Passenger Rail Crew Protection Act
Congress targets assaults on passenger train crews with new federal penalties up to 20 years
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Creates a new federal crime for assaulting or intimidating passenger train crew members in a way that disrupts their work.
- Covers incidents on board passenger trains, on platforms serving trains, and inside rail stations.
- Protects a wide range of workers, including engineers, conductors, onboard staff, safety-sensitive workers, and some station employees.
- Sets penalties of up to 8 years in prison, and up to 20 years if a dangerous weapon is used.
- Defines “dangerous weapon” broadly, including items like a small pocket knife (under 2.5 inches) and a box cutter.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
6 articles
Senate bill would increase legal protections for passenger rail crews
Covers the Passenger Rail Crew Protection Act introduced Jan. 15, 2026, outlining the new federal offense for assaulting/intimidating passenger-rail crews, with penalties up to 8 years (20 with a dangerous weapon).
Sens. Duckworth, Hoeven introduce bill to protect passenger-rail crews
Rail-industry coverage of S.3665 describing scope (onboard, platforms, stations), covered roles, and penalty structure (up to 8 years; up to 20 years with a dangerous weapon).
Senators Introduce Passenger Rail Crew Protection Act
Safety-sector roundup item noting introduction of the Passenger Rail Crew Protection Act and its goal of extending uniform legal protections to passenger rail crew members.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Passenger Rail Crew Protection Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(1)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.