HR7662-119

What This Bill Does

The Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2026 broadens Federal high-hazard train rules to trains carrying specified quantities of flammable liquids, flammable gases, explosives, inhalation hazards, spent nuclear fuel, or high-level radioactive waste. DOT must set speed limits, require real-time electronic train-consist information, provide secure access to emergency agencies and fusion centers, require commodity-flow reports, protect sensitive information, review train makeup and buffer-car rules, and require Class I railroads to maintain coordinated hazardous-material emergency plans subject to recurring review and audit.

DOT must evaluate the safety effects of long and heavy trains, collect trailing-tonnage data on accident reports, and publish accident summaries by train length and weight. A National Academy study must examine 20 frequently blocked crossings, while railroads must operate public blocked-crossing telephone services. School-bus-route crossing projects receive additional grant consideration, subject to an 85 percent Federal share cap.

Railroads may not cap the time employees need for compliant car, locomotive, or brake inspections. Class I railroads must identify inspection locations and qualified inspectors, provide additional locomotive inspections, cooperate with recurring Federal audits, correct deficiencies, and preserve collectively bargained rights. DOT must also create risk-based Class I defect-detector network rules covering detector spacing, performance, alert thresholds, maintenance, training, data sharing, public plans, recurring review, and civil penalties. Certain commuter railroads may receive formula support for required detectors.

Most Class I freight trains must carry both a certified conductor and a certified engineer. Limited exceptions exist for non-main-line activity, helper locomotives, certain light movements, and grandfathered operations, but not for high-hazard trains or trains at least 7,500 feet long. Rail-safety penalties rise to as much as $1 million for ordinary violations, $5 million for severe consequences, and double those levels for repeated or consciously indifferent conduct. Small-business penalty ceilings are lower.

After December 31, 2027, specified flammable liquids generally may move only in DOT-117-equivalent tank cars, with a possible one-year delay for manufacturing or commerce constraints. GAO must assess production and retrofit capacity. The bill authorizes $22 million for defect-detector and derailment-prevention grants and $5 million for tank-car safety research; these are authorizations, not direct appropriations.

Additional provisions require reviews of FRA safety culture, roadway-worker warning technology, inspector staffing, and Federal job classifications. Rail equipment inspectors become subject to alcohol and drug testing. A confidential close-call system must accept location and optional audio or video evidence, and Class I railroads and Amtrak must enroll for two years.

States receiving specified rail aid must notify first responders about AskRail. FRA must run a connectivity pilot using broadband, satellite, or fixed-wireless providers, supported by an authorization of $25 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2029. The bill separately authorizes $1.5 billion per year over those years for crossing-elimination grants, conditioned on State dangerous-crossing summaries, and requires physical train-approach warnings for roadway workers.

For hazardous-material preparedness, the bill restructures registration fees, broadens grants to equipment, exercises, gap analyses, replacement staffing, and volunteer wages, raises Federal cost shares, requires most State support to reach local responders, and creates a fee- and penalty-funded emergency set-aside available without further appropriation. After a serious qualifying incident, up to $10 million must be released quickly when the responsible party lacks an acceptable reimbursement plan. Responsible parties remain liable to repay the fund, while eligible communities may recover protective equipment, overtime, extraordinary operations, and limited responder health-assessment costs.

Who Benefits and How

Rail workers, passengers, roadway workers, motorists, school-bus riders, and communities near hazardous-material routes gain stronger prevention and emergency information. First responders gain train-consist access, AskRail connectivity, training, equipment, and rapid reimbursement. Conductors, safety researchers, equipment manufacturers, detector vendors, tank-car retrofitters, broadband providers, and crossing contractors may gain jobs or grants. State and Tribal emergency programs receive higher Federal shares and broader eligible uses.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Class I railroads must change operations, crew staffing, inspections, detector networks, emergency plans, reporting, close-call enrollment, and testing. Tank-car owners and hazardous-material shippers face upgrade and operating costs. Hazardous-material registrants finance the preparedness fund through annual fees. Responsible parties must reimburse emergency assistance. FRA, PHMSA, DOT, NASA, OPM, GAO, emergency agencies, and State transportation departments receive extensive rulemaking, grant, reporting, and oversight duties. Federal taxpayers finance any subsequently appropriated authorizations.

Key Provisions

• Expands high-hazard train speed, information, and emergency-plan rules.
• Requires long-train safety review and public accident data.
• Strengthens blocked-crossing study, reporting, and telephone access.
• Prohibits railroad-imposed inspection time caps.
• Requires risk-based defect-detector network plans.
• Establishes a two-person Class I freight crew standard.
• Raises civil penalties for rail-safety violations.
• Accelerates use of DOT-117-equivalent tank cars.
• Funds rail-safety research and first-responder technology pilots.
• Requires confidential close-call reporting enrollment.
• Authorizes $1.5 billion annually for crossing-elimination grants.
• Expands hazardous-material preparedness grants and local pass-throughs.
• Creates rapid emergency response assistance with responsible-party repayment.