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             California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 5301            San Francisco, CA 94102
CONTACT: Armando Rendon           September 20, 1996     CPUC-077
         415-703-1366                                (R96-04-021)

          CPUC ISSUES NEW RULES ON RAIL TRANSIT SAFETY

     The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today
assumed broader powers to oversee the safety of the state's rail
transit systems, including for the first time the San Francisco
Municipal Railway (Muni).  Previously, the CPUC had limited its
oversight to the other five rail transit agencies in the state.
     The other systems are: Bay Area Rapid Transit District, Los
Angeles County MTA, San Diego Trolley, Sacramento Regional
Transit, and Santa Clara Valley Transit.
     Under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
of 1991, the CPUC as the designated oversight agency for
California must review the "system safety program" plan of each
agency before the end of the year.  The Federal Transit
Administration, which administers the Act, can impose penalties
on a state's federal funding if the deadline is not met.
     At least once every three years, the CPUC must conduct an
on-site audit of each agency to determine whether its system
safety plan is properly implemented.
     Each rail transit agency must investigate accidents and
unacceptable hazardous conditions on behalf of the CPUC.  The
CPUC must also review each agency's plans for corrective action
to keep such incidents from recurring.
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