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WTO notification · TBT

United StatesProposed measure, not in force yet

Railway, tramway locomotives – United States

Official title

High-Speed Train Noise Emission Standards

The United States notified this proposed TBT measure to the WTO on 4 August 2026. The comment period closed on 2 October 2026.

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Source: WTO ePing (opens in a new tab). Summaries by Expodite, which is independent of the WTO.

Published here:

At a glance

Products

High-speed passenger trainsets; Self-propelled high-speed railway passenger vehicles; High-speed locomotives and power cars; Passenger railway coaches used in high-speed service; Magnetic levitation (maglev) rail systems operating above 220 mph; Railway rolling stock designed for operation above 160

HS codes
  • 86 · Railway, tramway locomotives, rolling-stock and parts thereof; railway or tramway track fixtures and fittings and parts thereof; mechanical (including electro-mechanical) traffic signalling equipment of all kinds
    • 8601 Rail locomotives powered from an external source of electricity or by electric accumulators
    • 8602 Rail locomotives (excl. those powered from an external source of electricity or by accumulators); locomotive tenders
    • 8603 Self-propelled railway or tramway coaches, vans and trucks (excl. those of heading 8604)
    • 8605 Railway or tramway passenger coaches, not self-propelled; luggage vans, post office coaches and other special purpose railway or tramway coaches, not…
    • 8607 Parts of railway or tramway locomotives or rolling stock, n.e.s.
Notifying member
United States(United States of America)
Status
Proposed measure, not in force yet
Objectives
  • Protection of human health or safety
  • Protection of the environment
Area
TBT: Technical product rulesTechnical barriers to trade
Notification type
Regular notification
Document symbol
G/TBT/N/USA/2312

Key dates

Distributed by the WTO
Comment deadline
Closed on 2 October 2026
Proposed adoption
To be determined
Proposed entry into force
To be determined

How to comment

The comment period closed on 2 October 2026. You can still raise concerns about the measure with your country's WTO TBT enquiry point, quoting the document symbol G/TBT/N/USA/2312; it can take them up with the United States.

Find your country's enquiry point on WTO ePing (opens in a new tab)

What the notification says

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); request for comments - This NPRM seeks to amend the noise emission regulations to address the unique noise emission characteristics of trains operating at speeds exceeding 160 miles per hour (mph). Specifically, the proposed regulation would provide an alternative standard for noise emissions from train operations exceeding 160 mph, up to 220 mph, and also provide a special approval process for noise emissions from train operations exceeding 220 mph. This alternative noise emission standard and compliance process would effectively remove an existing regulatory barrier to the railroad industry for high-speed rail operations, while continuing to protect public health and welfare. Existing noise emission limits for all train operations at speeds up to 160 mph would continue to apply, and these existing limits would remain available for demonstrating compliance at higher speeds as well.

Sources

Expodite writes its summary from the official record. The notification and the documents it notifies are on the WTO's own websites.

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