Amtrak trains were involved in roughly 800 train strikes from fiscal year 2020 through 2023, resulting in 594 deaths and 279 injuries, a new report found.
Roughly one in five of the company’s passenger engineers may have been involved in such a strike in fiscal 2023, an Amtrak Office of Inspector General report found.
Reducing train strike incidents, where trains hit people or vehicles, is an inherent challenge for all railroads because of difficult-to-control factors, such as suicide attempts, homeless individuals living near active tracks, and motorists who ignore crossing signals. According to the report, the significant size of Amtrak’s network and limited ownership of the tracks it uses amplify these challenges.
While Amtrak has implemented measures to reduce risks across its network, the OIG found the company could better identify and manage its risk of train strikes and, more broadly, adopt key practices to improve risk management. Additionally, OIG auditors found that the company could improve the accuracy of the train strike data required to report to the Federal Railroad Administration.
The OIG highlighted targeted actions Amtrak has taken to reduce train strike risks. The actions include public outreach through collaboration with Operation Lifesaver; regular coordination with Amtrak staff and host railroads; educating commercial drivers, rail shipping groups, and farm bureaus about grade crossing risks with large industrial vehicles; and working with state and local partners to assist with federal grant funding requests on projects that could reduce train strike risks.
During the OIG’s audit, Amtrak also introduced additional initiatives such as a grade crossing “hazard index,” which considers various factors like past incidents, traffic volume, train frequency and speeds, and crossing types, which could allow it to proactively rank all grade crossings based on the likelihood of train strikes. It also finalized a grade crossing safety manual, which it plans to incorporate in its federally required System Safety Program Plan.
Amtrak is exploring artificial intelligence tools and a near-miss reporting system that could help it better identify trespassers.
