On February 8, 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published a response to petitions for reconsideration of its final rule regarding conductor certification.  The response addresses the concerns of several petitioners and amends portions of the final rule.  Most significantly, the response extends all deadlines associated with implementing the final rule by six months, although the final rule’s effective date, January 1, 2012, remains in place.  In addition, the response relaxes requirements regarding who may assist conductors whose territorial qualifications for a particular line have expired within one year.  The response also clears up several areas of confusion, including potential conflicts with certain other regulatory requirements and the final rule’s definition of a “conductor,” without amending the final rule itself.