(625 ILCS 5/18c‑7401) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 18c‑7401)
Sec. 18c‑7401. Safety Requirements for Track, Facilities, and Equipment.
(1) General Requirements. Each rail carrier shall, consistent with rules, orders, and regulations of the Federal Railroad Administration, construct, maintain, and operate all of its equipment, track, and other property in this State in such a manner as to pose no undue risk to its employees or the person or property of any member of the public.
(2) Adoption of Federal Standards. The track safety standards and accident/incident standards promulgated by the Federal Railroad Administration shall be safety standards of the Commission. The Commission may, in addition, adopt by reference in its regulations other federal railroad safety standards, whether contained in federal statutes or in regulations adopted pursuant to such statutes.
(3) Railroad Crossings. No public road, highway, or street shall hereafter be constructed across the track of any rail carrier at grade, nor shall the track of any rail carrier be constructed across a public road, highway or street at grade, without having first secured the permission of the Commission; provided, that this Section shall not apply to the replacement of lawfully existing roads, highways and tracks. No public pedestrian bridge or subway shall be constructed across the track of any rail carrier without having first secured the permission of the Commission. The Commission shall have the right to refuse its permission or to grant it upon such terms and conditions as it may prescribe. The Commission shall have power to determine and prescribe the manner, including the particular point of crossing, and the terms of installation, operation, maintenance, use and protection of each such crossing.
The Commission shall also have power, after a hearing, to require major alteration of or to abolish any crossing, heretofore or hereafter established, when in its opinion, the public safety requires such alteration or abolition, and, except in cities, villages and incorporated towns of 1,000,000 or more inhabitants, to vacate and close that part of the highway on such crossing altered or abolished and cause barricades to be erected across such highway in such manner as to prevent the use of such crossing as a highway, when, in the opinion of the Commission, the public convenience served by the crossing in question is not such as to justify the further retention thereof; or to require a separation of grades, at railroad‑highway grade crossings; or to require a separation of grades at any proposed crossing where a proposed public highway may cross the tracks of any rail carrier or carriers; and to prescribe, after a hearing of the parties, the terms upon which such separations shall be made and the proportion in which the expense of the alteration or abolition of such crossings or the separation of such grades, having regard to the benefits, if any, accruing to the rail carrier or any party in interest, shall be divided between the rail carrier or carriers affected, or between such carrier or carriers and the State, county, municipality or other public authority in interest. However, a public hearing by the Commission to abolish a crossing shall not be required when the public highway authority in interest vacates the highway. In such instance the rail carrier, following notification to the Commission and the highway authority, shall remove any grade crossing warning devices and the grade crossing surface.
The Commission shall also have power by its order to require the reconstruction, minor alteration, minor relocation or improvement of any crossing (including the necessary highway approaches thereto) of any railroad across any highway or public road, pedestrian bridge, or pedestrian subway, whether such crossing be at grade or by overhead structure or by subway, whenever the Commission finds after a hearing or without a hearing as otherwise provided in this paragraph that such reconstruction, alteration, relocation or improvement is necessary to preserve or promote the safety or convenience of the public or of the employees or passengers of such rail carrier or carriers. By its original order or supplemental orders in such case, the Commission may direct such reconstruction, alteration, relocation, or improvement to be made in such manner and upon such terms and conditions as may be reasonable and necessary and may apportion the cost of such reconstruction, alteration, relocation or improvement and the subsequent maintenance thereof, having regard to the benefits, if any, accruing to the railroad or any party in interest, between the rail carrier or carriers and public utilities affected, or between such carrier or carriers and public utilities and the State, county, municipality or other public authority in interest. The cost to be so apportioned shall include the cost of changes or alterations in the equipment of public utilities affected as well as the cost of the relocation, diversion or establishment of any public highway, made necessary by such reconstruction, alteration, relocation or improvement of said crossing. A hearing shall not be required in those instances when the Commission enters an order confirming a written stipulation in which the Commission, the public highway authority or other public authority in interest, the rail carrier or carriers affected, and in instances involving the use of the Grade Crossing Protection Fund, the Illinois Department of Transportation, agree on the reconstruction, alteration, relocation, or improvement and the subsequent maintenance thereof and the division of costs of such changes of any grade crossing (including the necessary highway approaches thereto) of any railroad across any highway, pedestrian bridge, or pedestrian subway.
