§1167 Railroad security training program

Summary

Requires the Secretary to write rules within 6 months after August 3, 2007 for a security training program to prepare railroad frontline employees for threats. The rules must be made with input from law enforcement and emergency experts, railroad companies and shippers, and labor or employee groups. The training must cover things like judging how serious a threat is; talking and working with crew and passengers; how to protect yourself and use protective gear; evacuations (including for people with disabilities and the elderly); how terrorists may think and act and how people react; live drills (including tunnel evacuations); spotting and reporting dangerous materials or suspicious packages; how to work with emergency responders; running security equipment; and any other items the Secretary finds needed. Each railroad must send its training plan to the Secretary within 90 days after the rules come out. The Secretary has 60 days to approve the plan or ask for changes, and the railroad must answer those comments within 30 days. After approval, the railroad has 1 year to train all frontline employees who have worked for the carrier more than 30 days, and must train employees who have worked less than 30 days within their first 60 days on the job. The Secretary must make this training part of the National Training Program, update the rules as threats change, make railroads update their programs and give extra training as needed, review a sample of carriers within 2 years and report to Congress, and issue guidance for shipper employee security programs using the same training elements.