U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced legislation aimed at reducing train derailments and making communities near railroads safer.
The new bill, the Secure Tracks Act, would require railroads to use both automated track inspection (ATI) technology and human track inspections. The law makers said that while ATI technology can efficiently detect track defects, it can miss a variety of key issues that cause train derailments. The senators said human inspections can reduce accidents and keep communities safe. The legislation follows the Federal Railroad Administration’s greenlighting of waivers to allow railroads to reduce inspections done by humans.
“Wisconsin families and businesses depend on safe and reliable railroads to get them to work, to get their products to customers, and for things they buy at the store. Railroads run through their cities and towns, and they deserve to know that every track is up to snuff and safe,” Baldwin said. “I am all for using technology to keep our trains on the tracks and communities safe from derailments, but what we have learned is that technology can’t do it all alone. It misses things that humans see and hear, and if we want to make sure our railroads are safe, we need both technology and real people who have the experience and knowledge.”
The senators said an average of three reportable train derailments occur each day, with larger ones, like the one in East Palestine, Ohio on Feb. 3, 2023, causing catastrophic losses and economic impacts. Thorough inspections, with ATI supplementing human ones, can help reduce the number of train derailments, the law makers said.
“Safety must be our top priority when it comes to our nation’s railroads,” Hawley said. “Technology can help us monitor our railways but there is no substitute for in-person inspections conducted by railroad professionals. We can’t cut corners, especially when it comes to keeping our trains on the tracks. Technology must serve workers—not the other way around.”
The legislation would require all main line tracks designated for operation at Class 3 speeds or higher to perform visual track inspections twice a week, and to correct, protect or remove from service any defect or unsafe condition. The legislation would also prohibit the U.S. Secretary of Transportation from issuing waivers, exemptions or modifications of any safety regulation if the inspection method fails to identify or detect all defect conditions.
A companion bill, led by U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), has been introduced in the House. The legislation is endorsed by a number of stakeholders, including Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED), Teamsters Rail Conference, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, and the American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA), among others.