(a) General. Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, an owner of railroad track located in the United States shall not require or permit the track to be used for a railroad operation that is dispatched from outside the United States.

(b) Transitional period to continue existing extraterritorial dispatching. An owner of a track segment located in the United States that is extraterritorially dispatched pursuant to the regulations contained in 49 CFR 241, revised as of October 1, 2002, may require or permit the track segment to be continued to be used for a railroad operation that is extraterritorially dispatched until April 10, 2003, to permit the railroad an opportunity to file a waiver request pursuant to § 241.7.

(c) Emergencies. In an emergency situation, an owner of railroad track located in the United States may require or permit the track to be used for a railroad operation that is dispatched from outside the United States, provided that:

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

(2) The extraterritorial dispatching is limited to the duration of the emergency. Written notification may be made either on paper or by electronic mail.

(d) Liability. The Administrator may hold either the track owner or the assignee under § 213.5(c) of this chapter (if any), or both, responsible for compliance with this section and subject to civil penalties under § 241.15. A common carrier by railroad that is directed by the Surface Transportation Board to provide service over the track in the United States of another railroad under 49 U.S.C. 11123 is considered the owner of that track for the purposes of the application of this section during the period that the directed service order remains in effect.