FRA – Page 16 – Railfanning.org

FRA: Reductions in Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Crashes

March 27, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — According to preliminary statistics released this month by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), total vehicle-train collisions at highway-rail grade crossings fell 13.8 percent, from 2,752 in 2007 to 2,373 in 2008. Another 286 fatalities involving trains and a car or truck occurred last year, 14.6 percent below 2007, and 913 injuries, a decrease of 12.9 percent from 2007, according to the FRA. “We are heartened by these safety gains, as our goal is to prevent casualties at highway-rail grade crossings,” said Operation Lifesaver, Inc. President Helen M. Sramek. “As part of our ongoing efforts, Operation Lifesaver has developed new public service announcements (PSAs) and informational videos to provide

NTSB to Discuss Metrolink Crash

February 10, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public hearing on the 2008 collision in Chatsworth, Calif., involving a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train. The two-day hearing will begin on March 3 at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington. At 4:22 p.m. on Sept. 12, 2008, Metrolink commuter train 111 and a Union Pacific freight train collided. As a result of this head-on accident, there were 25 fatalities and numerous injuries. On the day of the accident, the Metrolink engineer, who was responsible for the operation of the train, received and sent several text messages on his cell

Mica: 80 and Counting Respond to Call for U.S. High-Speed Rail

February 5, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Eighty companies and state departments of transportation have responded to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) request for expressions of interest to develop high-speed rail corridors, according to U.S. Rep. John L. Mica, R-Fla. “This overwhelming response is remarkable given the current state of the economy,” said Mica, the Republican Leader of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Last year, he led the effort to open high-speed rail development to private sector participation in 11 federally designated corridors in the United States. The measure including this initiative was signed into law in October. As required by the Mica initiative, FRA began soliciting proposals in December to develop, finance, construct,

FRA Issues Record of Decision for the Replacement of 100 Year-Old Portal Bridge Over Hackensack River in New Jersey

December 31, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a Record of Decision for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Portal Bridge Capacity Enhancement Project over the Hackensack River, between Secaucus and Kearny, N.J. The FEIS, prepared in cooperation with Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, considered four build alternatives in addition to a No Action Alternative. The FRA has decided to proceed with the alternative which includes a three-track fixed northern bridge, a two-track moveable southern bridge built on a new southern alignment, and a track over track grade separation to eliminate crossover movements. This alternative is expected to cost $1.344 billion in 2008 dollars and take 66

FRA Issues Notice of Intent to Prepare EIS and EIR for High Speed Train System in California

December 31, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a Notice of Intent that it will prepare the Environment Impact Statement (EIS) and project Environmental Impact Report (EIR) jointly with the California High Speed Rail Authority for the San Francisco to San Jose section of the California High Speed Train (HST) system. The preparation of the EIR/EIS will involve development of preliminary engineering designs and assessment of environmental effects associated with the construction, operation, and maintenance of the HST system, including track, ancillary facilities and stations. In 2005, FRA completed the first phase of the environmental review process when it approved the statewide HST system for intercity travel in California. On Dec.

FRA Increases Minimum and Maximum Civil Penalties

December 31, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a final rule increasing the civil penalties for violations of a railroad safety statute or regulation. The increase incorporates the new maximum civil penalty amounts authorized by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and new minimum amounts required under the Federal Civil Penalty Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990. Specifically, FRA is increasing the minimum civil penalty per violation from $550 to $650, while the ordinary maximum civil penalty per violation will be increased from $16,000 to $25,000 and the aggravated maximum civil penalty per violation, where a grossly negligent violation or pattern of repeated violations has created an imminent hazard

FRA Begins Development of Positive Train Control Regulations

December 26, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is moving forward with developing new rules that prescribe how railroads should implement Positive Train Control (PTC) systems to prevent train-to-train collisions, announced FRA Acting Administrator Clifford C. Eby. “We are acting quickly and without delay because railroads will need guidance on how to create plans to deploy PTC systems by the end of 2015,” Eby said, noting the first deadline mandated by Congress in a new rail safety law is April 2010, when major freight railroads and intercity and commuter rail operators must submit their PTC implementation plans to FRA for approval. Eby stated that developing the new rules is a necessary

DOT Signs Agreement with Kansas City Southern Railway to Relieve Freight Congestion at Laredo Border

December 25, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — An alternate route for freight rail traffic to and from the United States and Mexico to improve cross-border goods movement is one step closer to reality thanks to an agreement signed this week by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Kansas City Southern Railway, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today. The East Loop Bypass project proposes a new rail bridge east of Laredo, Texas, continuing across the border and south into Mexico. “Border congestion creates an unnecessary obstacle to efficient trade with our international partners. Providing alternative routes for freight transport is good for the economy and the American people,” Peters said. The project is part

FRA Announces Disaster Relief Funding for Small Railroads

November 26, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is accepting applications from states for $20 million in grant funding to help small Class II and Class III railroads that sustained infrastructure damage as a result of recent natural disasters. Under the Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair Grant Program, federal grant funds may be used to repair and rehabilitate damage to railroad infrastructure sustained due to hurricanes, floods, and similar events in counties declared to be major disasters by the President from Jan. 1 to Nov. 6. Among the possible uses of the funds are restoration of railroad rights-of-way, bridges, and signals. Prospective grantees must exhaust all other federal and state resources prior to

FRA Announces Funding for Proposed Maglev Projects East of the Mississippi River

November 26, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is now accepting applications from states or state designated authorities for $45 million in grant funding for proposed magnetic levitation (maglev) projects located east of the Mississippi River. The SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections Act of 2008 limits the eligible projects to those in or between: Pittsburgh, Baltimore-Washington, and Atlanta-Chattanooga. FRA may award one or more grants which can be used for preconstruction planning activities and the capital costs of the fixed guideway infrastructure.