Legislators introduce bill to give FRA oversight of dispatch systems

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correctly identify U.S. Rep. Laura Gillen as the Safe Tracks Act's sponsor, and to add a statement from the AAR.

Legislators on Tuesday introduced the Safe Tracks Act (H.R.8410), which would grant the Federal Railroad Administration the authority to conduct oversight of rail dispatching systems and to hold rail technology companies accountable for product security and reliability.

Dispatching systems are implemented and updated without any oversight or testing by the FRA, and when problems are identified, dispatchers need to rely on the technology company to solve the issue, according to a press release from U.S. Rep. Jesus Garcia (D-Ill.), a cosponsor of the bill. That leaves room for error when dispatchers have to problem-solve on the fly, and the lack of standard security measures in current dispatching technology puts the U.S. rail system at risk of cyber attacks, according to the release.

“It’s critical that the software train dispatchers rely on is safe and effective. We are proud to endorse the bipartisan Safe Tracks Act to make sure the government has the ability to keep dispatching systems for railroads and transit systems around the country safe," said Matt Hollis, national president of the Transportation Communications Union.

The legislation is endorsed by a slate of national rail labor unions, including the American Train Dispatchers Association. U.S. Rep. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) introduced the bill with original cosponsors Garcia, Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Michael Rulli (R-Ohio). It was referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Association of American Railroads Senior Vice President of Communications Ted Greener issued a statement on behalf of the associaiton.

“New FRA safety data make clear that advanced technologies, like computer-aided train dispatching (CAD) systems, are a key driver of record-breaking safety gains for the freight rail industry. Despite its name, the Safe Tracks Act would undermine historic rail safety progress by prioritizing rigid rules over performance-based regulations championed by the FRA," Greener said. 

Furthermore, the legislation would layer "unnecessary and duplicative" mandates on top of the FRA's existing regulations for dispatchers, he added.