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HR 6973 110th Congress House

Rail Collision Prevention Act

Official title: To require rail carriers to develop positive rail control system plans for improving railroad safety and to increase the civil penalties for railroad safety violations.

Introduced: September 18, 2008 Introduced by: Schiff, Adam B. Democratic · California See on congress.gov
Transportation and Public Works Accident preventionEmergency ManagementFines (Penalties)Government Operations and Politics
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Government paperworkHours of laborLabor and EmploymentLawRailroad commuting trafficRailroad employeesRailroad equipmentRailroad freight operationsRailroad passenger trafficRailroad safetyTransportation planning
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This bill died when the 110th Congress ended
It never became law before the 110th Congress (2007–2008) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 19, 2008
Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Sep 18, 2008
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Sep 18, 2008
Introduced in House
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 Latest action September 19, 2008

Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Rail Collision Prevention Act - Requires each rail carrier that is a Class I railroad, that has inadequate safety performance, or that provides intercity passenger or commuter rail passenger transportation to develop and submit for Secretary of Transportation approval by December 31, 2014, a plan to implement a positive train control system that prevents rail collisions.

Requires implementation of such systems by December 31, 2012, in areas that have the highest safety risk due to shared track between commuter and freight rail.

Increases penalties for violations of rail safety regulations or orders issued by the Secretary, including violations related to rail accident reporting and hours-of-service.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 3493 Related bill A bill to require rail carriers to develop positive rail control system plans for improving railroad safety and to incr…
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 1
All 1 Democratic 1
D
Sherman, Brad
California · Sep 18, 2008
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 6973: Rail Collision Prevention Act. 110th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-6973/
MLA
"H.R. 6973: Rail Collision Prevention Act." 110th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-6973/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 6973, 110th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-6973/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 6973: Rail Collision Prevention Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-6973/)
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