Safety

WASHINGTON — Enhanced bridge safety will be the result of the first standard railroad bridge inspection and maintenance agreement between railroads and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman said. “Having a common set of baseline inspection and maintenance practices against which all railroads are measured will help ensure the structural integrity and safety of the nation’s rail bridges for years to come,” Boardman said. He added that the agreement is a major step forward in providing transparency within the industry and for the public about how the safety of railroad bridges is managed. Boardman explained that

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is awarding a $490,000 grant to the Illinois Commerce Commission to continue the Public Education and Enforcement Research Study (PEERS) to improve highway-rail grade crossing safety. The funds will support an expansion of the PEERS effort that provides funding to railroads, safety-related non-profit agencies, and at least 26 cities and towns in Illinois that are implementing customized public outreach and awareness programs and enforcement blitzes targeted to reduce or eliminate pedestrian and motor vehicle grade crossing violations.

WASHINGTON- Improving upon the historic levels of safety achieved in recent years by the nation’s railroads will require the use of a new risk-based approach to identify and correct safety issues before they result in train accidents and employee injuries, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman told industry leaders at a Rail Safety Summit. “Fixing something after it breaks or writing rule violation notices is increasingly unlikely to result in significant additional gains in rail safety,” Boardman said, who announced the Risk Reduction Program (RRP) which is aimed at supplementing current federal regulations, inspection requirements, and other compliance and enforcement

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