Secure Tracks Act

This bill would require that main line railroad track used at Class 3 speeds or higher be visually inspected by a qualified inspector at least twice each week, with at least one calendar day between inspections. It would require that any defect found by any inspection method be corrected, protected, or taken out of service right away, and it would give the qualified inspector sole authority to approve train movements for repairs on out-of-service track. It would bar the Secretary of Transportation from granting waivers of track safety rules if the alternative inspection method fails to detect all defect conditions recognized as unsafe. Within one year, the Secretary would have to update federal rules to require automated track geometry measurement systems to run over different track classes at set minimum frequencies.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Tammy Baldwin Democrat sponsor
• 1 cosponsors