Rail Worker and Community Safety Act

This bill enhances safety requirements for trains by amending federal rail safety laws. It mandates minimum crew sizes, new safety regulations for hazardous materials, limits on yardmaster work hours, and expanded worker protections. It also requires updated track inspections, warning equipment, certification for signal employees and dispatchers, and new rules for wayside detection technology, equipment inspections, and confidential close call reporting. Additionally, it increases the number and pay grade of federal rail safety inspectors, authorizes funding for hiring, expands grant eligibility to nonprofits, and requires rail carriers to provide earned paid sick time to employees.

Sec. 3, Freight train crew size safety standards: No freight train may be operated without a 2-person crew of at least one certified conductor and one certified locomotive engineer. Exceptions apply for non-main line track, small carriers with under 400,000 work hours and $40 million annual revenue operating at 25 mph or less on low-grade track, helper locomotives, and unattached locomotives.

Sec. 4, Safety regulations for train operations: Within one year, the Secretary of Transportation must issue regulations for trains transporting hazardous materials not already covered by high-hazard flammable train rules. These regulations require advance notification to state or tribal emergency response agencies, a written gas discharge plan, and measures to reduce or eliminate blocked crossings from train delays.

Sec. 5, Yardmasters hours of service: Yardmaster employees are added to existing hours-of-service limits for train employees. A yardmaster is defined as an individual responsible for supervising and coordinating train and engine control within a rail yard.

Sec. 6, Hazardous safety or security conditions: The law clarifies that a refusal to work due to hazardous conditions can be taken by an individual employee, a group of employees, or a collective bargaining representative on behalf of affected employees. Enforcement provisions are updated to allow a collective bargaining representative to act on behalf of employees.

Sec. 7, Excepted track and hazardous materials: Within one year, the Secretary must update regulations to prohibit transporting any railcar requiring hazardous materials placards on excepted track. The Secretary cannot waive or fail to enforce this limitation.

Sec. 8, Track inspection requirements: Within one year, the Secretary must update track inspection regulations to require a qualifying Track Geometry Measurement System to operate over specific track classes at specified minimum frequencies, based on cant deficiency and annual gross tonnage.

Sec. 9, Train approach warning: Within one year, the Secretary must require all railroads to provide warning equipment to watchmen and lookouts for roadway workers, including whistles, air horns, white disks or red flags, or lanterns. Verbal warnings are only allowed if the worker is within arm's reach.

Sec. 10, Certification of signal employees: Within 12 months, the Secretary must establish a certification program for signal installation, repair, maintenance, and testing employees. Railroads must submit updated training plans after consulting with employee labor organizations.

Sec. 11, Wayside detection technologies: The bill defines wayside detection technologies as devices that detect and communicate safety conditions. Within two years, the Secretary must issue regulations for installation, repair, testing, maintenance, and operation of such technologies, including hotbox detectors, dragging equipment detectors, wheel issue detection devices, and slide detection devices.

Sec. 12, Certification of train dispatchers: Within 12 months, the Secretary must establish a certification program for dispatching service employees. Railroads must submit updated training plans and provide evidence of agreement with employee labor organizations.

Sec. 13, Equipment inspections: Within 12 months, the Secretary must issue regulations to prohibit moving a train out of a switchyard before all required brake inspections are completed, allow only the assigned Qualified Mechanical Inspector to sign off on inspection forms, and ensure that inspections using technologies like artificial intelligence require verification by a Qualified Mechanical Inspector.

Sec. 14, Inspections: Railroads cannot limit the time an employee needs to complete a railcar, locomotive, or brake inspection. Within 120 days, the Secretary must amend pre-departure inspection requirements for Class I railroads to ensure designated inspectors are available at identified locations and that all freight cars are inspected as soon as practicable.

Sec. 15, Rail safety inspections GS classification adjustment: The General Schedule grade for railroad safety inspectors is raised from GS-12 to GS-13, and from GS-13 to GS-14 for certain positions. The Office of Personnel Management and the Secretary must update corresponding classifications within 180 days.

Sec. 16, Minimum amount of federal rail safety inspectors: The Federal Railroad Administration's Office of Safety must have at least 425 railroad safety inspectors, including specific numbers of experts in hazardous materials, track, motive power and equipment, signals and train control, operating practices, and rail grade crossings. If the goal is not met, the Secretary must report to Congress explaining why and outlining an action plan.

Sec. 17, Additional funding for rail safety inspectors: $12 million per year from 2024 to 2028 is authorized to hire railroad safety inspectors, and $10.5 million per year to increase pay to at least GS-13. Hiring must follow a specified breakdown of experts.

Sec. 18, Planning and training grants nonprofit eligibility: Grants for hazardous materials emergency planning and training are expanded to include nonprofit organizations that represent first responders or public officials and can provide direct or web