Governor Polis signs new rail safety bill into law following deadly derailment

PUBELO, Colo. (KRDO) - Governor Polis signed a new bill into law Friday afternoon to increase rail safety in Colorado.

"The bottom line is that corporate and commerce and corporate profits should not trump the safety of our workers,  our communities and our environment," State Senator and prime sponsor Lisa Cutter said.

Accidents like what happened in Pueblo along I-25 gave a lot of momentum to the piece of legislation, House Bill 24-1030, that will go into effect in 2026.

 "We want to reduce those risks even further and avoid further disruptive incidents like what happened just north of Pueblo that closed down 25," Governor Jared Polis said.

One person died as a result of that derailment. Now, state authorities are stepping up, requiring trains to be less than 8500 feet, operate wayside detector systems, and report those systems to the Public Utilities Commission. The bill also requires trains not to block crossing for first responders.

The bill also adds a layer of protection for job safety for train workers who blow the whistle on unsafe practices within the railway.

"Workers have been watching out and reporting these things and they've been fired and retaliated against for these concerns," Senator Lisa Cutter said.

The Public Utilities Commission will enforce these new requirements by imposing fines on railroad companies that violate these new requirements.