Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee

The Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee (NORAC) is a body of railroads that establish a set of operating rules for railroads in North America. The NORAC rulebook is used by full and associate member railroads, located mostly in the Northeast United States.

Members

Full members

Associate members

Overview

The NORAC rules are intended to enhance railroad safety. The rules cover employee responsibilities, signaling equipment, procedures for safe train movement, dealing with accidents and other topics that directly and indirectly affect railroad safety. These rules govern operation on main lines, defined as those with some form of block control system. The 10th edition of the NORAC operating rules went into effect on November 6, 2011. The 11th edition of the NORAC operating rules went into effect on February 1, 2018. The 12th edition of the NORAC Operating Rules went into effect on January 1, 2024.

History

In January 1985, six railroads (Conrail, Amtrak, Metro-North, New Jersey Transit, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, and Delaware & Hudson) met in Newark, New Jersey with the goal to create a common operating rulebook. In May 1985, a second meeting was held, with eight railroads present, five of the original six (Metro-North withdrew) plus Providence and Worcester, Long Island Rail Road, and Boston & Maine. The first rulebook was released in January 1987. It contained rules for three types of train control: automatic block (ABS), manual block (MBS), and voice (VCS). The MBS and VCS systems were both governed by NORAC's Form D, which is a train order transmitted directly to the train. In 1993 the fourth edition combined the MBS and VCS rules into a single "Form D Control System" (DCS).

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