FRA – Page 20 – Railfanning.org

U.S. Transportation Peters Unveils Bush Administration’s New Approach for America’s Transportation Future

July 30, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

ATLANTA – A clean and historic break with the past is needed to encourage the future vitality of our country’s transportation network, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters, who unveiled the Bush Administration’s new plan to refocus, reform and renew the national approach to highway and transit systems in America. “Without a doubt, our federal approach to transportation is broken. And no amount of tweaking, adjusting or adding new layers on top will make things better,” Peters said. “It is time for a new, a different and a better approach.” Peters said the plan sets a course for reforming the nation’s transportation programs by outlining a renewed federal focus

Seven States Share $5.6 million in Grant Funding for Grade Crossing Safety in High-Speed Rail Corridors

July 26, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Five federally-designated high-speed rail corridors in California, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin will share $5,640,174 in federal grant funding to make safety improvements at approximately 25 highway-rail grade crossings. The funds will support the installation of grade crossing warning lights and gates, the closure of crossings, and other engineering solutions to help prevent motor vehicle-train collisions along rail lines where high-speed passenger trains are intended to operate in the future. The grants are jointly managed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and complement the significant investments and ongoing efforts made by these states to improve the safety of intercity

FRA Grant Supports New Technology to Increase Reliability of Rail Flaw Detection

July 26, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded a grant totaling $231,802 to the University of California at San Diego to refine hardware and software for new technology that uses laser ultrasonic probes to detect certain internal rail defects. The improvements will permit an on-track vehicle carrying the system to operate at speeds up to 40 mph, increasing the efficiency of track inspections as well as providing higher reliability of rail defect detection than is currently available. FRA previously provided funding for development of a prototype system which has been built and tested. Grant funds also will be used to conduct a more comprehensive technology demonstration at the FRA

Deputy Secretary of Transportation Barrett Announces $1 Million Grant to Help Reduce the Leading Causes of Rail-Related Deaths

July 22, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Deputy Secretary of Transportation Vice Admiral Thomas J. Barrett announced a $1.015 million grant to continue federal support of public education efforts to reduce collisions between trains and motor vehicles at highway-rail grade crossings and discourage illegal trespassing along railroad rights of way. “Most rail-related deaths are preventable, and the far-reaching educational outreach efforts of Operation Lifesaver helps save lives every day,” said Barrett, noting that in 2007 there were 338 grade crossing and 473 trespasser deaths which accounted for a combined 95 percent of all rail-related fatalities. Barrett explained that the grant is being provided by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and will support the public outreach

FRA Issues Proposed Rule to Improve Protection for Railroad Roadway Workers

July 18, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to improve protection for roadway workers from train or equipment movements on an adjacent track. The proposal would require railroads, contractors to railroads, and roadway workers to adopt and comply with additional on-track safety procedures. It will cover work groups using certain maintenance equipment, when at least one worker is on the ground and the centerline of the adjacent track is 19 feet or less from the centerline of the track being worked on. FRA is also proposing to expand requirements for job safety briefings, training, and recordkeeping to ensure compliance with the new procedures. Under existing

FRA Issues Final Rule for Rail Relocation and Improvement Grant Program

July 11, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a Final Rule detailing the eligibility requirements and selection criteria for capital grants under the Rail Line Relocation and Improvement program created in the SAFETEA-LU legislation. In order to be eligible for grant funding, a project must mitigate the adverse effects of rail traffic on safety, motor vehicle traffic flow, community quality of life or involve a lateral or vertical relocation of any portion of the rail line. Under the law, half of all grant funds are reserved for projects costing no more than $20 million each. A state or other eligible entity will be required to pay at least 10

New DOT Rule Makes Cheating on Drug Testing Harder

June 30, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced today a new rule that will make it more difficult for transportation workers to cheat on their required drug tests by requiring drug testing labs to analyze every test for tampering. “We want to make sure there are no doubts about the ability of anyone working in transportation do their job as safely as possible,” said Secretary Peters said. “There is no margin for error when it comes to the safety of the traveling public.” The Secretary said the new rule would cover the nation’s approximately 12.1 million transportation employers, safety-sensitive transportation employees, collectors, labs, and medical review officers. She noted that

STB to Hold Hazardous Materials Hearing

June 4, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will hold a public hearing next month to discuss “issues related to the common carrier obligation of railroads—the duty of railroads to provide transportation or service on reasonable request—with respect to the transportation of hazardous materials.” The hearing follows one held in April on the general topic of the common carrier obligation of railroads. The July 16 hearing “will provide a forum for a more detailed discussion of issues specifically pertaining to the railroads’ common carrier obligation regarding the movement of toxic by inhalation hazards and other hazardous materials,” the STB said in a statement. In April, the Federal Railroad Administration announced that railroads

FRA: Train Crews in Wrecks Have Better Chance of Survival

June 3, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Train crews involved in a locomotive collision will have a better chance of survival with reduced injuries as a result of the first-ever federal freight locomotive crash worthiness standards issued, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman said. The regulation is intended to prevent the locomotive cab from being crushed during a head-on collision with another locomotive, or when it strikes the rear of another train, a shifted load on a train on an adjacent track, or a vehicle at a highway-rail grade crossing, Boardman said. “This regulation will give engineers and conductors a better chance to walk away from the devastation and destruction of a locomotive collision,” Boardman

DOT: Action Plan Contributes to Nearly 25 Percent Decrease in Train Accidents

May 30, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The number of train accidents has decreased by 23.3 percent in the past three years in part because the Department of Transportation has completed an ambitious plan designed to improve safety on the Nation’s railroads, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters says. “We’ve seen how much can be done when you combine good data analysis, sound strategies, and focused decisions to tackle persistent safety problems,” Peters said, stressing the achievements resulted from the Department’s National Rail Safety Action Plan, the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) comprehensive freight and passenger rail safety programs and the work of railroads, rail employees and others. Between 2004 and 2007, the improvements in