Every rail carrier operating in the State of Illinois shall construct and maintain every highway crossing over its tracks within the State so that the roadway at the intersection shall be as flush with the rails as superelevated curves will allow, and, unless otherwise ordered by the Commission, shall construct and maintain the approaches thereto at a grade of not more than 5% within the right of way for a distance of not less the 6 feet on each side of the centerline of such tracks; provided, that the grades at the approaches may be maintained in excess of 5% only when authorized by the Commission.
Every rail carrier operating within this State shall remove from its right of way at all railroad‑highway grade crossings within the State, such brush, shrubbery, and trees as is reasonably practical for a distance of not less than 500 feet in either direction from each grade crossing. The Commission shall have power, upon its own motion, or upon complaint, and after having made proper investigation, to require the installation of adequate and appropriate luminous reflective warning signs, luminous flashing signals, crossing gates illuminated at night, or other protective devices in order to promote and safeguard the health and safety of the public. Luminous flashing signal or crossing gate devices installed at grade crossings, which have been approved by the Commission, shall be deemed adequate and appropriate. The Commission shall have authority to determine the number, type, and location of such signs, signals, gates, or other protective devices which, however, shall conform as near as may be with generally recognized national standards, and the Commission shall have authority to prescribe the division of the cost of the installation and subsequent maintenance of such signs, signals, gates, or other protective devices between the rail carrier or carriers, the public highway authority or other public authority in interest, and in instances involving the use of the Grade Crossing Protection Fund, the Illinois Department of Transportation. Except where train crews provide flagging of the crossing to road users, yield signs shall be installed at all highway intersections with every grade crossing in this State that is not equipped with automatic warning devices, such as luminous flashing signals or crossing gate devices. A stop sign may be used in lieu of the yield sign when an engineering study conducted in cooperation with the highway authority and the Illinois Department of Transportation has determined that a stop sign is warranted. If the Commission has ordered the installation of luminous flashing signal or crossing gate devices at a grade crossing not equipped with active warning devices, the Commission shall order the installation of temporary stop signs at the highway intersection with the grade crossing unless an engineering study has determined that a stop sign is not appropriate. If a stop sign is not appropriate, the Commission may order the installation of other appropriate supplemental signing as determined by an engineering study. The temporary signs shall remain in place until the luminous flashing signal or crossing gate devices have been installed. The rail carrier is responsible for the installation and subsequent maintenance of any required signs. The permanent signs shall be in place by July 1, 2011.
No railroad may change or modify the warning device system at a railroad‑highway grade crossing, including warning systems interconnected with highway traffic control signals, without having first received the approval of the Commission. The Commission shall have the further power, upon application, upon its own motion, or upon complaint and after having made proper investigation, to require the interconnection of grade crossing warning devices with traffic control signals at highway intersections located at or near railroad crossings within the distances described by the State Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices adopted pursuant to Section 11‑301 of this Code. In addition, State and local authorities may not install, remove, modernize, or otherwise modify traffic control signals at a highway intersection that is interconnected or proposed to be interconnected with grade crossing warning devices when the change affects the number, type, or location of traffic control devices on the track approach leg or legs of the intersection or the timing of the railroad preemption sequence of operation until the Commission has approved the installation, removal, modernization, or modification. Commission approval shall be limited to consideration of issues directly affecting the public safety at the railroad‑highway grade crossing. The electrical circuit devices, alternate warning devices, and preemption sequences shall conform as nearly as possible, considering the particular characteristics of the crossing and intersection area, to the State manual adopted by the Illinois Department of Transportation pursuant to Section 11‑301 of this Code and such federal standards as are made applicable by subsection (2) of this Section. In order to carry out this authority, the Commission shall have the authority to determine the number, type, and location of traffic control devices on the track approach leg or legs of the intersection and the timing of the railroad preemption sequence of operation. The Commission shall prescribe the division of costs for installation and maintenance of all devices required by this paragraph between the railroad or railroads and the highway authority in interest and in instances involving the use of the Grade Crossing Protection Fund or a State highway, the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Any person who unlawfully or maliciously removes, throws down, damages or defaces any sign, signal, gate or other protective device, located at or near any public grade crossing, shall be guilty of a petty offense and fined not less than $50 nor more than $200 for each offense. In addition to fines levied under the provisions of this Section a person adjudged guilty hereunder may also be directed to make restitution for the costs of repair or replacement, or both, necessitated by his misconduct.
