Sponsors (3)
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Requires stronger safety rules for freight rail and hazardous materials transport, including new tank car standards, speed limits for high-hazard trains, minimum freight crew sizes, tougher inspections, higher civil penalties, and required sharing of real-time train consist data with emergency responders. It also creates and changes grant programs, establishes new fees and a rapid response reimbursement program for communities after serious hazardous materials incidents, and funds research and detection technology pilots to improve defect detection and emergency readiness. Affects railroads, rail workers, first responders, tank car makers, and state and local governments by imposing new operational requirements, reporting and inspection regimes, and funding mechanisms intended to reduce accidents and improve emergency response. The bill includes audits, studies, and reporting requirements to guide further rulemaking and oversight.
The bill meaningfully strengthens rail and hazardous-materials safety and emergency preparedness—reducing the risk of derailments and improving local response—but does so by imposing substantial compliance, operational, and administrative costs (particularly on rail carriers, shippers, small rail/Tr
Communities near rail lines, rail passengers, and first responders will face a lower risk of derailments, hazardous-material releases, and related fires/explosions because the bill mandates lower speeds in high-threat urban areas, phases out older tank cars, requires two-person crews more often, and strengthens inspection and brake checks.
First responders, local emergency managers, and communities will get better situational awareness and preparedness through real-time electronic train consist data, commodity-flow reporting, required emergency response plans, and expanded grant-funded training and exercises.
Drivers, pedestrians, and local communities will benefit from large, dedicated federal investments (including $1.5 billion/year FY2026–2029) and studies to eliminate dangerous grade crossings and reduce blocked-crossing impacts, improving safety and traffic flow.
Rail infrastructure and operations should see fewer equipment failures and service disruptions because the bill upgrades defect-detection standards, funds detector networks and rail-safety R&D, and strengthens inspection protections and audit authority.
Shippers, rail carriers, tank car owners, and ultimately consumers will likely face substantial increased costs from retrofitting/replacing tank cars, installing defect detectors, and complying with new speed and crew requirements—costs that can be passed through as higher prices for goods.
Smaller railroads, regional carriers, and small businesses face disproportionate financial and administrative burdens from fees, reporting, inspections, and penalty exposure, threatening viability or local service in some rural or low-density areas.
Expanded reporting, weekly commodity-flow reports, MOUs with fusion centers, public plan submissions, and new grant conditions increase administrative burdens for freight railroads and State DOTs, potentially delaying projects and raising operational costs passed to customers.
Lower speed limits and required equipment upgrades could slow freight transit times, worsening supply-chain delays and increasing costs for businesses and consumers.
Defines key terms for the title by reference to 49 U.S.C. 20155 as amended and explicitly defines "Secretary" to mean the Secretary of Transportation.
Amends 49 U.S.C. 20155 to create a statutory section titled "High-hazard trains" with definitions (e.g., explosives, flammable gas/liquid, hazardous material) and a new statutory definition of "high-hazard train" based on numbers and types of hazardous cars.
Requires the Secretary, within 1 year of enactment, to issue regulations that rescind certain tank-car requirements in 49 C.F.R. 174.310(a)(4)-(5) for hazardous materials other than Class 3 flammable liquids.
Requires the Secretary to revise 49 C.F.R. 174.310(a)(2) to set a maximum train speed of 50 mph for all trains and a 40 mph maximum for high-hazard trains with 20+ flammable liquid tank cars when within High-Threat Urban Areas unless tank cars meet specified DOT-117/117P/117R standards (including listed DOT designs).
Requires rail carriers operating high-hazard trains to comply with requirements applicable to high-hazard flammable trains under 49 C.F.R. 174.310.
Primary effects:
Broader effects and tradeoffs:
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced February 24, 2026 by Troy E. Nehls · Last progress February 24, 2026
Replaces and restates 49 U.S.C. 20155 to define 'High-hazard trains' (enumerating numeric and material-based thresholds), define related terms, and impose rulemaking and operational requirements governing tank cars, speed limits in certain areas, electronic train consist information, hazardous materials emergency response plans, and related provisions.
Adds new section 20172 ('Time available for inspection') to subchapter II of title 49, prohibiting railroads from limiting the time required for employees to complete railcar, locomotive, or brake inspections and requiring employees to perform inspection duties promptly (without non-safety-related delay).
Adds new section 20173 ('Defect detection systems') to subchapter II of title 49, establishing definitions (covered rail carrier, defect detection system, defect detector, high-hazard train, main line, physical characteristics), a defect detector analysis program (research, testing, evaluation), plan elements for defect detector network plans, rulemaking deadlines and requirements, public availability/redaction rules, enforcement (civil penalties under chapter 213), and preservation of authority clauses.
Amends section 22909 (railroad crossing elimination program): (1) in subsection (f)(2)(C) it adds consideration of projects that include a bus route to a school or within 1 mile of a school; and (2) in subsection (g) it provides that the Federal share of the cost of a project given additional consideration under the new clause may not exceed 85 percent.
Amends subsection (g) to revise fee provisions: replaces certain paragraphs, inserts an annual fee structure with specified fee ranges and adjusts subparagraph designations and transfer/deposit language.
Adds an explicit requirement to include recommendations for virtual learning adaptations for certain courses, subject to ensuring virtual options provide equivalent training to in-person courses.
Makes extensive amendments: renames the section heading, revises eligible uses and recipients of grants, adds a requirement that States distribute 70% to eligible local entities within 180 days (with extension authority), defines eligible entities and public emergency response organizations, adds a gap analysis requirement, allows certain PPE purchases until Sept 31, 2026 (capped at 50% of funds), creates an emergency response assistance subsection establishing an immediate assistance program and funding-release rules, and adds definitions and reporting requirements including a Comptroller General report due by Sept 30, 2027.
Strikes subsection (g) and replaces it to require that amounts collected under section 5123 be transferred to the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Fund established under section 5116(h).
Amends subsection (b) to rename the Hazardous Materials Preparedness Fund to the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Fund, updates cross-references, and revises the authorization of appropriations to specify $4,000,000 for section 5116(i) and $1,000,000 for section 5116(j).
Amends paragraph (6) to revise definitions relating to 'Indian tribe' by inserting a cross-reference to 25 U.S.C. 5304 for the defined term.
And 4 more affected sections...
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Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House