DPU Advances New Rail Safety Standards

DPU Advances New Rail Safety Standards

Proposed regulations would strengthen oversight and help identify and address risks before they become emergencies 

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has opened a rulemaking to strengthen safety standards at railroad grade crossings across Massachusetts. The proposed regulations would establish clearer and more consistent requirements to help protect drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and rail passengers. 

The proposal would give DPU, railroads, municipalities and other entities a stronger framework for identifying safety risks and making improvements at grade crossings. It would also establish clearer procedures for evaluating crossings, recommending safety upgrades and ensuring that concerns are addressed before they result in serious incidents. 

The proposed regulations come as passenger rail service continues to grow across Massachusetts, including the opening of South Coast Rail in 2025 and continued planning for West-East Rail. The changes are part of DPU’s broader effort to modernize rail safety oversight and take a more proactive, risk-based approach to identifying and addressing potential hazards. 

“Every day, people across Massachusetts rely on our rail system to get to work, school, appointments, and home to their families. They deserve to know that their safety is our first priority,” said Chair McDiarmid. “Our proposed regulations strengthen our ability to identify potential risks, address safety concerns, and make sure our rail system and crossings are to the highest safety standards to help keep riders, workers, drivers, pedestrians, and communities safe for years to come.” 

“As freight and passenger rail use expands in Massachusetts, we want to strengthen our ability to identify and address safety concerns before they happen,” said Commissioner Staci Rubin. “These regulations would create a diagnostic team process led by the DPU’s skilled rail engineers that would improve our ability to identify and address safety concerns and create a more transparent process for making safety improvements. We look forward to hearing from railroads, municipalities, transportation agencies, and members of the public as we work through the rulemaking process.” 

“People should not have to think twice about safety whether they take the train to work, are on the road, or at a railroad crossing,” said Commissioner Liz Anderson. “Our job is to make sure strong safety standards are in place before something goes wrong. These rulemakings would strengthen accountability and oversight, giving us better tools to identify risks and address them immediately.” 

Railroad grade crossings are level intersections between railroad tracks and roadways, which may also include pedestrian or bicycle paths. The proposed regulations would establish practical and consistent safety standards for grade crossings, periodic evaluations of active grade crossings, and a formal process for overpass and underpass height waivers.  

The DPU will also be able to formally organize diagnostic teams to evaluate crossing conditions and recommend safety improvements, such as additional lighting, signage, adding or altering gates, adding pavement markings, and vegetation trimming. The formal height-waiver process would establish criteria and procedures for submitting and reviewing requests involving bridges over railroad tracks. The proposed regulations would also establish clear application procedures for the creation, modification, or closure of grade crossings, increase transparency, and strengthen compliance with railroad safety requirements.  

The DPU’s Rail Transit Safety Division serves as the state safety regulator for Massachusetts’ railroads for aspects that are not regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The DPU and its predecessor agencies have exercised railroad oversight in Massachusetts since 1864.  

In a separate rulemaking on a different subject, the DPU is proposing updates to its rail transit safety regulations governing the DPU’s role as the State Safety Oversight Agency responsible for overseeing the safety of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) rail transit system (the Red, Blue, Orange, Green and Mattapan Trolley lines). The proposed regulations update existing state regulations to reflect modern federal safety requirements, expanding risk-based inspections, strengthening enforcement and corrective-action processes, and ensuring that the DPU has the tools and information it needs to identify and address safety risks before they harm riders, employees, or the public. 

For its grade crossing regulations, the DPU will hold two public hearings in September. A hybrid hearing will be held in Boston on September 22, 2026, followed by an in-person hearing in Springfield on September 23, 2026. Initial written comments are due September 21, 2026, and reply comments are due September 30, 2026.