Rail safety investment brings big payoff in 2008
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief American railroads again made big safety investments in 2008, and again they paid off in a big way.
Full-year safety results for 2008 were posted this week on the Federal Railroad Administration’s website. Total accidents and incidents declined 11.1% to 12,167. Fatalities dropped 5% to 803, andthey were due mainly to events largely beyond the railroads’ control: grade-crossing accidents andtrespassing incidents.
Train accidents were down 10.9% to 2,375; collisions declined 9.1% to 190; derailments dropped 10.2% to 1,724; and yard accidents were down 4.9% to 1,310.
Well-funded and expanded safety programs at highway-rail crossings and along the right-of-way were reflected in a decline of 14.6% incrossing fatalities, to 286; and a drop of 2.6% in trespassing deaths, to 458.
There were 25 employee fatalities, compared to 17 in 2007.
