Section 240.203 - Determinations required as a prerequisite to certification(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), each railroad, prior to initially certifying or recertifying any person as an engineer for any class of service, shall, in accordance with its FRA-approved program determine in writing that: (1) The individual meets the eligibility requirements of §§ 240.115 , 240.117 and 240.119 ; and(2) The individual meets the vision and hearing acuity standards of § 240.121 ;(3) The individual has the necessary knowledge, as demonstrated by successfully completing a test that meets the requirements of § 240.125 ;(4) The individual has the necessary applied knowledge and operating performance skills, as demonstrated by successfully completing an operational performance test that meets the requirements of § 240.127 ; and(5) Where a person has not previously been certified, that the person has completed a training program that meets the requirements of § 240.123 .(b) A railroad may certify a person as a student engineer after determining that the person meets the vision and hearing acuity standards of § 240.121 . A railroad may subsequently certify that student engineer as either a locomotive servicing engineer or a train service engineer without further review of his or her acuity status provided it determines that:(1) The person successfully completed a training program that complies with § 240.123 ;(2) The person meets the eligibility requirements of §§ 240.109 and 240.119 ; and(3) A period of not more than twenty-four months has elapsed since the student engineer certification was issued.56 FR 28254, June 19, 1991, as amended at 60 FR 53136, Oct. 12, 1995; 74 FR 68183 , Dec. 23, 2009