The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC), a U.S. trade association that advances the mutual interests of railway contractors and suppliers, appreciates the efforts of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to move forward a long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill, the BUILD America 250 Act.

The NRC is pleased that the House T&I Committee was able to work in a bipartisan fashion on this bill. In particular, the bill contains key provisions that would streamline project delivery, reduce red tape through the discretionary grant process, and make small steps toward addressing the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund.

However, the NRC was discouraged to see certain amendments adopted during the mark-up, including a truck weight increase to 91,000 pounds in some states through a 10-year pilot program. The NRC supports maintaining the existing federal truck size and weight maximums to help ensure safety on our roads and to control the damage trucks cause to our highway infrastructure. This amendment will hurt modal equity and divert traffic away from rail and onto our already overloaded highway system.

Additionally, the adoption of the Railway Safety Act amendment will certainly harm the overall rail ecosystem without adding any meaningful safety benefits. It is imperative to allow railroads, rail contractors, and suppliers to innovate and deploy safety technologies without broad sweeping mandates that are not driven by actual data. Moreover, 2025 was the safest year in freight rail history, which makes the adoption of this language even more harmful and out of touch. The NRC has consistently urged Congress to use data-driven solutions that would effectively increase the safety of the rail network and avoid policy changes that would place unnecessary or excessive mandates on the rail industry that would not enhance rail safety.

We understand there is a long road ahead and the NRC looks forward to working with Committee leadership and Congress to continue to strengthen this bill as it moves through the legislative process.

About the NRC- The NRC is a U.S. trade association that advances the mutual interests of railway contractors and suppliers who construct, maintain and supply freight railroads and rail-transit and passenger lines. Founded in 1978, the NRC connects members with other railway industry professionals and government officials and policy makers. The NRC collaborates with its members, government, and industry leaders to create a positive business climate and to make railway construction and maintenance safer and more efficient.