Class I railroads post strong safety gains
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefClass I railroads of the U.S. have come through the recession years busier and more profitable than most American industries. At the same time they have achieved strong gains in safety.
Preliminary statistics released this week by the Office of Safety Analysis of the Federal Railroad Administration for the first eight months of 2011 show significant improvement in almost every area of operation.
Total accidents-incidents for the January-August period of 2011, at 7,629, were 17.7% lower than in the same period of 2008. Rail-related fatalities were down 8.2% to 402. Highway-rail grade crossing fatalities declined 11.4% to 171, and trespassing fatalities dropped 6.9% to 298. The 18 employee deaths recorded in 2011 were unacceptable by any standard and showed no improvement from the 17 recorded four years ago.
In other categories, the four-year comparison showed collisions down 14.7% to 110; derailments down 25.0% to 947; and yard accidents down 27.4% to 692.
