The Federal Transit Administration is issuing a regulation officials say should make transit workers nationwide safer by mandating standards to protect them while working on transit railways.
The feds announced the final rule today, and it will be published in the Federal Register on Thursday, Oct. 31.
Under the rule, rail transit agencies will have one year to create and receive State Safety Oversight Agency approval for a roadway worker protection program that is focused on employees who work on or around the tracks. Transit agencies must also implement comprehensive training for workers and ensure that unsafe acts and conditions are reported.
Officials say that unsafe practices and conditions place rail transit workers at risk of being killed or seriously injured. According to data reported in the National Transit Database, between Jan. 1, 2008, and June 30, 2024, 29 transit workers were killed and 144 were seriously injured performing track work.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FTA’s Transit Advisory Committee for Safety have recommended regulatory action to improve the safety of rail transit workers.
- Adopt and implement an SSOA-approved Roadway Worker Protection Program (RWP) to improve worker safety, consistent with Federal and state safety requirements. “Roadway” is a term describing the area on and along the tracks.
- Establish minimum RWP program elements, including job safety briefings and lone worker protection.
- Create or update safety manuals to document RWP programs and include a track access guide. Establish a training program that addresses all transit workers responsible for on-track safety by position.