It is the public policy of the State of Illinois to enhance public safety by establishing safe grade crossings. In order to implement this policy, the Illinois Commerce Commission is directed to conduct public hearings and to adopt specific criteria by July 1, 1994, that shall be adhered to by the Illinois Commerce Commission in determining if a grade crossing should be opened or abolished. The following factors shall be considered by the Illinois Commerce Commission in developing the specific criteria for opening and abolishing grade crossings:
(a) timetable speed of passenger trains;
(b) distance to an alternate crossing;
(c) accident history for the last 5 years;
(d) number of vehicular traffic and posted speed
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(e) number of freight trains and their timetable |
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(f) the type of warning device present at the grade |
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(g) alignments of the roadway and railroad, and the |
| angle of intersection of those alignments; | |
(h) use of the grade crossing by trucks carrying |
| hazardous materials, vehicles carrying passengers for hire, and school buses; and | |
(i) use of the grade crossing by emergency vehicles.
The Illinois Commerce Commission, upon petition to open or abolish a grade crossing, shall enter an order opening or abolishing the crossing if it meets the specific criteria adopted by the Commission.
Except as otherwise provided in this subsection (3), in no instance shall a grade crossing be permanently closed without public hearing first being held and notice of such hearing being published in an area newspaper of local general circulation.
(4) Freight Trains ‑ Radio Communications. The Commission shall after hearing and order require that every main line railroad freight train operating on main tracks outside of yard limits within this State shall be equipped with a radio communication system. The Commission after notice and hearing may grant exemptions from the requirements of this Section as to secondary and branch lines.
(5) Railroad Bridges and Trestles ‑ Walkway and Handrail. In cases in which the Commission finds the same to be practical and necessary for safety of railroad employees, bridges and trestles, over and upon which railroad trains are operated, shall include as a part thereof, a safe and suitable walkway and handrail on one side only of such bridge or trestle, and such handrail shall be located at the outer edge of the walkway and shall provide a clearance of not less than 8 feet, 6 inches, from the center line of the nearest track, measured at right angles thereto.
(6) Packages Containing Articles for First Aid to Injured on Trains. All rail carriers shall provide a package containing the articles prescribed by the Commission, on each train or engine, for first aid to persons who may be injured in the course of the operation of such trains.
(7) Abandoned Bridges, Crossings, and Other Rail Plant. The Commission shall have authority, after notice and hearing, to order:
(a) The removal of any abandoned railroad tracks from |
| roads, streets or other thoroughfares in this State; and | |
(b) The removal of abandoned overhead railroad |
| structures crossing highways, waterways, or railroads. | |
The Commission may equitably apportion the cost of such actions between the rail carrier or carriers, public utilities, and the State, county, municipality, township, road district, or other public authority in interest.
(8) Railroad‑Highway Bridge Clearance. A vertical clearance of not less than 23 feet above the top of rail shall be provided for all new or reconstructed highway bridges constructed over a railroad track. The Commission may permit a lesser clearance if it determines that the 23 foot clearance standard cannot be justified based on engineering, operational, and economic conditions.
(Source: P.A. 96‑470, eff. 8‑14‑09.) |
(625 ILCS 5/18c‑7402) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 18c‑7402)
Sec. 18c‑7402. Safety Requirements for Railroad Operations.
(1) Obstruction of Crossings.
(a) Obstruction of Emergency Vehicles. Every
| railroad shall be operated in such a manner as to minimize obstruction of emergency vehicles at crossings. Where such obstruction occurs and the train crew is aware of the obstruction, the train crew shall immediately take any action, consistent with safe operating procedure, necessary to remove the obstruction. In the Chicago and St. Louis switching districts, every railroad dispatcher or other person responsible for the movement of railroad equipment in a specific area who receives notification that railroad equipment is obstructing the movement of an emergency vehicle at any crossing within such area shall immediately notify the train crew through use of existing communication facilities. Upon notification, the train crew shall take immediate action in accordance with this paragraph. | |
(b) Obstruction of Highway at Grade Crossing |
| Prohibited. It is unlawful for a rail carrier to permit any train, railroad car or engine to obstruct public travel at a railroad‑highway grade crossing for a period in excess of 10 minutes, except where such train or railroad car is continuously moving or cannot be moved by reason of circumstances over which the rail carrier has no reasonable control. | |
In a county with a population of greater than 1,000,000, as determined by the most recent federal census, during the hours of 7:00 a.m. through 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. through 6:00 p.m. it is unlawful for a rail carrier to permit any single train or railroad car to obstruct public travel at a railroad‑highway grade crossing in excess of a total of 10 minutes during a 30 minute period, except where the train or railroad car cannot be moved by reason or circumstances over which the rail carrier has no reasonable control. Under no circumstances will a moving train be stopped for the purposes of issuing a citation related to this Section.
