Senate Approves Bill to Create the Office of Rail Safety
DENVER, CO – Today the Senate approved Senators Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, and Tony Exum’s, D-Colorado Springs, bill to establish the Office of Rail Safety, charged with studying and implementing rail safety measures in Colorado.
HB24-1030 would create the Office of Rail Safety within the Public Utilities Commission. The Office would be required to create a report including information to increase rail safety such as assessments of train length, emergency response and financial responsibility for cleanups of hazardous material incidents, and necessary staffing and equipment levels for implementation of safety measures. Under the bill, the Office would be required to submit their report to the General Assembly by December 1, 2024.
"Train derailments and obstruction accidents have increased and we must protect the safety of workers and our communities, particularly as we move to expand passenger rail," said Cutter. "Hazardous materials are frequently moved by rail through heavily forested areas near critical waterways, so an accident has the potential to be catastrophic. This bill will create an Office of Rail Safety, so we can oversee rail operations and collect data to help address the real safety issues we know are plaguing the rail industry."
“As Colorado continues to grow, our rail-network will become even more critical to the sustainability of our state,” Exum said. “Train derailments can shut down critical transportation networks, cause major environmental harms, and threaten the health and safety of countless individuals. This bill will help ensure that the economic needs of our commercial rail system are met, without sacrificing the safety of our communities, our environment, or our transportation professionals.”
HB24-1030 aims to improve safety requirements for railroads operating in Colorado by:
Improving emergency response procedures through preparation and coordination;
Initiating state oversight of critical wayside detector systems;
Requiring a train crossing to be clear when an emergency vehicle, such as an ambulance or police car, approaches;
Allowing unions to request investigations from the Office of Rail Safety; and
Increasing penalties for safety violations, with increased emphasis on repeat or knowing violations.
HB24-1030 will now return to the House for consideration of Senate amendments. Track its progress HERE.