Safety – Page 14 – Railfanning.org

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 right direction, because every transportation fatality is an unnecessary tragedy.”

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 Stayton, a former locomotive engineer, said in a news release.

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 a valid signal and bypassed the rails via an unintended

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 that they were on the wrong side of the tracks.

Amtrak and Capitol Corridor Support California Rail Safety Month

September 4, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

OAKLAND, Calif. — Amtrak and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) are joining efforts during September to raise public awareness about highway-rail grade crossing safety and trespass prevention as part of California’s first ever “Rail Safety Month.” Working with California Operation Lifesaver, freight and passenger railroads and other rail safety partners, Amtrak will participate in “Officer on the Train” events in cities throughout the state during the month of September. The key element of this program is to have local law enforcement officers ride in the locomotive to witness what train engineers observe daily — motorists driving illegally through rail crossings or someone trespassing on the tracks. When the

UP, Operation Lifesaver Campaign Urges Pedestrians to Use Common Sense Around Railroad Tracks

August 26, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Look both ways before crossing! Many of us heard this warning as children and common sense says to heed it when crossing streets.That same warning applies when crossing railroad tracks, where not looking can have deadly consequences. Union Pacific Railroad and Operation Lifesaver have joined forces in San Antonio to launch a bilingual awareness campaign aimed at promoting safety around railroad tracks. The campaign, which runs through September, reminds Alamo City residents to use common sense when approaching railroad tracks. The Common Sense Campaign is specifically aimed at 18- to 34-year-olds, the group most likely to be involved in railroad-related pedestrian casualties, according to national statistics.

WMATA: Metro Implements Stricter Hiring Standards

August 19, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Metro has implemented stricter hiring standards, including applicants for frontline and safety sensitive positions. The new standards went into effect earlier this month. “Our frontline employees are the face of Metro,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe. “We want the strongest applicants for every open position. These new hiring standards are meant to help us find only the best and brightest employees to help move more than one million customers each day.” Under the new hiring standards, job applicants for “frontline positions” will be disqualified from the applicant pool for any number of reasons, including one or more moving violations within the last three years for negligent, careless

Washington Metro Announces ‘Safety Stand Down’ Following Employee fatality

August 10, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

Federal Railroad Administration Awards $1 Million Rail Safety Grant to Operation Lifesaver

August 6, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo announced a $1,015,000 grant for Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), providing the Alexandria, Va.-based nonprofit organization support to continue its wide-ranging public education outreach efforts to raise awareness about the potential hazards at grade crossings and the dangers of illegal trespassing on railroad property.In 2008, there were 2,395 grade crossing incidents resulting in 287 deaths, as well as 453 deaths due to rail trespassing, slightly fewer than similar incidents in 2007. “Despite decreases in the number of train-vehicle collisions, promoting railroad safety is as important as ever,” Administrator Szabo said. “Through this sustained public-private partnership, OLI, with the support of the Federal Railroad Administration,

Norfolk Southern’s ‘Train Your Brain’ Public Safety Campaign Fills Summer Calendar in Indiana

July 24, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — A giant pink eyes-wide-open walking brain has been spotted among summer crowds in Indiana, drawing attention to Norfolk Southern’s “Train Your Brain” safety campaign. Without saying a word, Brainy wows audiences with a hapless, almost human nature that reminds people to be safe around highway-rail grade crossings and to avoid trespassing on railroad property. In the third year of Norfolk Southern’s unconventional safety campaign, Brainy seems to have reached new heights of popularity in northern Indiana. Brainy has appeared at the Potato Creek Festival in North Liberty, the St. Joseph County 4-H Fair in South Bend, the 54th Annual Summer Festival Parade in Michigan City, and the