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FRA

Train Accidents Decline for Third Consecutive Year, Other Rail Safety Data Improves

WASHINGTON — The number of train accidents across the Nation declined for the third consecutive year according to preliminary 2007 data released by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters. “Our strong focus on improving rail safety is achieving significant results for three years running now,” Peters said, noting there has been 833 fewer train accidents, or a 24.6 percent reduction when comparing the period from 2004 to 2007. Peters stressed that some of the safety gains are attributable to aggressive implementation of the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) National Rail Safety Action Plan first launched in May 2005. It

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NTSB

Rosenker Stresses the Need for Sleep During Sleep Awareness Week

WASHINGTON — National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said the occasion of National Sleep Awareness Week (March 3-9) should remind operators of vehicles in all modes of transportation about the inherent dangers of fatigue. “The Safety Board is very concerned about reducing accidents and incidents caused by human fatigue,” Rosenker said. “We have seen numerous accidents where human fatigue was the probable cause or a contributing factor.” Fatigue has been on the Board’s Most Wanted List of safety improvements since the list’s inception in 1990. Throughout its 41-year history, the NTSB has seen the issue of fatigue reoccur

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BNSF

New, Safer Brake Technology for Freight Trains Gains Traction as Second Railroad Launches ECP Train

WASHINGTON — Utilizing advanced brake technology advocated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the BNSF Railway has launched its first revenue service train fully equipped with state-of-the-art electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes. “We expect that these brakes can make rail operations safer and provide business benefits as well,” FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman said, noting that BNSF, along with the Norfolk Southern Railway, received FRA waiver approval last year to install and begin demonstrating ECP brake technology. In contrast to conventional air brake systems, which operate sequentially from one rail car to the next, ECP technology applies the brakes uniformly

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FRA

FRA: Passenger Train Safety to Be Improved with New Requirements for Emergency Communication, Evacuation, and Rescue Features

WASHINGTON — Commuter and intercity passenger rail equipment will be safer under a new federal rule that ensures improved emergency window exit availability, specifies additional emergency rescue features, and requires two-way communication systems, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman said. “These safety features will help rail passengers evacuate from a train more quickly and provide emergency responders additional ways to reach trapped or injured riders should the need arise,” Boardman said. The new regulations issued by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) mandate that passenger rail cars be equipped with two-way communication systems that better help train crews inform and instruct

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FRA

Federal Rail Safety Program Surpasses One Million Miles of Track Inspected

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP) recently surpassed the milestone of inspecting its one millionth mile of track for compliance with federal standards, announced FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. The custom-built inspection vehicles are equipped with state of the art technology to help identify track flaws that could lead to train derailments. The ATIP program uses a variety of technologies to measure track geometry flaws, such as whether the two rails are level, if the width between the rails is acceptable, and if the surface of each rail meets federal standards. Problem areas are

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FRA

FRA Publishes Collision Hazard Analysis Guide for Passenger Rail Operators

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has published a step-by-step guidebook on how to identify and analyze potential hazards along a rail corridor for use in developing effective risk reduction strategies that will improve the safety of commuter and intercity passenger rail operations. The analysis provides a foundation for ensuring that hazards such as highway-rail grade crossings, overhead and trackside structures, or bridge abutments are evaluated and addressed. The FRA publication supports the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) ongoing Commuter Rail System Safety Program Plan initiative, officials said.

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Canadian National

Safe Crossing Week 2007 Teaches Kids How to Behave Safely Around Trains

WASHINGTON — To encourage educators, parents and caregivers to teach children that trains and railroad tracks may be dangerous places, Safe Kids USA and Canadian National are launching Safe Crossing Week, which begins today and runs through Nov. 18. Each year in the United States, an average of 916 people are killed and 8,300 are seriously injured in collisions with trains in the United States. In 2005, a total of 39 children aged 15 and under were killed in an incident involving a train. According to the two safety partners, education is key to preventing these injuries. CN created the

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Safety

AAR: Warner Bros urged to take action to prevent rail suicides; Hotline number should be included on movie, DVD

America’s freight railroads have joined with one of the nation’s leading suicide prevention groups in urging Warner Bros. to help prevent suicides on the railroad tracks. A new movie scheduled for release by the studio, “Rails and Ties,” portrays the story of a woman who dies by suicide on railroad tracks. Tragically, incidents like the one portrayed in the movie occur all too often. The leading cause of railroad accidents occurs simply because many people don’t understand the inherent dangers of being on or around railroad tracks, including the fact that it takes a freight train more than a mile

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Safety

Union Pacific Urges Motorists and Pedestrians to Travel Safely This Halloween

OMAHA, Neb. — Millions of miniature witches, princesses and superheroes will canvass neighborhoods Halloween night in search of tricks-or-treats. During this spooky time, Union Pacific urges travelers – motorists and pedestrians alike – to take extra time when crossing railroad tracks and at grade crossings. It is essential always to practice safety at highway-rail grade crossings and to heed the warnings of automated crossing gates, flashing signals, stop signs, yield signs and crossbuck signs. When traveling near the railroad, please remember these important safety guidelines: Never walk along tracks and only cross tracks at designated pedestrian roadway crossings when on

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BNSF

FRA: Nation’s First Freight Train Equipped with New, Safer Brake Technology Begins Operations

WASHINGTON — The first train fully equipped with electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake technology began hauling coal today in southwestern Pennsylvania under a waiver approved by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), announced Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. Norfolk Southern Railway is the first railroad to operate revenue service trains equipped with ECP brakes under the waiver, Boardman said. BNSF Railway also received waiver approval and is expected to operate trains with the new, safer brake technology before the end of 2007. “These railroads understand using ECP brake technology can bring significant safety and business benefits, and I encourage other railroads to