Greg Pence Reintroduces RURAL Act to Improve Rail Safety

Press Release

U.S. Congressman Greg Pence (IN-06) introduced the Railway Upgrades for Rural American Lines (RURAL) Act, bipartisan legislation to improve the safety of rail crossings by providing more flexibility in fund usage from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration's Section 130 grant program. U.S. Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) is the Democrat co-lead of this legislation.

"Indiana is the crossroads of America and Hoosiers deserve modern, safe rail infrastructure. Blocked railroad-highway crossings pose a serious safety risk to Hoosiers and must be updated," said Congressman Pence. "Strengthening support from the federal government and increasing flexibility in the Section 130 grant program will improve our communities in the Sixth District and beyond."

"Improving safety at grade crossings is critically important for many communities across our nation, including Ventura County, where we have seen recent accidents including the Rice Avenue Metrolink derailment. I look forward to working with Congressman Pence to advance this important rail safety legislation," said Congresswoman Julia Brownley.

Background:

The Section 130 grant program is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration to provide funds for the "Elimination of Hazards" at public railway-highway crossings. The Section 130 Program has been correlated with a significant decrease in fatalities at railway-highway grade crossings. Since the Program's inception in 1987 through 2014, for which most recent data is available, fatalities at these crossings have decreased by 57 percent. The overall reductions in fatalities come despite an increase in the vehicle miles traveled on roadways and an increase in the passenger and freight traffic on the railways

The Section 130 program funds are eligible for projects at all public crossings including roadways, bike trails and pedestrian paths. The FAST Act (Pub. L. No. 114-94) extended eligibility to include projects at grade crossings to eliminate hazards posed by blocked crossings due to idling trains. Currently, Section 130 funds are apportioned to States by formula and funded at a 90% federal share.

As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the 116th Congress, Rep. Pence authored an amendment to include this legislation in H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act.

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