[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4050 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4050

    To provide for the identification of certain dangerous railroad 
     locations, and for the safety of passenger operations at such 
                               locations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 17, 2015

  Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To provide for the identification of certain dangerous railroad 
     locations, and for the safety of passenger operations at such 
                               locations.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Passenger Train Derailment 
Prevention Act''.

SEC. 2. DANGEROUS RAILROAD LOCATIONS.

    (a) Amendment.--Subchapter II of chapter 201 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 20168. Dangerous railroad locations.
    ``(a) Identification.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of the Passenger Train Derailment Prevention Act, each 
railroad carrier on whose tracks an entity providing regularly 
scheduled intercity rail passenger transportation or commuter rail 
passenger transportation, as defined in section 24102, conducts such 
transportation shall submit to the Secretary of Transportation a list 
identifying each curve, bridge, tunnel, or other location on such 
tracks where the maximum authorized operating speed for such a 
passenger train is at least 20 miles per hour less than the maximum 
approach speed. The Secretary shall provide such information to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate, along with a list of any additional track locations the 
Secretary identifies as dangerous.
    ``(b) Safety Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of the Passenger Train Derailment Prevention Act, the 
Secretary shall exercise the authority granted under section 20104 to 
require that, not later than 90 days after the exercise of such 
authority--
            ``(1) each entity providing regularly scheduled intercity 
        rail passenger transportation or commuter rail passenger 
        transportation, as defined in section 24102, using a train 
        equipped with an automatic train control system modify such 
        system to automatically slow down the train if it fails to 
        comply with applicable maximum authorized speed limits at the 
        locations identified under subsection (a);
            ``(2) each entity providing regularly scheduled intercity 
        rail passenger transportation or commuter rail passenger 
        transportation, as defined in section 24102, using a train not 
        equipped with an automatic train control system provide that 
        the train movement through the locations identified under 
        subsection (a) be made--
                    ``(A) with a second qualified crewmember in the cab 
                of the controlling locomotive; or
                    ``(B) with constant communication between the 
                locomotive engineer and an additional qualified and 
                designated crewmember in the body of the train; and
            ``(3) each railroad carrier on whose tracks regularly 
        scheduled intercity rail passenger transportation or commuter 
        rail passenger transportation is conducted install additional 
        wayside signage along the carrier's tracks where such 
        transportation is conducted alerting engineers and conductors 
        of the maximum authorized passenger train speed, particularly 
        at the locations identified under subsection (a).
    ``(c) Alternative Safety Measures.--The Secretary may exempt from 
the requirements of this section any segment of track for which 
operations are governed by a positive train control system certified 
under section 20157 or any other safety technology or practice that 
would achieve an equivalent or greater level of safety in reducing 
derailment risk.''.
    (b) Table of Sections Amendment.--The table of sections for 
subchapter II of chapter 201 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``Sec. 20168. Dangerous railroad locations.''.
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