Railway Safety Act of 2025

This bill strengthens rail safety for trains that carry hazardous materials. It tells the Department of Transportation to set new rules within one year so railroads and shippers must give advance notice to state and Tribal emergency officials, include a written plan for handling gas releases, cut blocked crossings, and follow standards for train size, speed, routes, track and equipment upkeep, signaling, and emergency response. It also tightens rail car inspections by setting minimum time for each inspection by qualified inspectors, updating pre-departure checks for hazmat trains, and launching audits of inspection programs, with yearly public summaries of findings . More trackside safety sensors are required: DOT must set rules for wayside defect detectors, including hotbox detectors at least every 10 miles on major rail lines that carry hazardous loads, to help catch problems like overheating wheel bearings.

It also requires most freight trains to have at least two crew members, with limited exceptions; there are no exceptions for very long trains or trains carrying many hazardous tank cars or toxic-by-inhalation chemicals . The bill raises the maximum fines for rail safety violations. It speeds up the retirement of older tank cars by banning DOT-111 cars from hauling flammable liquids after May 1, 2027. It boosts help for local firefighters and hazmat teams by expanding training grants and adding a $1 million yearly fee on each large railroad to pay for it, and it provides grants to improve detector technology and funds a study of stronger tank cars . DOT must also report every two years on progress carrying out safety steps urged by the National Transportation Safety Board after a 2024 derailment report.

• Who is affected: Rail carriers and shippers; state and Tribal emergency managers; freight train crews; local fire/EMS; communities near rail lines .
• What changes: Advance notice and gas-release plans; fewer blocked crossings; tighter inspections and audits; more trackside detectors (hotbox every 10 miles on major lines); two-person crews on most freight trains; higher fines; faster phase-out of older tank cars; more funding for first-responder training; grants for detector upgrades; study of safer tank cars; regular progress reports .
• When: Within 1 year for new hazmat train rules and detector standards; within 60 days to start inspection-program audits; by May 1, 2027 to retire older tank cars; every two years for progress reports .