HB0114

Establishes railroad safety requirements for trains operating in Wyoming, including length limitations, wayside detection systems, track inspections, and civil penalties for violations.

• Defines key terms used in railroad safety regulations, including branch line, defect, wayside detector, hot bearings detector, dragging equipment detector, main line, railroad, siding, train, and wayside detector system. (W.S. 37-9-1401(a))
• Prohibits trains from exceeding 8,500 feet in length, exceeding the length of the shortest passing track or siding on which they travel, or routinely blocking highway grade crossings for more than 10 minutes at a time. (W.S. 37-9-1402(b))
• Establishes civil penalties of $500 to $1,000 per foot of excess train length for willful violations of length restrictions, $1,000 to $5,000 per violation for blocking highway crossings, and up to $250,000 for grossly negligent or repeated violations causing imminent threat or actual death or injury. (W.S. 37-9-1402(c), W.S. 37-9-1402(d), W.S. 37-9-1402(e))
• Requires the director of transportation to consider nature, gravity, culpability, violation history, and ability to pay when determining penalty amounts, and authorizes the attorney general to collect penalties through civil action within three years of violation. (W.S. 37-9-1402(f), W.S. 37-9-1402(g))
• Requires railroad companies to install and maintain wayside detectors at intervals of not less than every 10 miles on main lines to detect defects and provide alerts directly to train operators, and to maintain full operational status when trains are operating. (W.S. 37-9-1403(a))
• Mandates that railroad companies provide adequate training for train operators on proper wayside detector use and remediation procedures to be specified in instruction manuals. (W.S. 37-9-1403(b))
• Requires train operators to file end-of-shift reports documenting wayside detector alerts received and locations of non-operational wayside detectors. (W.S. 37-9-1403(c))
• Requires annual reports by January 31 from railroad companies and local labor safety representatives to the department detailing wayside detector locations, system improvements, alert summaries, responses to alerts, non-operational detector reports, and derailment data, which shall be public records.