Safety – Page 16 – Railfanning.org

NTSB Member Testifies About Hazardous Materials Transportation

May 14, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

National Transportation Safety Board Member Deborah A.P. Hersman testified before Congress about the safety of hazardous materials transportation. She focused her testimony on the transportation of lithium batteries, the use of wet lines on tanker trucks, and the loading and unloading of hazardous materials from tank trucks and railroad tank cars.

Operation Lifesaver ‘Shark’ Rail Safety PSAs Will Be Featured in Amtrak Stations On National Train Day

May 5, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Amtrak will showcase Operation Lifesaver’s “Shark” rail safety public service advertisements (PSAs) in four major cities as part of its celebration of National Train Day, May 9, 2009. National Train Day commemorates the first transcontinental railroad and promotes rail travel with major events in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles, and other events in communities nationwide. “These PSAs provide a humorous reminder that safety is an essential part of train travel,” said Operation Lifesaver President Helen M. Sramek. “Using common sense is an easy way to practice safety around tracks and trains,” she continued. The PSAs, aimed

Canadian Pacific Police Steps up Safety Enforcement

April 24, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

CALGARY — The Canadian Pacific Police Service (CPPS) is taking its public safety message directly to the street, during Rail Safety Week which runs from April 27 to May 3 in Canada. CP Police officers from Montreal to Vancouver will conduct more than 100 safety and enforcement blitzes in communities across Canada. They will remind students, pedestrians, cyclists and motorists about the important message of staying safe around railway crossings and property. “This week our focus is to build on the education efforts of programs such as Operation Lifesaver by deploying officers to enforce the laws that relate specifically to

NTSB Hands Down Recommendations

April 10, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has handed down a number of recommendations. The NTSB made the following recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration: — Establish uniform signal aspects that railroads must use to authorize a train to enter an occupied block, and prohibitthe use of these aspects for any other signal indication. — Study the different signal systems for trains, identify ways to communicate more uniformly the meaning of signal aspectsacross all railroad territories, and require the railroadsto implement as many uniform signal meanings as possible. — Require that emergency exits on new and remanufactured locomotive cabs provide

UP Recognizes Chemical Customers for Safety Excellence

March 27, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific recently announced the recipients of the railroad’s 13th annual Pinnacle Award for chemical transportation safety. The award annually recognizes companies that have successful prevention and corrective plans as well as a rate of zero non-accident releases (NARs) for shipments of regulated hazardous materials. “The Pinnacle Award gives Union Pacific the chance to acknowledge and thank our customers for their continuing efforts to eliminate chemical releases from rail cars,” said Diane Duren, vice president and general manager – chemicals. “We work closely with all customers to help prevent an accidental release during transit of chemical shipments

FRA: Reductions in Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Crashes

March 27, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — According to preliminary statistics released this month by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), total vehicle-train collisions at highway-rail grade crossings fell 13.8 percent, from 2,752 in 2007 to 2,373 in 2008. Another 286 fatalities involving trains and a car or truck occurred last year, 14.6 percent below 2007, and 913 injuries, a decrease of 12.9 percent from 2007, according to the FRA. “We are heartened by these safety gains, as our goal is to prevent casualties at highway-rail grade crossings,” said Operation Lifesaver, Inc. President Helen M. Sramek. “As part of our ongoing efforts, Operation Lifesaver has developed

Amtrak Details ‘Stimulus’ Projects

March 27, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has released a list of capital projects to be funded by $1.3 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration, the highlights of the list include railcar and locomotive restoration to augment the current fleet, projects to bring stations into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), facility improvements, track, bridge and signal replacements and upgrades. “These Amtrak projects fulfill all of the objectives of the ARRA, and more. They are ‘shovel-ready;’ they will improve the efficiency and accessibility of Amtrak trains and facilities; and we estimate they will

Kansas Officials Learn About Crossing and Pedestrian Safety Onboard Special Train

March 23, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

A special passenger train is making stops this week in several Kansas communities over Union Pacific Railroad lines to promote highway-railroad crossing and pedestrian safety through a program called Operation Lifesaver.”Operation Lifesaver” is the nationwide, non-profit public safety education and outreach program designed to eliminate collisions, deaths and injuries where streets and roads cross railroad tracks at grade and on railroad rights-of-way. Hundreds of community leaders, law enforcement officers and education officials are learning about highway-railroad grade crossing safety and the consequences of trespassing on railroad property. “This special train is just one way we can work to educate and

Chealander Steps Down From NTSB

February 20, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — National Transportation Safety Board Member Steven R. Chealander has announced his resignation from the Board, effective Feb. 28. Chealander has been a Board Member since Jan. 3, 2007. During his tenure at the Board he was the Board Member on scene for three major transportation accident investigations – a mid-air collision between two news helicopters in Phoenix, Arizona in 2007, the crash of a corporate aircraft in Owatonna, Minnesota in 2008, and last week’s crash of a turboprop airliner near Buffalo, New York. Chealander testified before the Texas State Senate in April 2007 on sobriety checkpoints, and before

FRA Begins Development of Positive Train Control Regulations

December 26, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is moving forward with developing new rules that prescribe how railroads should implement Positive Train Control (PTC) systems to prevent train-to-train collisions, announced FRA Acting Administrator Clifford C. Eby. “We are acting quickly and without delay because railroads will need guidance on how to create plans to deploy PTC systems by the end of 2015,” Eby said, noting the first deadline mandated by Congress in a new rail safety law is April 2010, when major freight railroads and intercity and commuter rail operators must submit their PTC implementation plans to FRA for approval.