Remote Control Locomotives Safety Improvement Act of 2026

This bill would bar railroad carriers from running a train outside a rail yard unless a human locomotive engineer is inside the cab of the lead locomotive and able to take control. It would also ban remote control locomotives on main lines and require trains on main lines to have an engineer certified under federal rules physically in the cab. The Secretary of Transportation could not waive these rules for larger railroads or trains on most classified track. The Federal Railroad Administration would have to audit and inspect large railroads within 180 days, and violators would face a civil penalty of at least $1,000,000 or 1 percent of annual income, whichever is greater, for each day of violation.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Timothy M. Kennedy Democrat sponsor
• 1 cosponsors