Washington — A bipartisan group of eight Senators has reintroduced legislation focused on strengthening safety related to trains carrying hazardous materials.
Introduced on Feb. 24 – three weeks after the third anniversary of the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, OH – the Railway Safety Act of 2026 is aimed at enhancing hazmat oversight, emergency response support and overall safety standards.
The bill is “nearly identical” to the Railway Safety Act of 2023, according to a press release from the office of Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who also co-sponsored the original bill.
Key aims of the bill include:
- Mandating the use of defect detection technology to make railroads stop trains when something is wrong, “which could have prevented the East Palestine derailment,” according to the release. The bill would require detectors to be deployed approximately every 15 miles instead of the current 25 miles.
- Expanding the list of hazardous materials subject to higher safety standards, along with requiring speed restrictions, better braking and route risk analysis.
- Improving emergency response plans and notifying states about hazardous materials being transported by rail through their communities.
- Preventing improper railcar inspections and requiring railcars to be properly maintained.
- Requiring two crew members to operate a train in case of an emergency.
- Expanding current Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grants that allow fire departments to purchase proper personal protective gear.
“It has been over three years since the Norfolk Southern derailment disaster in East Palestine OH, and it is past time for Congress to act,” Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), bill co-sponsor and ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said in the release.
The bill’s other co-sponsors: Sens. Jon Husted (R-OH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Bernie Moreno (R-OH).
“Railroads move our crops, power our economy and connect our rural communities to the world,” Marshall said in a separate release. “But with that responsibility comes a duty to operate safely. The Railway Safety Act incorporates lessons learned from the derailment in East Palestine, OH, and ensures stronger safeguards and meaningful accountability for violations.”
The bill has drawn praise from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Rail Division. IAM represents around 600,000 workers in more than 200 industries.
The 2023 bill advanced out of committee but stalled on the Senator floor after opposition from railroad executives and Republicans. It was reintroduced again last year but never made it out of committee.
