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Congressional Policymakers Reintroduce Railway Safety Act
Three Years After East Palestine Derailment, Chambers Revisit Policy
Key Takeaways:
- Senators reintroduced the Railway Safety Act to strengthen rail safety standards after the 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
- The legislation would expand technology, mandate two‑person crews and raise penalties for safety violations.
- A companion bill in the House aims to advance similar protections and prevent future derailments.
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators recently introduced the , reviving legislation aimed at strengthening safety standards three years after a high-profile derailment in Ohio.
Led by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Commerce Committee, and Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), the bill would require deployment of certain safety technologies and impose stricter standards on trains transporting hazardous materials.
1/ I sent a letter to Norfolk Southern requesting information to help determine how to improve safety. The derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, is a stark reminder about the dangers posed by transporting toxic and flammable hazardous materials. — Sen. Maria Cantwell (@SenatorCantwell)
Cantwell was the bill’s principal sponsor in 2023, soon after the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, of a Norfolk Southern freight train. At that time, the bill did not gain requisite support in the House and Senate to reach the president’s desk for enactment.
“The Railway Safety Act will make communities across the country safer,” Cantwell said Feb. 24. “It has been over three years since the Norfolk Southern derailment disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, and it is past time for Congress to act.”
Husted emphasized the need for further consultation with railroads, emergency responders and local officials, saying the derailment underscored the importance of communication with those groups. The Ohio senator added: “By using a balanced, data-driven approach to advancing rail safety, my bill would protect Ohio’s communities while supporting the freight rail industry across the country.”
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Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio)
Specifically, the legislation would deploy technologies designed to prevent derailments and increase penalties for rail safety violations. Other provisions in the bill call for using more defect detection technology, strengthening emergency response requirements and mandating two-person train crews. The legislation incorporates recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board, which determined a railcar’s defective wheel bearing caused the derailment Feb. 3, 2023.
The bill’s cosponsors include Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). A committee of jurisdiction has yet to consider the bill.
A week after the Senate bill was unveiled, House policymakers introduced a companion version.
“Three years is a long time to wait for change,” Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) said March 3. “Some people, especially in Washington, seem to have forgotten about the 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment and its impact on folks in Beaver County and our neighbors in Ohio — but I haven’t, and I won’t.”
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Deluzio is among the bill’s sponsors with Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) and Republican Reps. Nick LaLota of New York and Michael Rulli of Ohio.
“These common-sense protections are exactly what our country needs to prevent a disaster like this from ever happening again,” Rulli observed.
Stakeholders endorsing the legislation include the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties.
“Counties across America are essential partners in enhancing the safety and efficiency of our nation’s freight rail infrastructure,” added Matthew Chase, National Association of Counties’ executive director. “The Railway Safety Act of 2026 takes critical steps to enhance rail safety, protect residents and ensure our transportation network supports both economic growth and public well-being.”
Last year, Vice President J.D. Vance, a cosponsor as a senator of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act with Cantwell in 2023, said a Republican-led Congress improves the likelihood for passing bipartisan rail safety legislation.
“Certainly, I think that we can say with confidence the president shares my view that we need some common-sense rail safety,” Vance told reporters on the derailment’s second anniversary. “And, yes, that is something that we’re going to work on over the next couple of years. It’s something that I think that we have a much better shot at, frankly, with Republicans in charge.”
The Association of American Railroads maintains that the industry's track record of safety improvements renders the legislation's proposals excessive. The group doesn't endorse the bill in its current form.
"As Congress considers any rail safety legislation, policymakers should reject backwards-looking, one-size-fits-all mandates that undermine competition and raise prices for consumers, and instead ensure each provision is objectively grounded in data to reduce risk," the group said. "The priority should be policies that encourage innovation and measurable safety outcomes without disrupting the supply chain or diverting resources from proven, safety-critical investments.”