However, no employee acting under the rules or orders of the rail carrier or its supervisory personnel may be prosecuted for a violation of this subsection (b).
(c) Punishment for Obstruction of Grade Crossing. |
| Any rail carrier violating paragraph (b) of this subsection shall be guilty of a petty offense and fined not less than $200 nor more than $500 if the duration of the obstruction is in excess of 10 minutes but no longer than 15 minutes. If the duration of the obstruction exceeds 15 minutes the violation shall be a business offense and the following fines shall be imposed: if the duration of the obstruction is in excess of 15 minutes but no longer than 20 minutes, the fine shall be $500; if the duration of the obstruction is in excess of 20 minutes but no longer than 25 minutes, the fine shall be $700; if the duration of the obstruction is in excess of 25 minutes, but no longer than 30 minutes, the fine shall be $900; if the duration of the obstruction is in excess of 30 minutes but no longer than 35 minutes, the fine shall be $1,000; if the duration of the obstruction is in excess of 35 minutes, the fine shall be $1,000 plus an additional $500 for each 5 minutes of obstruction in excess of 25 minutes of obstruction. | |
(2) Other Operational Requirements.
(a) Bell and Whistle‑Crossings. Every rail carrier |
| shall cause a bell, and a whistle or horn to be placed and kept on each locomotive, and shall cause the same to be rung or sounded by the engineer or fireman, at the distance of a least 1,320 feet, from the place where the railroad crosses or intersects any public highway, and shall be kept ringing or sounding until the highway is reached; provided that at crossings where the Commission shall by order direct, only after a hearing has been held to determine the public is reasonably and sufficiently protected, the rail carrier may be excused from giving warning provided by this paragraph. | |
(a‑5) The requirements of paragraph (a) of this |
| subsection (2) regarding ringing a bell and sounding a whistle or horn do not apply at a railroad crossing that has a permanently installed automated audible warning device authorized by the Commission under Section 18c‑7402.1 that sounds automatically when an approaching train is at least 1,320 feet from the crossing and that keeps sounding until the lead locomotive has crossed the highway. The engineer or fireman may ring the bell or sound the whistle or horn at a railroad crossing that has a permanently installed audible warning device. | |
(b) Speed Limits. Each rail carrier shall operate |
| its trains in compliance with speed limits set by the Commission. The Commission may set train speed limits only where such limits are necessitated by extraordinary circumstances effecting the public safety, and shall maintain such train speed limits in effect only for such time as the extraordinary circumstances prevail. | |
The Commission and the Department of Transportation |
| shall conduct a study of the relation between train speeds and railroad‑highway grade crossing safety. The Commission shall report the findings of the study to the General Assembly no later than January 5, 1997. | |
(c) Special Speed Limit; Pilot Project. The |
| Commission and the Board of the Commuter Rail Division of the Regional Transportation Authority shall conduct a pilot project in the Village of Fox River Grove, the site of the fatal school bus accident at a railroad crossing on October 25, 1995, in order to improve railroad crossing safety. For this project, the Commission is directed to set the maximum train speed limit for Regional Transportation Authority trains at 50 miles per hour at intersections on that portion of the intrastate rail line located in the Village of Fox River Grove. If the Regional Transportation Authority deliberately fails to comply with this maximum speed limit, then any entity, governmental or otherwise, that provides capital or operational funds to the Regional Transportation Authority shall appropriately reduce or eliminate that funding. The Commission shall report to the Governor and the General Assembly on the results of this pilot project in January 1999, January 2000, and January 2001. The Commission shall also submit a final report on the pilot project to the Governor and the General Assembly in January 2001. The provisions of this subsection (c), other than this sentence, are inoperative after February 1, 2001. | |
(3) Report and Investigation of Rail Accidents.
