WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor

No. 23

(House Joint Resolution No. 50)

A House Joint Resolution concerning

Railroad Safety - Signal Operation

FOR the purpose of requesting the United States Secretary of
Transportation to adopt the necessary safety regulations to
require railroad track signal circuits to be activated by
Maintenance of Way motorized railroad track equipment.

WHEREAS, The State of Maryland is dedicated to providing
safe travel and safe working conditions for those who ride and
work on the railroads in this State; and

WHEREAS, Trains operating on a railroad track interrupt the
flow of ("shunt") an electrical current in the railroad track
thereby activating signal devices which alert railroad personnel
of the presence of cars on the track; and

WHEREAS, Motorized railroad track equipment and rail mobile
vehicles used by Maintenance of Way forces to maintain the
railroad tracks are insulated in a manner that prevents them from
shunting the current and activating the railroad signal devices;
and

WHEREAS, Railroad personnel may not be adequately alerted
when Maintenance of Way motorized railroad track equipment
occupies the track; and

WHEREAS, There are no current federal regulations that
require Maintenance of Way motorized railroad track equipment and
rail mobile vehicles to activate the railroad signals which alert
railroad personnel of the presence of cars on the track; and

WHEREAS, The United States Secretary of Transportation has
the necessary powers to adopt regulations in the area of safety
on the railroad; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That the State
of Maryland requests the United States Secretary of
Transportation to adopt the necessary regulations to require
Maintenance of Way motorized railroad track equipment and rail
mobile vehicles to activate the railroad signals which alert
railroad personnel of the presence of cars on the track; and be
it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution be forwarded by the
Department of Legislative Reference to the Honorable William
Donald Schaefer, Governor of Maryland; the Honorable Thomas V.
Mike Miller, Jr., President of the Senate of Maryland; the

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