New federal bill could help states address pedestrian deaths near rail crossings

WASHINGTON – New federal legislation could help states and other stakeholders address pedestrian deaths along highway-rail grade crossings.

The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced bipartisan legislation, referred to as the “SAFE Tracks Act,” during a Dec. 18 meeting.

Democratic New Jersey lawmaker Nellie Pou introduced the bill, and Illinois Republican Mike Bost co-led. The bill unanimously passed the committee and moved to the full House for consideration, according to reporting by Smart Cities Dive.

Of the 14 cosponsors on the proposed legislation, one, Democrat Sylvia Garcia, is from Texas. Three cosponsors are Republican, while 11 are Democrats.

The bill addresses safety near more than 200,000 railroad crossings and would work to prevent deaths by suicide.

“High risk railroad crossings remains a serious threat in communities in northern New Jersey and across our country,” Pou said in statement.

What does the bill aim to do?

First introduced in October, the bill seeks to change federal law around highway-rail grade crossings, according to Congress.gov, a federal bill tracking website. The crossings are places where roads and tracks intersect at the same level.

The bill would address two main concerns:

• Expand what states address in their rail safety plans. Specifically, the plans would explicitly require states to outline how they would work with railroad stakeholders to reduce pedestrian deaths and those by suicide along the tracks. The work would be done in conjunction with mental health and law enforcement agencies.
• Institute a federal safety report to be issued regularly every five years. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) would review and approve the plans, as well as deploy “targeted safety fixes,” Pou said.

If passed, the FRA would issue updates alongside the states’ five-year reports ensuring that safety initiatives and pedestrian risk reduction efforts “remain ongoing, data-driven, and responsive to emerging safety challenges.”

Train crashes broadly remain an issue across the Bexar County area.

In November, San Antonio saw at least two crashes along train tracks involving vehicles. While both incidents saw no injuries, the trend highlights a need for safety to be addressed.

This month, a 50-year-old woman from Mexico was hit and killed by a train in Uvalde County.