The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a new, final rule on July 29 that requires passenger railroads to proactively identify potential safety hazards across their operations and work to reduce and mitigate them. FRA believes this rule will help prevent safety problems from escalating and resulting in incidents, injuries or deaths.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) have released 10 service and route options for new and improved conventional and high-speed passenger rail service connecting Oklahoma City, Okla., Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and South Texas.
The title of Larry Light’s “PTC vs. Legacy Train Control” article in the June 2016 issue of Railway Age (full text follows this article) promised a balanced discussion of the differences between newer and older versions of train control. In reality, the article focused on why he believes that legacy train control systems need to be maintained.
Three years ago, in the early hours of July 13, a runaway oil train exploded in the then-idyllic lakeside town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, killing 47 people.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown released the following statement regarding the Federal Railroad Administration’s June 23rd Preliminary Factual Findings Report on the June 3rd derailment of Union Pacific’s crude oil train:
The Federal Railroad Administration on June 23, 2106 released its preliminary findings on the June 3 Oregon crude oil derailment and found at fault: bolts, brakes and Union Pacific.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) released on June 15 its comments filed with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to withdraw its proposed rule mandating two-person crews on railroads.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) joins the international rail transportation community in educating the public about the dangers of railroad grade crossings during the 8th Annual International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) today, June 10, 2016.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on April 4, 2016 announced that it is accepting applications for $25 million in competitive grant funding available to railroads, suppliers, and state and local governments for Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation. The funding is part of the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act that funds the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on March 17, 2016 launched a redesigned website described as “a one-stop shop to help drivers, pedestrians, and law enforcement stay safe around the nation’s more than 200,000 railroad crossings and 140,000 miles of track.” Railroad Crossing Safety & Trespass Prevention is “part of the agency’s ongoing campaign to reduce fatalities at railroad crossings and tracks to zero by building partnerships that increase education, step up enforcement and leverage engineering.”