Title 49, TransportationRelease 119-102

§11703 Enforcement by the Attorney General

Title 49 › SUBTITLE IV — INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION › PART A — RAIL › CHAPTER 117 — ENFORCEMENT: INVESTIGATIONS, RIGHTS, AND REMEDIES › § 11703

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Attorney General may sue, and must if the Board asks, to enforce the law, Board rules, orders, or certificates, and to prosecute violators. The U.S. government can sue for someone to force a rail carrier to provide covered transportation at the same rate or equally favorable terms the carrier gives another person for similar traffic.

Full Legal Text

Title 49, §11703

Transportation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Attorney General may, and on request of the Board shall, bring court proceedings to enforce this part, or a regulation or order of the Board or certificate issued under this part, and to prosecute a person violating this part or a regulation or order of the Board or certificate issued under this part.
(b)The United States Government may bring a civil action on behalf of a person to compel a rail carrier providing transportation subject to the jurisdiction of the Board under this part to provide that transportation to that person in compliance with this part at the same rate charged, or on conditions as favorable as those given by the rail carrier, for like traffic under similar conditions to another person.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 11703, Pub. L. 95–473, Oct. 17, 1978, 92 Stat. 1450, related to authority of Attorney General and United States Government to bring civil actions to enforce this subtitle, prior to the general amendment of this subtitle by Pub. L. 104–88, § 102(a). See section 11703, 14703, and 15903 of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Jan. 1, 1996, except as otherwise provided in Pub. L. 104–88, see section 2 of Pub. L. 104–88, set out as a note under section 1301 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

49 U.S.C. § 11703

Title 49, Transportation

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102