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LD1644 • 2025

An Act to Require Train Axle Bearing Sensors to Be Installed on Passenger Rail Lines

An Act to Require Train Axle Bearing Sensors to Be Installed on Passenger Rail Lines

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Senator Joseph Rafferty
Last action
2025-05-20
Official status
Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Require Train Axle Bearing Sensors to Be Installed on Passenger Rail Lines

An Act to Require Train Axle Bearing Sensors to Be Installed on Passenger Rail Lines Sponsor: Senator Joseph Rafferty Reference committee: Transportation Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Require Train Axle Bearing Sensors to Be Installed on Passenger Rail Lines Sponsor: Senator Joseph Rafferty Reference committee: Transportation Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-20 Senate

    Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)

  2. 2025-05-13 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP

  3. 2025-05-08 Committee

    Work Session Held

  4. 2025-05-08 Committee

    Voted; ONTP

  5. 2025-04-11 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Transportation.

  6. House

    None

Official Summary Text

An Act to Require Train Axle Bearing Sensors to Be Installed on Passenger Rail Lines
Sponsor:
Senator Joseph Rafferty
Reference committee:
Transportation
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1644
S.P. 652 In Senate, April 15, 2025
An Act to Require Train Axle Bearing Sensors to Be Installed on
Passenger Rail Lines
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on April 11, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Transportation pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator RAFFERTY of York.
Cosponsored by Representative CROCKETT of Portland and
Senator: INGWERSEN of York, Representatives: DODGE of Belfast, MITCHELL of
Cumberland, SAYRE of Kennebunk.

Page 1 - 132LR1287(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 23 MRSA §7016 is enacted to read:
3§7016. Hotbox detectors
4 Beginning January 1, 2027, a hotbox detector must be installed every 20 miles on a
5 railroad line that operates in the State on which a passenger train operates. For purposes
6 of this section, "hotbox detector" means a system of sensors that monitor and identify
7 overheated axle bearings of a train using an infrared thermal detection system as wheelsets
8 pass over the detector.
9SUMMARY
10 This bill requires the installation of a hotbox detector every 20 miles on a railroad line
11 that operates in the State on which a passenger train operates, beginning January 1, 2027.
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