RAIL Act

Improved Emergency Planning: Rail carriers must provide advance notification and gas discharge plans to State and tribal emergency response agencies (Section 3). This ensures local officials are better prepared for hazardous material transport.

Enhanced Inspection Integrity: The bill prohibits railroads from limiting the time employees need to perform safety inspections (Section 4). It also mandates audits to ensure managers do not coerce employees into signing off on inspections without proper review (Section s 4).

Prevention of Derailments: New requirements for wayside defect detectors, including hotbox detectors every 10 miles, are intended to prevent accidents caused by wheel bearing failures (Section 5).

Increased Accountability: Civil penalties for violating safety regulations are significantly increased, moving toward a percentage of a company's annual income (Section 6).

Safer Equipment: The bill requires a phase-out of DOT-111 specification tank cars for transporting Class 3 flammable liquids (Section 7).

Better First Responder Readiness: The act increases funding for local emergency response training and establishes an annual fee for Class I carriers to fund these programs (Section 8).

Consistent Crewing Standards: The bill establishes a minimum of a 2-person crew for most freight trains, including high-hazard and long trains (Section 9).

Increased Regulatory Burdens on Railroads: The bill requires the Secretary to issue various new regulations regarding train length, weight, speed, and maintenance (Section 3).

Increased Costs for Railroad Carriers: Railroads face higher civil penalties, a new $1,000,000 annual fee for Class I carriers, and the costs associated with updated equipment and more frequent inspections (Sections 6 and 8).

Potential Service Exceptions: Certain freight train operations may be exempt from the 2-person crew requirement, such as those on non-main line tracks or those with specific length and cargo restrictions (Section 9).