Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed a BLET-backed two-person crew bill into law on July 23. The bill reads in part: “No train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight may be operated unless it has a crew consisting of at least two persons.”
The bill was led in the General Assembly by State Representative Matthew Dawson (D-District 65) and State Senator Lammis Vargas (D-District 28). “Requiring two crew members on a train carrying freight is a commonsense safety measure,” said Governor McKee.
Brother Dan Cadogan, Chairman of the BLET’s New England State Legislative Board, has worked on this bill since at least 2024, when a similar measure unanimously passed the State Senate but ultimately was not signed into law. Cadogan thanked Governor McKee, Representative Dawson, and Senator Vargas for their leadership on this important rail safety legislation.
Rhode Island becomes the 14th state to have a crew-size law on the books, joining Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Kansas, Ohio, California, Wisconsin, Arizona, West Virginia, Minnesota, Washington, Nevada, and Colorado.