Relates to the use of locomotive horns at private highway-rail grade crossings; establishes use of locomotive horn in the locomotive engineer's sole judgment, is appropriate in order to prevent imminent injury, death, or property damage.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1145
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the railroad law, in relation to the use of locomotive
horns at private highway-rail grade crossings; and to repeal section
53-b of such law relating to ringing bells and blowing whistles at
crossings
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 53-b of the railroad law is REPEALED and a new
2 section 53-b is added to read as follows:
3 § 53-b. Use of locomotive horns at crossings. Unless otherwise
4 required by federal law or regulation, at a private highway-rail grade
5 crossing, a locomotive engineer may sound the locomotive horn to provide
6 a warning to animals, vehicle operators, pedestrians, trespassers or
7 crews on other trains in an emergency situation if, in the locomotive
8 engineer's sole judgment, such action is appropriate in order to prevent
9 imminent injury, death, or property damage.
10 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03458-01-5
