(a) Pilot Programs.— The Secretary of Transportation shall conduct a pilot program to demonstrate an emergency notification system utilizing a toll free telephone number that the public can use to convey to railroad carriers, either directly or through public safety personnel, information about malfunctions or other safety problems at railroad-highway grade crossings. The pilot program, at a minimum
(1) shall include railroad-highway grade crossings in at least 2 States;
(2) shall include provisions for public education and awareness of the program; and
(3) shall require information to be posted at the railroad-highway grade crossing describing the emergency notification system and instructions on how to use the system.
The Secretary may, by grant, provide funding for the expense of information signs and public awareness campaigns necessary to demonstrate the notification system.
(b) Report.—
The Secretary shall complete the pilot program not later than 24 months after November 2, 1994, and shall submit to the Congress not later than 30 months after November 2, 1994, an evaluation of the pilot program, together with findings as to the effectiveness of such emergency notification systems. The report shall compare and contrast the structure, cost, and effectiveness of the pilot program with other emergency notification systems in effect within other States. Such evaluation shall include analyses of the safety benefits derived from the programs, cost effectiveness, and the burdens on participants, including railroad carriers and law enforcement personnel.