(a) Reports. Every rail carrier shall report to the |
| Commission, by the speediest means possible, whether telephone, telegraph, or otherwise, every accident involving its equipment, track, or other property which resulted in loss of life to any person. In addition, such carriers shall file a written report with the Commission. Reports submitted under this paragraph shall be strictly confidential, shall be specifically prohibited from disclosure, and shall not be admissible in any administrative or judicial proceeding relating to the accidents reported. | |
(b) Investigations. The Commission may investigate |
| all railroad accidents reported to it or of which it acquires knowledge independent of reports made by rail carriers, and shall have the power, consistent with standards and procedures established under the Federal Railroad Safety Act, as amended, to enter such temporary orders as will minimize the risk of future accidents pending notice, hearing, and final action by the Commission. | |
(Source: P.A. 91‑675, eff. 6‑1‑00; 92‑284, eff. 8‑9‑01.) |
(625 ILCS 5/18c‑7404) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 18c‑7404)
Sec. 18c‑7404. Transportation of Hazardous Materials by Rail Carriers. (1) Commission to Regulate Hazardous Materials Transportation by Rail Carrier.
(a) Powers of the Commission. The Commission is authorized to regulate the transportation of hazardous materials by rail carrier by:
(i) Adopting by reference the hazardous materials regulations of the Office of Hazardous Materials Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration of the United States Department of Transportation, as amended;
(ii) Conducting investigations, issuing subpoenas, taking depositions, requiring the production of relevant documents, records and property, and conducting hearings in aid of such investigations;
(iii) Conducting a continuing review of all aspects of hazardous materials transportation by rail carrier to determine and recommend actions necessary to insure safe transportation of such materials;
(iv) Undertaking, directly or indirectly, research, development, demonstration and training activities;
(v) Cooperating with other State agencies and enter into interagency agreements; and
(vi) Entering upon, inspecting and examining the records and properties relating to the transportation of hazardous materials by rail, including all portions of any facility used in the loading, unloading, and actual movement of such materials, or in the storage of such materials incidental to actual movement by rail;
(vii) Stopping and inspecting trains, at reasonable times and locations and in a reasonable manner, or taking any other action necessary to administer or enforce the provisions of this Section.
(b) Scope of Section. The provisions of this Section apply generally to the transportation of hazardous materials by rail carrier within the State of Illinois, but do not apply to:
(i) Natural gas pipelines;
(ii) Transportation of firearms or ammunition for personal use or in commerce; or
(iii) Transportation exempted by the Commission where the exemption granted by the Commission is:
(A) Coextensive with an exemption granted by the Office of Hazardous Materials and the Federal Railroad Administration; or
(B) Otherwise exempt under statutes or regulations governing similar transportation in interstate commerce.
(c) Rail Carriers to Comply with Commission Regulations. No person shall transport hazardous materials by rail carrier except in compliance with this Section, Commission regulations and orders.
(2) Enforcement.
(a) Criminal Penalties. Any person who willfully violates the provisions of this Section, Commission regulations or orders shall have committed a class 3 felony and be subject to criminal penalties in an amount not to exceed $25,000.
(b) Civil Penalties. Any person who knowingly violates the provisions of this Section, Commission regulations or orders shall also be subject to civil penalties in an amount not to exceed $10,000.
(c) Injunctive Relief. The Commission may petition any circuit court with venue and jurisdiction to enforce this Chapter to enjoin actions which it has reason to believe may pose an imminent hazard, and to issue such other orders as will eliminate or ameliorate the imminent hazard. As used in this Section, "imminent hazard" means a substantial likelihood that death, serious illness, or severe personal injury will occur prior to the time during which an administrative proceeding to abate the danger could normally be completed.
(3) Commission to Adopt Regulations. The Commission may adopt regulations governing the transportation of hazardous materials by rail carrier where:
(a) The risk created by such transportation is susceptible to control by regulation;
(b) State regulation would be more effective in controlling the risk than federal regulation; and
(c) The regulations adopted by the Commission are not inconsistent with federal regulations.
(Source: P.A. 85‑815.) |