR part 241, revised as of October 1, 2002, may continue to conduct or contract for the conduct of the operation until April 10, 2003, to permit the railroad an opportunity to file a waiver request pursuant to § 241.7.

(c) Emergencies. (1) In an emergency situation, a railroad may conduct, or contract for the conduct of, a railroad operation in the United States that is dispatched from a location outside the United States, provided that:

(i) The dispatching railroad notifies the FRA Regional Administrator of each FRA region where the railroad operation was conducted, in writing as soon as practicable, of the emergency; and

(ii) The extraterritorial dispatching is limited to the duration of the emergency.

(2) Written notification may be made either on paper or by electronic mail.

(3) A list of the States that make up the FRA regions and the street and e-mail addresses and fax numbers of the FRA Regional Administrators appears in appendix C to this part.

(d) Liability. The Administrator may hold either the railroad that conducts the railroad operation or the railroad contractor that conducts the operation, or both, responsible for compliance with this section and subject to civil penalties under § 241.15.