ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland has joined the list of states requiring two-person crews for freight trains after the legislature last week overrode a veto by Gov. Wes Moore.
The action in Maryland follows signing of a similar bill by Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee in late July. Fourteen states now have two-person crew laws.
Maryland’s HB 862 was one of two vetoes overridden by legislators during a two-day special session that concluded Aug. 4. The override passed by a 99-30 margin in the House and 33-11 in the Senate, the news site Maryland Matters reports.
The FRA adopted a two-person crew law in 2024, but efforts to repeal it have twice been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives [see “Missouri Congressman again seeks …,” Trains.com, Sept. 8, 2025]. Supporters of the bill characterized it as a backstop against a change to the federal regulation.
“We all know that regulation can be changed,” House Delegate Linda Foley (D-Montgomery) said, according to Maryland Matters. “We can’t leave it to the whim of regulators.”
Moore had vetoed the bill in May, saying he shared the same safety goal as the legislature, but that “this legislation is not the appropriate vehicle for achieving that goal.” He cited a conflict with federal law, as well as a provision in the access agreement between CSX and the MARC commuter operation that would require the state to pay an additional $6 million annually in the event the state enacted a crew-size law.
“House Bill 862, however well-intentioned,” Moore wrote in his veto message, “would likely be rendered unenforceable by federal preemption, exposes the State to additional constitutional risk through its contingency structure, and imposes a significant unfunded fiscal burden at a time when Maryland’s resources must be directed toward its highest priorities.”
The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division hailed the result on its website, with David Pendleton, SMART-TD’s legislative director for the state, saying, “This has been a very long and difficult 11-year battle.”
Rhode Island bill signed at station
McKee signed Rhode Island’s two-person crew bill at the Pawtucket/Central Falls train station on July 23, calling the legislation a “commonsense safety measure” in a press release. “If an issue arises on a delivery route, you need two crew members on board—one to operate the train and a second person to address the problem.”
The bill, H7608/S2913, takes effect on Oct. 1.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Lammis J. Vargas (D-Providence) and Rep. Matthew S. Dawson (D-East Providence). In a press release, Dawson said, “Just like commercial airliners are required to have two licensed pilots on every plane, freight trains, which can consist of dozens or even hundreds of cars carrying heavy and sometimes hazardous loads, shouldn’t be entirely reliant on a single individual.”
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, in celebrating the bill’s signing on its website, said a similar measure was passed unanimously by the Rhode Island Senate in 2024 but ultimately was not signed.
The Association of American Railroads reiterated its opposition to state laws on crew size in a statement today to Trains.
“There is no evidence that mandatory two-person crew laws improve safety,” said Ted Greener, AAR senior vice president of communications. “State mandates of this kind undermine the uniformity and efficiency of the nation’s interconnected freight rail network and interfere with the collective bargaining process that allows railroads and labor organizations to negotiate crew staffing arrangements.”
The AAR has sued to block similar laws elsewhere, most recently in New Jersey [see “AAR sues New Jersey …,” Trains.com, April 1, 2026].
— Updated at 6:15 p.m. CT with AAR comment. To report news or errors, contact [email protected].