Battery and Regenerative Braking Act

This bill would let commuter rail agencies apply for federal rail improvement funds to develop and use regenerative braking and energy storage on their trains. In short, it adds these clean-energy rail projects to the list of things that can get support under an existing rail safety and infrastructure grant program, and makes commuter rail providers clearly eligible for that support.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Commuter rail systems and their riders.
• What changes: Projects that develop and implement regenerative braking and energy storage become eligible for funding under the consolidated rail infrastructure and safety improvements program; commuter rail providers are explicitly eligible to apply.
• When: Would take effect after becoming law; the text amends existing law to add this eligibility.