Metrolink Right-of-Entry Insurance, Fee and Safety Requirements

Exhibit A asks for railroad protective liability on the AAR-AASHTO (ISO/RIMA) form, issued in SCRRA's name, with limits of not less than $2 million per occurrence (combined single limit) and a $6 million annual aggregate. If the policy is written on the London claims-made form, the exhibit raises the limits to $3 million per occurrence with a $9 million aggregate.

Exhibit A also allows SCRRA's Manager Public Projects to waive the requirement for certain low-hazard activity where the track is physically separated from the work by a building, a floor or a continuous fence. SCRRA's right-of-way FAQ, Revision 3 dated July 7, 2025, says that with limited exceptions all applicants must obtain the coverage, and that self-insurance or an endorsement to the contractor's general liability is not accepted in its place. Exceptions go through Metrolink's Legal Department.

Because the policy is issued in SCRRA's name for a specific agreement, it typically sits outside the contractor's annual program. Who arranges it on a given job, the project owner or the contractor, is a point to settle in the construction contract before the application goes in.

The rest of Exhibit A sets the contractor's own policies. The terms below are as read from the fillable Form 6 that SCRRA posts. An earlier version dated August 1, 2023, carried the same limits but did not require CG 24 17 or list RailPros as an additional insured, so a certificate built from an older agreement may fall short.

Exhibit A does not state a required umbrella or excess limit, although its certificate form includes an umbrella line. Ask SCRRA whether a particular agreement adds one.

• Commercial general liability on ISO CG 00 01: $2,000,000 each occurrence covering bodily injury, property damage and personal injury, including endorsement CG 24 17 (Contractual Liability – Railroads), with an aggregate that applies per project or equals twice the occurrence limit.
• Business auto on CA 00 01, symbol 1 (any auto): $1,000,000 per accident.
• Workers' compensation as required by California, with employer's liability of $1,000,000 per accident.
• Contractor's pollution liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 annual aggregate.
• Course of construction (all risk) at completed value, with SCRRA and the Member Agency as loss payee and a waiver of subrogation.

Exhibit A names SCRRA as certificate holder and lists nine additional insureds: LA Metro (MTA), BNSF, OCTA, UPRR, RCTC, Amtrak, SBCTA, VCTC and RailPros Field Services, Inc. General liability and auto must be primary and noncontributory, with separation of insureds and 30 days' notice of cancellation by certified mail. Original endorsements must be on SCRRA forms, and insurers must be rated A.M. Best A:VII or better.

The July 2025 FAQ lists five endorsements: additional insured on general liability and auto; primary and noncontributory wording; CG 24 17; waiver of subrogation on general liability, auto and workers' compensation; and a 30-day cancellation notice.

Subcontractors must be insured under the contractor's policies or provide their own certificates, and deductibles or self-insured retentions must be declared and approved. The FAQ labels the $1,000,000 employer's liability limit as workers' compensation, so check that line against Form 6 when the certificate is prepared.

SCRRA's Right of Entry Schedule of Fees is updated each August 1. The schedule effective August 1, 2026, lists a non-refundable standard application fee of $4,125.04, which covers the initial review and two revisions, with a 15-business-day review time for the initial submittal and each re-submittal. Revisions three through five require another $4,125.04. A grossly incomplete initial submittal that is rejected keeps 25% of the fee and refunds 75%.

Expedited processing costs $9,834.54 and carries a five-business-day review. It is Metrolink's own service, requested from and paid to SCRRA, and it is not something a broker offers or arranges. Specialized engineering review for shoring, falsework or bridges is $3,278.18 on top of the application fee.

Cancellations are billed: four hours if canceled within 24 business hours of the start, and eight hours if canceled within four hours, after the start or for a no-show. The schedule's own worked example for a five-day jack-and-bore totals $43,165.12, a planning figure that can differ for any real job.

• Railroad safety training: $218.55 per person for a four-hour class taken once per calendar year, with a $15 replacement badge.
• Railroad flagging: $2,185.45 per day for an eight-hour window and up to 10 workers; the straight-time hourly flagging rate is $152.99.
• C&S cable marking: $2,273.18 per location, valid 28 days, with a location up to a quarter mile.
• Construction, communications, track and structural inspection: $221.82 per hour; construction inspection is required on every right of entry.
• Signal system inspection: $237.91 per hour.

Form 6 requires Basic Right-of-Way Safety Training, booked at least 72 hours ahead, with a hardhat safety sticker as proof. Flagging is provided through RailPros as roadway worker in charge (RWIC) protection and must be requested at least 15 working days ahead. SCRRA's FAQ says one flagger covers up to 10 workers and that only SCRRA's authorized contractors may flag on its right-of-way, so a contractor cannot hire its own flagger.

SCRRA is not a DigAlert member, so a separate communications and signal markout is needed in addition to the 811 call. The lead time differs between SCRRA documents. Form 6 (updated January 30, 2024) asks for the cable markout request at least 15 days before work, while the May 27, 2022, encroachment process document, superseded but still online, says to call SCRRA Signal at least five days before construction. Confirm the lead time that applies with SCRRA when the agreement is issued.

Form 6 calls for cost reimbursement with a deposit before work and requires the executed agreement to be kept on site. For projects under 180 days, the January 2024 transition FAQ replaces the advance deposit for flagging, inspection and training with monthly or completion invoicing.

SCRRA Form 37, Rules and Requirements for Construction on SCRRA Right-of-Way, is dated January 2017 and is still linked from the right-of-way page as current. Section 5.6 requires jacking and receiving pits to be outside the right-of-way or at least 25 feet from the centerline of the nearest track, measured at a right angle to the track. Bore and jack work follows SCRRA standards ES5001 for non-flammable pipelines and ES5002 for flammable and hazardous pipelines, and the contractor gives a two-year settlement guarantee. Section 6.1 calls for potholing at least 30 days before excavation.

Section 5.11 sets a performance bond by activity. A performance bond is a surety obligation rather than insurance. It is underwritten separately from the railroad protective policy. SCRRA's July 2025 FAQ repeats the $180,000 excavation and shoring figure and the $120,000 figure for a 36-inch casing. Because Form 37 dates from 2017, confirm the bond amount for each job with SCRRA.

• Excavation and shoring: $180,000.
• 36-inch casing: $120,000; 42-inch: $140,000; 48-inch: $160,000.
• 54-inch casing: $180,000; 60-inch: $200,000; 66-inch: $220,000.
• 72-inch casing: $240,000; larger casings need SCRRA approval.

SCRRA revises its forms and fees on its own schedule. Form 6 changed between August 2023 and January 2024, the fee schedule changes each August 1 and Form 37 still carries its 2017 date. The figures on this page are as SCRRA posted them on October 26, 2026. Before binding coverage, compare each certificate line with the Exhibit A attached to the agreement SCRRA issues for the job.

Contractors who also work along the San Diego County coast face a separate set of terms on the North County Transit District corridor, where the railroad protective per-occurrence limit is higher and a general liability endorsement can stand in for the railroad protective policy if it meets NCTD's limits.