Federal railroad inspectors can now ignore minor safety violations

Federal railroad inspectors now have the power to dismiss minor safety violations. This means they can choose not to pursue cases where a technical rule was broken but no real safety issue occurred.

For years, every rule infraction, no matter how small, could trigger a full enforcement process. This change means inspectors can focus their limited resources on serious safety risks. It also means railroads might face fewer penalties for paperwork errors or minor technicalities.