WASHINGTON — In the latest in a recent series of rail safety bills, U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced on Wednesday, March 4, that they would introduce legislation requiring railroads to maintain visual track inspections in conjunction with automated track inspection systems.
U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) is leading the companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
The Secure Tracks Act will require all track designated as Federal Railroad Administration Class 3 or higher — that is, track with speed limits of 40 mph or more for freight and 60 mph or more for passenger — to receive visual track inspections twice a week. It also requires all track classifications to receive automated inspections at specified frequencies, using the Track Geometry Measurement System.
The bill would also require any defect to be corrected or otherwise addressed immediately upon detection, and requires inspectors to immediately initiate action to address such defects. And it prohibits the secretary of transportation from granting any waiver of safety regulations if the proposed alternative method of inspection or monitoring fails to identify all conditions recognized as unsafe under FRA regulations.
“Safety must be our top priority when it comes to our nation’s railroads,” Hawley said in a press release. “Technology can help us monitor our railways but there is no substitute for in-person inspections conducted by railroad professionals. … Technology must serve workers — not the other way around.”
Said Baldwin, “I am all for using technology to keep our trains on the tracks and communities safe from derailments, but what we have learned is that technology can’t do it all alone. It misses things that humans see and hear, and if we want to make sure our railroads are safe, we need both technology and real people who have the experience and knowledge.”
The complete bill is available here. Ten rail labor organizations have endorsed the measure.
The senators say in the press release that automated inspection can detect only 26% of all track defects, with the remaining 74% detected only by a human being.
The bill joins other legislation introduced in the last two weeks, including the latest version of the Railway Safety Act in the Senate [see “Senators introduce new version …,” Trains.com, Feb. 24, 2026] and the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act in the House [see “House members introduce …,” Feb. 26, 2026].
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