PRESS RELEASE: Bipartisan Railway Safety Act Delivers Critical List of Reforms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2026 —INDEPENDENCE, OH

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division (SMART-TD) today proudly and unequivocally endorses the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2026. This landmark legislation was introduced in the United States Senate to strengthen rail safety requirements for trains transporting hazardous materials and to enhance the safety, along with the quality of life, for railroad workers and the communities we serve.

This bill delivers sweeping reforms across rail safety, hazardous materials emergency preparedness, inspections, long train safety reviews, 2-person minimum freight train crews, blocked crossings limitations, and federal regulation governing defect detection systems. It represents generational change for railroad safety, and it stands firmly on the shoulders of the bipartisan work advanced by now-Vice President J.D. Vance and former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown during their time in the U.S. Senate. That effort was bipartisan then, and it remains bipartisan today.

SMART-TD extends its deepest gratitude to Senator Jon Husted of Ohio and Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington for their leadership, persistence, and willingness to carry this legislation forward. Their offices have worked tirelessly with rail labor, community leaders, first responders, and stakeholders from across the political spectrum to ensure this bill reflects real-world safety needs, not corporate talking points. We thank them not only for introducing this legislation, but for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with working railroaders and the people of East Palestine in pursuit of meaningful reform.

The legislation enhances safety requirements for high-hazard trains, strengthens tank car standards, improves real-time train consist information for first responders, mandates robust hazardous materials emergency response planning, and requires long-overdue updates to safety regulations governing the length of trains in this country. It orders a comprehensive study and action on blocked highway-rail grade crossings, mandates more thorough and properly supported railcar and locomotive inspections, strengthens federal oversight and auditing, and establishes a first-of-its-kind federal framework governing the spacing, maintenance, sensitivity, and data protocols of wayside defect detection systems. Additionally, Senators Husted and Cantwell are using this bill to make a minimum staffing level requirement of no less than two FRA-certified railroad professionals on every train part of federal law.

Most of the policies found in this legislation factored directly into the devastation that occurred on February 3, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio. For three years, the people of East Palestine and neighboring communities in southwest Pennsylvania have been paying the price for the greed of one of the wealthiest industries in America.

But they have not suffered in silence. Through confusion, misleading and conflicting information, physical pain, and emotional anguish, these proud Americans have remained standing. Today, SMART-TD stands with them and proudly stands alongside Senators Husted and Cantwell in honoring that resilience with direct action.

“This legislation is about one simple principle,” said SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson. “Working Americans have the right to go home in one piece, the same way we came to work. The Railway Safety Act of 2026 puts real, enforceable standards in place—on 2-Person Crews, on inspections, on hazardous materials handling, on defect detectors, on long train safety, and on emergency preparedness. It is bipartisan because safety is not a political issue. It is a moral obligation.”

National Safety and Legislative Director Jared Cassity added, “The champions of this bill come from every corner of the political spectrum, from every region of the country, from both chambers of Congress, and from governors of states that may not agree on much—but they are tied together by the railroad and a shared will to protect their communities. What unites them is far more powerful than what divides them: respect for working families and the belief that worker and community safety must come before profit.”

President Ferguson added, “A tremendous amount of hard work has gone into shaping and willing this legislation into existence. Today is a day to smile—but not to spike the football. The stage is set, but the battle hasn’t been won yet. Under the leadership of Senators Cantwell and Husted, and with continued bipartisan resolve, we believe we will get there.”

Rail safety is not a talking point. It is a promise.

And SMART-TD, as the largest trade union in American railroading, intends to keep it.

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For more information or to connect with SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson or a member of his leadership team, please contact:

Dan Banks
dbanks@smart-union.org
(216) 227-5283 (Office)
(330) 322-5949 (Cell)

Alyssa Hansen
alyssa.hansen@smart-union.org