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119-hr-971119th CongressWALLET

RAIL Act

Sponsored By: Representative Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13]

In Committee

Summary

Tightens safety rules for trains carrying hazardous materials. This bill would make the Department of Transportation set new federal standards on advance notice to emergency officials, train operating limits, inspections, defect detectors, and crew sizes to reduce accidents and speed emergency response.

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  • Communities and first responders: Rail carriers would have to give State and tribal emergency response commissioners advance notice and a written gas discharge plan for hazardous shipments. The bill would expand local responder training and impose a new $1,000,000 annual registration fee on Class I rail carriers while raising supplemental training grants from $2.0 million to $4.0 million.
  • Railroad workers and inspections: The bill would prohibit railroads from cutting time for required inspections and would require an extra daily locomotive inspection. DOT would audit every Class I railroad at least once every 5 years and some Class II/III carriers annually.
  • Operations, equipment, and enforcement: DOT would mandate wayside defect detectors with hotbox detectors every 10 miles on Class I lines and phase out noncompliant DOT-111 tank cars for Class 3 flammable liquids by May 1, 2030. It would also set a 2-person freight crew minimum with limited exceptions and raise maximum civil penalties for safety violations.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 2 mixed.

Much higher fines for rail violations

If enacted, maximum civil fines for many rail and hazardous-materials safety violations would increase. Caps would become the greater of a percentage of a person’s annual income or operating income or a fixed dollar floor (for example, 0.5% or $750,000, and 1% or $1,750,000 for some violations).

Two-person crews for Class I freight

If enacted, the bill would require Class I freight trains to operate with at least two crew members: a qualified conductor and a qualified engineer. Narrow exceptions would allow some short, non-main-line, or pre-existing operations, but not for high-hazard trains or trains 7,500 feet or longer.

New $1M annual carrier fee

If enacted, each Class I rail carrier would pay a $1,000,000 fee every year in addition to existing fees. The Secretary could use amounts from that fee and recovered grant funds to increase a supplemental emergency response training grant to $4 million per year.

Stronger rail inspection and safety rules

If enacted, the bill would tighten rail safety by requiring new wayside defect detector standards, hotbox detectors every 10 miles on hazmat routes, and stronger placard heat rules. The Secretary would also start audits within 60 days, require pre-departure inspection changes within 120 days, and complete other inspection and training updates within one year.

Ban DOT-111 cars for flammables

If enacted, carriers could not use DOT-111 tank cars that do not meet DOT-117 series standards to carry Class 3 flammable liquids beginning May 1, 2030. The Secretary must update any conflicting regulatory deadlines to match this prohibition.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13]

OH • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Rulli, Michael A. [R-OH-6]

    OH • R

    Sponsored 2/4/2025

  • Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3]

    OH • D

    Sponsored 2/4/2025

  • Rep. Brown, Shontel M. [D-OH-11]

    OH • D

    Sponsored 2/4/2025

  • Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9]

    OH • D

    Sponsored 2/4/2025

  • Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1]

    OH • D

    Sponsored 2/4/2025

  • Rep. Miller, Max L. [R-OH-7]

    OH • R

    Sponsored 2/6/2025

  • Rep. Elfreth, Sarah [D-MD-3]

    MD • D

    Sponsored 3/10/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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