TRAIN WHISTLE REQUIREMENTS.

SEC. 1218. TRAIN WHISTLE REQUIREMENTS. (a) In General.— Section 20153 is amended by adding at the end the following: “(i) Regulations.— In issuing regulations under this section, the Secretary— “(1) shall take into account the interest of communities that— “(A) have in effect restrictions on the sounding of a locomotive horn at highway-rail grade crossings; or “(B) have not been subject to the routine (as defined by the Secretary) sounding of a locomotive horn at highway-rail grade crossings; “(2) shall work in partnership with affected communities to provide technical assistance and shall provide a reasonable amount of time for local communities to install supplementary safety measures, taking into account local safety initiatives (such as public awareness initiatives and highway-rail grade crossing traffic law enforcement programs) subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems necessary, to protect public safety; and 110 STAT. 3286 “(3) may waive (in whole or in part) any requirement of this section (other than a requirement of this subsection or subsection (j)) that the Secretary determines is not likely to contribute significantly to public safety. “(j) Effective Date of Regulations.— Any regulations under this section shall not take effect before the 365th day following the date of publication of the final rule.”.