The state House las week passed a railroad safety bill that would prohibit trains from blocking crossings, limit their length, and impose other measures to guard against derailments or other hazards. Every Democrat and eighteen Republicans voted for it, making the passage by a 120-79 margin. Representatives Jim Struzzi and Brian Smith voted no.
Among other things, the bill would require fully functional wayside detector systems, which warn of overheating trains, require minimum staffing levels on trains and light engines, authorize a union representative on all trains, and require studies, reports, and other regulations regarding the transport of hazardous materials.
Republican critics of the bill object to requirements that will increase the cost of rail transportation, including a provision that would make trains stop and unhook as they enter the commonwealth from another state, which could create bottlenecks.
The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
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