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 Tuesday.
“Providing students, families, faculty and staff with comprehensive railroad safety education is common sense for helping our youth avoid preventable injuries and fatalities,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “In the 52nd District, we have students who have to cross a set of train tracks every school day, and this is a great cause of worry for many of my community members. Empowering students to take control of their safety is the least we can do to 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 Tuesday and heads to the governor for further consideration.
