This bill establishes new Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) pilot and grant programs to outfit tank railcars with onboard sensors capable of delivering real-time safety-related condition data while a train is in motion.
Specifically, the FRA must establish a grant program for freight railcar owners or operators to purchase and install (1) onboard freight railcar telematics systems (for wirelessly communicating a railcar's location and health), or (2) onboard freight railcar gateway devices (for collecting and exchanging data between railcar devices, including monitoring and telematics systems).
In selecting grant recipients, the FRA must prioritize installation of these systems or devices in newly built tank railcars and by the type of load carried, starting with tank cars in TIH/PIH (toxic or poison inhalation hazard) service.
In addition, the FRA must establish a pilot program to
assist freight railcar owners and manufacturers in the development of onboard sensor technologies in order to add visibility to the safety of freight railcars, and
encourage development of freight railcar onboard sensors that communicate to the freight railcar onboard gateway devices to offer future capabilities of real-time visibility (e.g., wheel and wheel bearing temperature).
