49 USC § 20139 - Maintenance-of-way operations on railroad bridges

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t49/s20139"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "49 USC § 20139 - Maintenance-of-way operations on railroad bridges"
title_number: 49
title_name: "TRANSPORTATION"
section_number: "20139"
section_name: "Maintenance-of-way operations on railroad bridges"
chapter_number: 201
chapter_name: "GENERAL"
subchapter_number: "II"
subchapter_name: "PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF SAFETY"
part_number: "A"
part_name: "SAFETY"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 876.)"
---


# § 20139. Maintenance-of-way operations on railroad bridges

June 22, 1989

Not later than , the Secretary of Transportation shall prescribe regulations and issue orders for the safety of maintenance-of-way employees on railroad bridges. The Secretary at least shall provide in those regulations standards for bridge safety equipment, including nets, walkways, handrails, and safety lines, and requirements for the use of vessels when work is performed on bridges located over bodies of water.

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**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 876.)

| RevisedSection | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 20139 | 45:431(n). | Oct. 16, 1970, Pub. L. 91–458, 84 Stat. 971, § 202(n); added June 22, 1988, Pub. L. 100–342, § 19(a), 102 Stat. 637; Sept. 3, 1992, Pub. L. 102–365, § 2(2), 106 Stat. 972. |

The words “Not later than ” are substituted for “within one year after ” for clarity.