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Houston lawmaker seeks FRA authority to limit blocked railroad crossings; members push grade separations and signal modernization
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Summary
Representative Garcia told the committee Houston recorded 3,134 blocked railroad crossing incidents in 2025 and urged passage of a bill to let the Federal Railroad Administration investigate and penalize carriers that block crossings longer than ten minutes; members across districts backed grade separations and signal modernization.
Representative Garcia described chronic blocked railroad crossings in Houston — 3,134 incidents in 2025 alone — and urged the committee to advance her legislation, the "Block Don't Block Our Communities Act," to empower the Federal Railroad Administration to investigate repeated blockings and assess penalties for carriers that leave crossings blocked more than ten minutes except in emergencies.
"These are thousands of moments when communities in my district are stranded..." Garcia said, noting that over five years the district recorded five deaths and 15 injuries at grade crossings. She asked the committee to pair enforcement authority with investments in grade separations, signal modernization and safety education.
Other members, including Representatives Mullen and Simon, recommended studying cost‑effective technology pilots — including LiDAR, cameras and AI — to provide near‑term safety improvements where full grade separations are infeasible. Representative Mullen noted a pilot deployed by Caltrain that was implemented quickly at a fraction of the cost of full grade separation.
The committee did not take formal action; members urged staff to consider combining enforcement tools with funding eligibility for short‑term tech solutions and long‑term separations in the reauthorization text.
