What Railroads are Covered by FELA?
Any railroad that is engaged in interstate commerce is covered by FELA. For instance, if a railroad has tracks that cross state lines, then it is covered by FELA. A “short line” railroad that only has a small number of track miles, e.g., 1, 2, 3 or 4 miles of track, is also covered by FELA, if its tracks connect to other railroad’s tracks that do engage in interstate commerce. A list of well known railroads that are Class I, II & III railroads covered by FELA is: Union Pacific – UP; Burlington Northern Santa Fe – BNSF; Norfolk Southern – NS; Kansas City Southern – KCS; CSX Transportation; AMTRAK; Metro North; Canadian National Railway -CN; Canadian Pacific Railway – CP and the Soo Line Railroad.
