The Reducing Accidents In Locomotives Act, or RAIL Act, aims to significantly enhance rail safety, particularly for trains transporting hazardous materials. It directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue new regulations based on the National Transportation Safety Board's report on the East Palestine, Ohio crash, establishing comprehensive safety requirements for these trains.

These regulations will mandate rail carriers to provide advance notification and information, including a written gas discharge plan, to state and tribal emergency response commissions. They will also require measures to reduce or eliminate blocked crossings and include additional requirements concerning train length, weight, consist, route analysis, speed restrictions, track standards, maintenance, signaling, and response plans.

The bill strengthens inspection protocols by prohibiting railroads from limiting employee inspection time and amending pre-departure and locomotive inspection requirements for Class I railroads. It mandates regular audits of railcar, locomotive, and train brake system inspection compliance, with Class I railroads audited at least every five years.

To prevent accidents, the Act requires the Secretary to issue regulations for the installation, repair, testing, maintenance, and operation of wayside defect detectors for trains carrying hazardous materials. Class I railroads must install a hotbox detector every 10 miles on tracks used for hazardous materials, with specific performance standards and actions required upon defect alerts.

Furthermore, the legislation significantly increases maximum civil penalties for violations of hazardous materials transportation and general rail safety regulations, linking them to a percentage of annual income or operating income. It also mandates the phase-out of older DOT-111 tank cars not meeting modern safety specifications for transporting Class 3 flammable liquids by May 1, 2030.

To support emergency preparedness, the Act establishes an annual $1,000,000 fee for each Class I rail carrier, with these funds dedicated to grants for local emergency response training for hazardous materials. It also doubles supplemental training grants to $4,000,000, enhancing first responder capabilities.

Finally, the RAIL Act establishes minimum freight train crew size safety standards, requiring a two-person crew (conductor and engineer) for Class I freight trains, with limited exceptions for high-hazard or long trains.