Safety – Page 13 – Railfanning.org

Federal Railroad Administration Initiates Trespass Prevention Study in South Florida

February 17, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced that the City of West Palm Beach, FL and the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), among other partners, will participate in the Trespass Prevention Research Study, a program designed to identify and review trespass laws and mitigation strategies. The goal is to successfully reduce trespassing incidents and fatalities, the feds said. The SFRTA area experienced ten fatalities due to illegal trespassing in the first eight months of 2008, half of which occurred in the West Palm Beach area. Research done by FRA in the region will help the agency better understand trespassing

Illinois Railroads Ordered to Compensate Employee Fired for Reporting Work-Related injury

February 12, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

KANSAS CITY — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has ordered the Illinois Central Railroad Co. and the Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad, both headquartered in Homewood, Ill., to pay a former railroad employee more than $80,000 in back wages, compensatory damages and attorney’s fees. OSHA investigated the employee’s allegation that the railroads terminated his employment in retaliation for reporting a work-related injury he sustained while performing his job. OSHA’s investigation found that officials from both railroads ordered an investigation into the cause of the employee’s injury, which ultimately resulted in their decision to terminate

NTSB to meet on ‘Most Wanted’ List

February 12, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public Board meeting Thursday, February 18, at 9:30 a.m., in its Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C. The Board will review its list of Most Wanted safety recommendations directed at federal agencies. The Most Wanted List was developed in 1990 to focus attention on safety improvements the Board believes will have the greatest impact on transportation safety. Some of the issues to be reviewed this year include emergency helicopter medical services, intelligent highway technologies, motor carrier operations and operator fatigue. The Board will also discuss

Feds Announce New Safety Standards for Freight and Passenger Trains

January 23, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Administrator Joseph Szabo on Jan. 12 announced historic safety regulations requiring that Positive Train Control (PTC) technology be installed on the nation’s major rail lines as well as commuter and intercity passenger rail routes.

CSX, Georgia Formalize Railroad Security Partnership

January 11, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

ATLANTA – CSX Transportation and the state of Georgia have agreed to a “unique public-private” railroad security partnership they say will help protect the communities located along the railroad’s tracks. Under the “SecureNOW” partnership, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency-Office of Homeland Security can access CSXT’s Network Operations Workstation System. The secure, online system was developed CSXT and allows state and local officials to track the location of CSXT trains and their contents. In return, CSXT – which operates about 2,700 miles of rail lines in Georgia and has major rail yards in Atlanta, Savannah and Waycross – will work with

Operation Lifesaver Warns Hunters to Avoid Train Tracks

November 8, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — With deer hunting season in full swing in many states, Operation Lifesaver is reminding outdoor enthusiasts that hunting on or near train tracks is not only illegal trespassing, it could be deadly. Last year, 456 people died and 429 were injured while trespassing on railroad property nationwide, according to preliminary federal statistics. Operation Lifesaver is taking action to save lives by issuing pedestrian safety tips in time for hunting season. In addition, a new Operation Lifesaver hunting safety video has been posted on YouTube. A number of state Operation Lifesaver programs also are running billboard campaigns urging pedestrians

Transportation Fatalities Down in 2008

September 29, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Transportation fatalities in the United States decreased by almost 10 percent in 2008 from 2007, according to preliminary figures released by the National Transportation Safety Board. This marks the third consecutive year of decreasing transportation fatalities. “While the statistics reveal an encouraging trend line, there is still much work to be done to ensure that fewer families each year will face losing a loved one in a transportation accident,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “We at the NTSB will continue to press hard advocating improvements in all modes of transportation to keep this trend moving in the

Train vs. Motorists or Pedestrians — The Train Will Win

September 24, 2009 Todd DeFeo

MARIETTA, Ga. – A number of organizations – Operation Lifesaver, the U.S. Department of Transportation and major railroad companies – joined together to launch the Common Sense campaign. The initiative aims to reduce the number of pedestrians who are killed and injured when trespassing around tracks and trains. The campaign is targeted toward 18-34 year olds. “Young adults also may be distracted by cell phones, texting, or listening to MP3 players if they’re near the tracks. This new public awareness campaign has a simple message: staying away from the tracks is common sense, and it can save your life,” Cliff

NTSB Identifies Signal Failure in DC Crash

September 22, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued nine safety recommendations, six of which are urgent, as part of its investigation into the collision between two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) trains on June 22, 2009. The trains crashed on the Red Line near the Fort Totten station in Washington. The NTSB’s recommendations address concerns about the safety of train control systems that use audio frequency track circuits, authorities said. As part of its investigation, the NTSB said it discovered that a failure occurred in which a spurious signal generated by a track circuit module transmitter mimicked

Play it Safe When it Comes to Railroad Crossings

September 22, 2009 Todd DeFeo

MARIETTA, Ga. – It was the Fourth of July, and the town square was packed with revelers waiting to see the evening’s fireworks display. The town square was closed for the event, and the nearby railroad tracks were quiet – or so it seemed. Before long, that unmistakable sound ruminated in the distance. The warning bells started to clang. Red lights flashed. The gates started to lower. A locomotive with freight cars in tow started to round the corner. The engineer sounded the customary warning horns – long, long, short, long. At that moment, it became obvious to some pedestrians