SPRINGFIELD – A measure backed by State Senator Paul Faraci that would provide ongoing, accessible railroad safety education to students in Illinois’ public schools passed the Senate Education Committee.

“We have students who cross a set of railroad tracks every school day, whether walking or biking, and I’ve heard from a number of community members in my district who are concerned with pedestrian safety, especially for students, at tracks near schools,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “By ensuring schools are providing education to keep students safe near railroads, we are directly empowering our youth and their families to take control of their well-being, in turn helping reduce the chance of future accidents.”

House Bill 3743 would require all K-12 public schools to include railroad safety information in their student handbooks. A school would be able to opt out of this requirement if the school board determines that railroad safety is covered in the school's curriculum.

According to the Illinois Commerce Commission, highway-rail crash statistics for 2025 indicate that Illinois had 134 collisions between trains and motor vehicles or pedestrians at highway-rail crossings. Thirty-four people were killed and 27 seriously injured. Illinois has 7,300 miles of track with 7,482 public highway-rail crossings and 3,280 private highway-rail crossings. Nationally this puts Illinois second in both categories, with only Texas having more rail crossings than Illinois.

House Bill 3743 passed the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.