Congressman Sherman's Record on Railroad Safety

Since my arrival in Congress, I have advocated for ensuring the United States meets the highest possible standards of rail safety and have continuously supported legislation to fund railroad maintenance and expand railroad safety requirements.

Several days after the September 12, 2008 train collision disaster in the L.A. neighborhood of Chatsworth that left 25 dead and dozens injured, I joined my colleagues as an original cosponsor of the Rail Collision Prevention Act, which would have mandated within four years the use of positive train control safety systems that prevent head-on collisions similar to the one that occurred in Chatsworth, as well as imposing hefty fines on violators.

I fought hard for federal funding for the implementation of a positive train control system for L.A.-area transit following the Chatsworth crash, and in 2010, Metrolink received $487,000 in congressional appropriations for the implementation of a positive train control collision avoidance system as part of the Federal Railroad Administration's Railroad Safety Technology Grant program. Metrolink later became the first railroad in the U.S. to have positive train control running on all of its hosted lines during regular service. Such collision avoidance systems later became required of all major railroads by the end of 2020.

To reduce the risk that another railway tragedy would occur in our district, I secured $400,000 in 2010 for additional rail safety improvements around the Valley, including median barriers, gates at crossings, protective fencing, and related safety upgrades at twelve rail-crossings identified by Metrolink as needing enhancement.

After an inadequate Chatsworth victims compensation fund was established, I joined Members of the California congressional delegation in 2011 in urging Veolia – the company that employed the Metrolink engineer responsible for the incident – to provide fair and just recompence to affected victims.

A plan by the Federal Railroad Administration to require two-person crews on trains has been in the works for years but has never been finalized. So that one negligent individual cannot cause the same devastation in the future, I cosponsored the Safe Freight Act of 2017 and 2019 to require trains to operate with a crew of two individuals – one locomotive operator and one train conductor – thus mandating freight trains to travel under the same rules as large aircraft, with a pilot and a co-pilot.

Because rail safety is as important in our community as it is across the country, I was proud to support the landmark, bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – that became law in November 2021 – which included $5 billion in competitive Federal grants to states for rail improvement and safety, and $3 billion for safety improvements at highway-rail crossings.

Railroads play a key role in providing Los Angeles residents and commuters with affordable transportation options and are crucial to the Southern California supply chain. It is my priority to maximize rail's ability to meet our economic needs, while upholding the safety of American citizens both in our district and across the United States.

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