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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 76 FILED ON: 1/3/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3798
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Marcus S. Vaughn
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act establishing school zones for locomotives.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Marcus S. Vaughn9th Norfolk1/3/2025 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 76 FILED ON: 1/3/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3798
By Representative Vaughn of Wrentham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3798) of
Marcus S. Vaughn relative to establishing school zone speed limits for locomotives.
Transportation.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3462 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act establishing school zones for locomotives.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Chapter 160 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 19 the
2following section:-
3 Section 19A. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a city or town
4may, by vote of the city council or other legislative body of a city, or town meeting or other
5legislative body of a town, establish designated school zones as provided in section 2 of chapter
685 for passenger and freight locomotive engines operating on railroads within the city or town,
7and may set speed limits for locomotives operating in said zones at a rate of speed not to exceed
820 miles per hour; provided, however, that no such designation or speed limit shall be effective
9until the city or town; (i) notifies any railroad corporation with a railroad running through the
10designated zone of such designation and speed limit, and (ii) erects signs indicating such 2 of 2
11designation and speed limit, in a manner consistent with the department of highways’ current
12manual on uniform traffic control devices and said department’s sample regulation for a standard
13municipal traffic code, at such points as said department and the effected railroad corporations,
14acting jointly, may designate. No railroad corporation, including the Massachusetts Bay
15Transportation Authority, shall permit a passenger or freight locomotive to operate on a railroad
16at a rate of speed greater than the rate posted while traveling through a designated school zone in
17a city or town. Cities and towns shall be responsible for the cost of erecting and maintaining
18signs pursuant to this section.