DENVER — A Colorado legislative committee has advanced a bill that would limit train lengths within the state and draws other elements from the federal Railway Safety Act, which has failed to pass Congress, the website Colorado Newsline reports.
If approved by the Transportation Legislation Review Committee, the bill will be introduced in the state’s 2024 legislative session beginning in January. It limits train lengths to 8,500 feet; requires wayside equipment detectors every 10 to 15 miles; prohibits stopped trains from blocking grade crossings for more than 10 minutes; and requires railroads to offer training to first responders along rail routes where hazardous materials are transported.
Carl Smith, state legislative director for the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD), told the news site, “Most parts of this bill are major asks for our organizations,” and that they are about safety for both workers and communities.
But the legislation will face legal questions, as similar bills have in other states, given the federal government’s regulatory authority in matters of interstate commerce. Only the Federal Railroad Adminstration and Surface Transportation Board have the authority to regulate rail operations, Union Pacific spokesman Mike Jaixen wrote in an email to Colorado Newsline, saying that UP and other railroads continue to “work closely with federal policymakers on both sides of the aisle to ensure any potential legislation takes a data-driven approach to enhancing safety that does not negatively impact our nation’s supply chain.”
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