Federal Legislation to Improve Rail Safety Passes Commerce Committee

(KNSI) — The Railway Safety Act, designed to strengthen rail safety protocols, has passed through another key committee and is going to the full Senate for passage.

The law would increase inspections on trains that carry hazardous materials, require rail carriers to have emergency response plans, and increase penalties for rail companies when crashes happen. Specifically, the Department of Transportation must issue safety regulations for trains carrying hazardous materials to require that rail carriers or shippers provide state emergency response commissioners with advanced notice and information about the hazardous materials; reduce blocked rail crossings; and comply with certain requirements regarding train length and weight specifications, track standards, speed restrictions, and response plans.

DOT must also establish requirements for wayside defect detectors. These are used by railway systems alongside the tracks to detect defects and failures. Current federal regulations do not require their use, but federal guidance does address their placement and use. Under the bill, DOT must issue regulations establishing requirements for installing, repairing, testing, maintaining, and operating wayside defect detectors for each rail carrier operating a train carrying hazardous materials.

“No family should have to fear being woken in the middle of the night and told to evacuate because of a train derailment. Derailments across the country from Raymond, Minnesota to East Palestine, Ohio underscore once again why we must pass federal rail safety legislation,” said Minnesota’s U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. “It’s past time to put in place stronger rail safety standards and more accountability for violations. As a cosponsor of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act, I was glad to see this legislation advance, and I’m working with my colleagues to make sure it becomes law.”

Residents of the small Kandiyohi County town of 800 people were evacuated just after 1:00 a.m. on March 30th after a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train went off the tracks on the city’s western edge and caught fire. The tankers were carrying mixed freight of ethanol and a corn syrup liquid. The cars were newer tankers that were puncture resistant.

A broken piece of track was found near the site and removed to be sent to the National Transportation Safety Board, but nothing conclusive has been identified as a cause of the Raymond derailment.

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