Rail accidents/incidents down 10% in 1Q

This year’s first quarter saw continued overall improvement in railroad safety, with the total number of accidents/incidents down 10.1% compared with the first quarter of last year.

Train accidents declined 5.3% to 481 and caused one fatality, compared with six in the 2010 period.

Derailments were down nearly 2% to 355, and yard accidents declined 9.7% to 252. The number of collision increased from 28 to 32.

Total rail-related fatalities in January-March this year increased 7.3% to 161, but 155 of these were essentially beyond the railroads’ control. Trespassing fatalities rose 2.5% to 83, and highway-rail fatalities were up 12.5% to 72.

There were four employee fatalities in this year’s first quarter, compared with five in the corresponding period last year.