House lawmakers introduce bipartisan rail safety bill

Washington — Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the House is aimed at bolstering the safety of the nation’s rail network via modernization and investment in grant and pilot programs.

Introduced by Reps. Troy Nehls (R-TX) and Seth Moulton (D-MA), the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2024 (H.R. 8996) focuses on four key safety efforts. Those include a provision requiring all Class I railroads and Amtrak to enroll for two years in the Confidential Close Call Reporting System.

Run by NASA, an independent third party, C3RS is intended to allow railroads and their workers to report close calls and unsafe incidents without fear of reprisal from managers, as well as share information on best practices. This provision would also prevent Federal Railroad Administration enforcement on events reported, according to a July 23 press release.

Another provision would require state Departments of Transportation eligible for specific grants to notify first responders about AskRail, a mobile app that provides real-time information about the contents of train cars and the safe handling of contents in the event of an incident.

This provision also calls for the development of the AskRail Connectivity Pilot Program to create a “competitive bidding process to provide service in areas along the national rail network in most need of connectivity.”

The bill would authorize $100 million annually for FRA to establish a grant program for railcar manufacturers to install onboard freight railcar telematics systems and gateway devices. It also would authorize $10 million annually for a pilot program to develop onboard sensors and look to the future capabilities of these sensors, including real-time visibility, wheel/bearing/hand brake/hatch, and temperature readings.

The bill – which has been referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as well as the Science, Space and Technology Committee – incorporates elements of the Senate’s bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023, introduced by Sens. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). It has the has support of the Teamsters union, which calls it “strong, bipartisan Congressional action” that will enhance worker safety.