Sponsors (2)
The bill strengthens and clarifies federal penalties to improve safety for rail crews and passengers, but does so with broad definitions and expanded federal jurisdiction that risk criminalizing minor conduct, imposing severe penalties, and raising enforcement costs.
Train crew and passengers will experience safer travel because the bill raises penalties for assaults and disruptive conduct (including up to 8 years, or 20 years if a weapon is used) and deters on-board intimidation.
The bill provides clearer definitions of covered employees and prohibited conduct for intercity and commuter rail, promoting more consistent enforcement across rail systems.
Passengers and other rail users could be criminally prosecuted for nonviolent or ambiguous behavior because broad terms like 'intimidate' or 'interfere with duty' may capture routine disputes or speech.
Individuals could face long federal prison terms (up to 20 years) for incidents involving small knives or common tools that the bill's weapon definition sweeps into dangerous-weapon offenses.
Expanding federal criminal jurisdiction over station and platform conduct may shift cases from local to federal courts, increasing enforcement costs for taxpayers and complicating prosecutions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal crime prohibiting assault/intimidation of passenger train crew members and sets penalties up to 8 years (20 years with a dangerous weapon).
Official title: Prosecute, as a Federal crime, the assault or intimidation of a passenger train crew member in a manner consistent with the prosecution of assault or intimidation of an aircraft crew member.
Introduced January 15, 2026 by Tammy Duckworth · Last progress January 15, 2026
Creates a new federal crime that makes it illegal to assault, intimidate, attempt to assault, or conspire to assault or intimidate passenger train crew members while on board a moving passenger train, on a platform serving such a train, or in a rail station when the conduct interferes with a crew member’s duties. The law defines covered crew members and weapons, and sets criminal penalties up to 8 years in prison (and up to 20 years if a dangerous weapon is used), plus fines under Title 18. Also adds the new chapter to Title 49’s table of contents. No new funding, deadlines, or regulatory programs are created; the change is a criminal-law addition to protect passenger rail crew members and to establish penalties for interfering with their duties.