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Bipartisan Senate rail safety bill proposed - changes hazmat notification & handling, train length limits, minimum crew size, inspection improvements
Author: Actual News
Date: 03-02-2023 - 13:49
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/ohio-senators-ready-rail-safety-bill-after-fiery-97544168
The bill would require railroads to create emergency response plans and provide information about trains carrying hazardous materials to the emergency response commissions of each state a train passes through.
That provision could mean significant changes. Hazardous materials shipments account for 7% to 8% of the roughly 30 million shipments railroads deliver across the U.S. each year. But almost any train — aside from a grain or coal train that carries a single commodity — might carry one or two cars of hazardous materials, because railroads often mix all kinds of shipments together on a train.
Railroad worker unions argue that operational changes and widespread job cuts across the industry in the past six years have made railroads riskier. They say employees are spread thin after nearly one-third of all rail jobs were eliminated and train crews, in particular, deal with fatigue because they are on call 24/7.
The bill would require train crews to continue to have two people.
Under the plan, regulators would be required to set limits on train size and weight as railroads increasingly haul long trains that stretch more than 2 miles (about 3 kilometers). Railroads are moving fewer, longer trains these days, so they don't need as many crews, mechanics and locomotives.
Unions argue the longer trains are more prone to problems, including breaking apart in the middle of a trip, and these monster trains also can clog rail lines, because they may extend farther than the current sidings for pulling off the main tracks.
- also would increase the maximum fine that the U.S. Department of Transportation can impose for safety violations. It would raise it from $225,000 to up to 1% of a railroad’s annual operating income, which could run into the tens of millions of dollars.
The bill would set nationwide requirements for installing, maintaining and placing the devices — designed to automatically detect wheel bearing and other mechanical issues — and mandate that they scan trains carrying hazardous materials every 10 miles (16 kilometers).
The bill would also require regulators to set tougher inspection requirements. Unions say railcar inspectors previously had about two minutes to inspect every railcar, but now they only get about 30 to 45 seconds to check each car. And signalmen who maintain signals and warnings at rail crossings have bigger territories to cover, making it harder to keep up with preventative maintenance.
The bill would require railroads to create emergency response plans and provide information about trains carrying hazardous materials to the emergency response commissions of each state a train passes through.
That provision could mean significant changes. Hazardous materials shipments account for 7% to 8% of the roughly 30 million shipments railroads deliver across the U.S. each year. But almost any train — aside from a grain or coal train that carries a single commodity — might carry one or two cars of hazardous materials, because railroads often mix all kinds of shipments together on a train.
Railroad worker unions argue that operational changes and widespread job cuts across the industry in the past six years have made railroads riskier. They say employees are spread thin after nearly one-third of all rail jobs were eliminated and train crews, in particular, deal with fatigue because they are on call 24/7.
The bill would require train crews to continue to have two people.
Under the plan, regulators would be required to set limits on train size and weight as railroads increasingly haul long trains that stretch more than 2 miles (about 3 kilometers). Railroads are moving fewer, longer trains these days, so they don't need as many crews, mechanics and locomotives.
Unions argue the longer trains are more prone to problems, including breaking apart in the middle of a trip, and these monster trains also can clog rail lines, because they may extend farther than the current sidings for pulling off the main tracks.
- also would increase the maximum fine that the U.S. Department of Transportation can impose for safety violations. It would raise it from $225,000 to up to 1% of a railroad’s annual operating income, which could run into the tens of millions of dollars.
The bill would set nationwide requirements for installing, maintaining and placing the devices — designed to automatically detect wheel bearing and other mechanical issues — and mandate that they scan trains carrying hazardous materials every 10 miles (16 kilometers).
The bill would also require regulators to set tougher inspection requirements. Unions say railcar inspectors previously had about two minutes to inspect every railcar, but now they only get about 30 to 45 seconds to check each car. And signalmen who maintain signals and warnings at rail crossings have bigger territories to cover, making it harder to keep up with preventative maintenance.
Bipartisan Senate rail safety bill proposed - changes hazmat notification & handling, train length limits, minimum crew size, inspection improvements