U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

House bill would broaden Surface Transportation Board’s authority

Two hopper rail cars sit on a rail track.

Democrats on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have introduced a bill to let certain shippers charge demurrage and help the Surface Transportation Board set minimum service delivery standards that would ensure efficient and timely rail service.

The Freight Rail Shipping Fair Market Act would require contracts to detail service standards and remedies, as well as guide STB on how to resolve complaints related to compliance with the common carrier obligation, a federal...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/house-bill-would-broaden-surface-transportation-boards-authority

Stakeholders spar over scope of Surface Transportation Board’s authority

As Congress considers funding the Surface Transportation Board over the next several years, freight rail stakeholders are divided on whether the agency should maintain its current ability to address freight rail service and rate issues or if it is time to expand that authority.

That dispute was on display at a recent hearing on STB’s reauthorization in front of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) largely seeks to maintain the status...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stakeholders-spar-over-scope-of-surface-transportation-boards-authority

Democrats want look at precision scheduled railroading’s impact

A photograph of a train at a railroad crossing.

Democratic leaders with the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure want the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the impacts that precision scheduled railroading (PSR) has had on shippers and freight and passenger rail operations.

PSR is an operational model that all of the Class I railroads except BNSF (NYSE: BRK.B) have publicly embraced. The model seeks to streamline operations and cut costs. Proponents say PSR enables greater network efficiency, which will...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/democrats-want-look-at-precision-scheduled-railroadings-impact

Congress starts down road to automatic braking mandate

Legislation introduced this week on Capitol Hill requiring automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane-assist technology on all new trucks is being praised by safety advocates but rejected by small-business truckers.

The Protecting Roadside First Responders Act, introduced through companion bills in the House and Senate, is aimed at reducing roadside crashes involving distracted driving. It requires advanced driver assistance systems, including AEB, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist and...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/congress-starts-down-road-to-automatic-braking-mandate

Putting the brakes on brakes

A close-up photograph of the wheels of a railcar.

Congress’ infrastructure bill is no stranger to controversial issues, including train crew sizes, the prospect of shipping liquefied natural gas via rail, and government studies on precision scheduled railroading and demurrage and accessorial charges.

Add one other item to the list: federal regulation on air brakes.

Part of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s (T&I) INVEST in America Act, which has been folded into the Moving Forward Act, is an item pertaining to DB-60...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/putting-the-brakes-on-brakes

Highway-rail grade crossings get attention in infrastructure bill

A photograph of a highway-rail grade crossing. There is a train with boxcars and tank cars crossing the intersection.

The latest iteration of the surface transportation and infrastructure bill has additional provisions for highway-rail grade crossings amid constituent and emergency responders’ concerns about long wait times at blocked crossings.

The new provisions spelled out in the INVEST in America Act include a comprehensive review of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) national highway-rail crossing inventory, which would verify inventory data using mapping technologies and other means. 

Another...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/highway-rail-grade-crossings-get-attention-in-infrastructure-bill

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