Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio is hoping he can persuade President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress to support his renewed push for railroad safety.
Deluzio, of Fox Chapel, is reintroducing his Railway Safety Act, a trio of bills aimed at improving federal oversight of railways. It’s an issue he hopes can be a bipartisan rallying point.
“Our Beaver County neighbors saw that fireball go into the sky,” said Deluzio, referring to the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, where 5,000 people evacuated and cleanup costs topped $800 million. “That didn’t have to happen.”
Deluzio, who represents Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District comprising part of Allegheny County and all of Beaver County, made the comments during a stop Wednesday in Tarentum to tout his bill.
While data from the U.S. Department of Transportation shows rail safety has improved over the past decade, Deluzio is pushing for the federal government to demand more.
He called on Trump and Vice President JD Vance to urge the Republican-controlled Congress to approve the legislation, saying it would impact millions of Americans who have freight railroad tracks running through their communities.
The Congressional Research Office shows that 48% of Deluzio’s constituents live within a mile of a freight rail line and 95% live within 5 miles of one.
In the Alle-Kiski Valley, Deluzio’s district includes Aspinwall, Blawnox, Brackenridge, Cheswick, East Deer, Fawn, Fox Chapel, Frazer, Harmar, Harrison, Indiana, Oakmont, O’Hara, Sharpsburg, Springdale, Springdale Township, Tarentum, West Deer and Verona.
“We can’t trust that railroads will regulate themselves,” Deluzio said. “We need to build off the bipartisan momentum we saw in the last Congress. I’d like to see the president and vice president lean on Republicans to get this passed.”
His push arrived one day after Norfolk Southern reached a $22 million settlement with East Palestine, just over the state line, where the derailment included 11 rail cars transporting hazardous materials. Money will or has been used to replace fire trucks and equipment damaged in the response to the derailment and to make improvements to rail safety in the area and to parks in East Palestine.
Deluzio initially introduced the rail safety legislation in March 2023, but it stalled in the House. He plans to reintroduce the three-bill package leading up to the Feb. 3 anniversary of the East Palestine incident.
Across seven neighboring counties — Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland — rail safety has mostly improved over the past decade, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Only Butler County showed an uptick in incidents, from three to four.
Otherwise, data points to significant improvements. The total number of accidents in Allegheny County since 2015 dropped from 35 to 22. Derailments dipped from seven to two during that same period.
In Westmoreland County, total accidents dropped from nine to two, and the most recent derailment was recorded in 2020. No derailments were shown since.
Still, Western Pennsylvania is home to nine of the state’s 20 riskiest rail crossings, according to federal Railroad Administration data.
Three of the crossings are within about 7 miles of each other in the Alle-Kiski Valley, between Cheswick and Brackenridge.
The Cheswick crossing, at the borough’s Blockdale Street, ranks as the second riskiest in Pennsylvania, according to the railroad administration’s Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Accident Prediction System.
Deluzio said he visited Tarentum in part to highlight the ways railroads and their related infrastructure impact communities in Western Pennsylvania.
The borough straddles railroad tracks and has had safety concerns with crossings at Corbet and Lock streets in the heart of its business district.
Officials lobbied the railroad for years until both crossings were reconstructed last year. Pavement at the crossings had deteriorated to the point local officials deemed them a public safety hazard.
“As much as the railroad benefits our community, it comes with a responsibility,” borough council President Scott Dadowski said. “Safety is a deep priority for us.”
Eureka Fire-Rescue-EMS Chief Brad James said the risks of railroad degradation are real for emergency responders, residents and visitors.
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Enhanced railroad safety legislation will help avoid incidents that can devastate communities, James said.
“The old crossing was a serious obstacle for our fire trucks and ambulances, slowing response times when every second can mean the difference between life and death,” he said.
“This underscores the critical need for stronger federal oversight to prioritize safety and protect the lives of first responders and residents alike.”
In the legislation’s last go-round, several Republicans supported Deluzio’s bill. They include Rep. Nick Lalota from New York, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer from Oregon.
Deluzio said he’s hoping Pennsylvania’s new Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick will join Democratic Sen. John Fetterman in supporting the legislation.
The Railway Accountability Act was the first piece of legislation Fetterman introduced in the Senate, according to his media team.
“He has been outspoken about rail safety since the Norfolk train derailment and has led and co-led numerous bills to aid the communities impacted and prevent future catastrophes by addressing infrastructural decay,” they said in an email.
Deluzio already has gained support from other leading Democrats.
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, whose 12th District stretches from Plum and Braddock in Allegheny County to Murrysville and Export in Westmoreland County, said she is proud to support the Railway Safety Act.
“It’s a critical step in holding rail corporations accountable for the dangers they pose to our communities,” Lee said. “For too long, companies like Norfolk Southern have prioritized profits over the safety of the people they barrel past every day — often through Black, brown and working-class neighborhoods like mine.
“This bill delivers the commonsense safety measures and oversight our communities deserve: two-person crews on every train, stronger penalties for violations and better protections against disasters like the one in East Palestine.”
As someone who lives alongside the railroad tracks and watches trains roll by every day, Lee said she knows the stakes firsthand.
“This is about ensuring our families are safe, our workers are protected and our railways are not a ticking time bomb.”
Included in Deluzio’s rail package are three bills:
• The DERAIL Act would impose stricter regulations on trains carrying hazardous materials.
• The Railway Safety Act would institute requirements for sensors that could detect defects in tracks, increase fines for wrongdoing, enhance safety procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials and establish requirements for railroads to operate with at least two-person crews.
• The Assistance for Local Heroes During Train Crises Act would create a new fund, paid by companies that ship and carry hazardous materials, to provide first responders with the financial resources to replace equipment, pay workers overtime and address other costs. It also would compel railroads to notify local officials when hazardous materials are moving through their communities.
Deluzio said Vance, prior to his election, co-led the Senate version of the bill.
“I’ve already sent a letter to Vice President Vance to encourage him to use his power,” Deluzio said. “This should not be a partisan fight. It is unacceptable to risk public safety.”