Slow order

When maintenance workers wish to work under dispatcher protection without a designated "window" of time where no trains are allowed to run, they typically post flags at either end of the section on which they will be working, and a slow order is posted on the track.

Since slow orders tend to disrupt timetables and can affect time-sensitive shipments, railroads try to get them cleared as soon as is safely possible.

This sign warns the train driver that he is approaching the part of the track where the slow order is installed.

The number on the board shows maximum permitted speed over the slow order section in kilometers per hour.

In June 2022, the Coast Line between Camarillo and San Luis Obispo was subject to a slow order issued by the Union Pacific Railroad due to malfunctioning grade crossing signals.