	Introduction

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation is the federal agency primarily responsible for promoting and regulating the safety of the railroad industry. The FRA's rail safety programs were last authorized in 1994 ( P.L. The trend of improvement in some rail safety measures, such as train accidents and deaths in grade-crossing collisions, has leveled off in recent years, and with forecasts of significant growth in rail traffic in the future, there is concern over the need to make more progress in rail safety. The amended bill was reported by the committee on September 19, 2007, and was approved by the House of Representatives on October 17, 2007. The numbers of grade-crossing collisions and resulting injuries and deaths declined until 2003, but has shown little improvement since then. Thus, the number of train miles on the nation's freight rail network is likely to significantly increase in the coming years. Selected Reauthorization Issues

The major issues in the current reauthorization debate include addressing employee fatigue through changes to the federal rail hours of service legislation, implementing new train control technology that promotes safety, improving the condition of track, and improving safety at highway-rail grade crossings. These limits are enacted in law , unlike the hours of service limits for workers in other transportation modes, which are set through the regulatory process. FRA is also encouraging and supporting efforts to address sleep disorders among rail employees. Representative James Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has introduced a reauthorization proposal, the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 ( H.R. 2095 ). 2095 , on August 1, 2008. 2095 would make significant changes to a number of FRA's safety programs. It would make several changes to address the issue of employee fatigue: it would increase the minimum rest period length under the rail hours of service act from 8 to 10 hours, and would authorize FRSA to further increase the length of that minimum rest period through regulation; it would phase in a limit of 10 hours on the amount of limbo time an employee could accrue each month (not including any limbo time caused by delays unforeseeable at the time the employee left a designated terminal); it would require that employees accruing limbo time on a shift be given additional rest time after that shift equal to the amount of limbo time accrued; and it would require railroads to develop fatigue management plans in consultation with rail labor unions It would also require railroads to set minimum training standards for employees, to address concerns that employees are not being provided adequate training. As Passed by the Senate

H.R. The bill would increase the minimum amount of uninterrupted rest time and limit the amount of limbo time that can be accrued by rail employees under the rail hours of service statute, and would authorize DOT to amend the rail hours of service limits through the regulatory process. Both the House and Senate version of H.R. The Senate-passed version of H.R. Representatives of rail labor testified in support of the proposed increase in the number of FRA safety inspectors.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is the federal agency primarily responsible for safety in the rail industry. FRA's safety programs were last authorized in 1994; their authorization expired in 1998. Most measures of rail safety have improved significantly since FRA's last authorization, including the number of grade crossing collisions and fatalities and the number of employee injuries and deaths. These improvements came while the amount of both freight and passenger rail activity on the nation's rail infrastructure was increasing. However, the improvements in safety measures have leveled off in recent years. Given significant projected continued increases in freight and passenger rail activity in the coming decade, there is concern that without additional efforts, some of the gains of the past decade may be lost.
Among the issues that have dominated debate thus far are alleged shortcomings in the rail hours of service statute (49 U.S.C. 21101 et seq) that limit the act's effectiveness in preventing fatigue among train operating crews, which may be a contributing factor in a significant number of train accidents. A related issue is limbo time, time that train operating crews spend on shift, but not engaged in safety-related duties, after they have reached the limit of their shift under the rail hours of service act, which also contributes to fatigue. Unlike the hours of service rules for other transportation modes, the rail hours of service rules are set in law and cannot be altered through the regulatory process. Other prominent issues have included implementation by railroads of automated collision-prevention technology in trains, the adequacy of FRA track inspections, and safety at highway-rail grade crossings.
The House (on October 17, 2007) and Senate (on August 1, 2008) passed differing versions of H.R. 2095, the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act. On September 24, 2008, the House agreed to the Senate amendment with an amendment pursuant to H.Res. 1492. This amended version of H.R. 2095 incorporated another piece of legislation, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (differing versions of which were previously passed by both the Senate and House as S. 294), which reauthorizes Amtrak and federal passenger rail programs. Further action is now up to the Senate. According to press reports and information at the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's website, the amended H.R. 2095 includes provisions that would increase the length of the minimum rest period under the rail hours of service act and give FRA the authority to further increase the minimum rest period through regulation, increase the number of FRA safety inspectors, and mandate implementation of positive train control. It would also authorize about $13 billion in funding for Amtrak and passenger rail activities, and direct the Department of Transportation (DOT) to solicit bits to develop and operate high-speed rail lines in 11 corridors, including the Northeast Corridor (for further information about Amtrak reauthorization, see CRS Report RL33492, Amtrak: Budget and Reauthorization, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed]).
This report will be updated.