Safety – Page 20 – Railfanning.org

Oberstar, Cummings Release Findings of GAO Report: Railroad Bridges and Tunnels May Also Be at Risk

September 23, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis Aug. 1 focused attention on the condition of the nation’s highway bridges, but a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released last month warns that many of the nation’s railroad bridges and tunnels may also be at risk. While most highway bridges are built and maintained by states and local governments, railroad bridges and tunnels are the property of the railroads themselves and do not receive regular inspections by federal safety officials. Railroads own and maintain some 76,000 bridges and 800 tunnels in the United States. “We just

Norfolk Southern Whistle-Stop Train Delivers Safety Training to Emergency Responders in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi

September 17, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — A special train will travel to Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi Sept. 17-21 to provide emergency preparedness training to first responders as part of the 2007 Norfolk Southern TRANSCAER Whistle-Stop Tour. TRANSCAER (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) is a nationwide program that assists communities in preparing for and responding to a possible hazardous material transportation incident. “The Whistle-Stop Tour brings emergency preparedness training to response organizations and educates communities near major rail routes about rail equipment, chemical transportation and the importance of planning for potential hazardous material transportation emergencies,” said Chuck Wehrmeister, Norfolk Southern’s vice president safety

Norfolk Southern Graduates 113 Students from Emergency Response Training School

July 9, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — First responders from across the United States sharpened their skills at responding to hazardous materials incidents during Norfolk Southern-sponsored tank car safety classes this year at the Transportation Technology Center Inc., near Pueblo, Colo. One hundred thirteen students attended the five-day, 40-hour courses at TTCI’s Emergency Response Training Center, which provides training in classes that simulate train, truck and barge accidents. Located on 52 square miles of isolated high desert, the TTCI campus includes 48 miles of specialized tracks to test locomotives, vehicles, track components and signal devices. Some 80 rail cars, intermodal and highway vehicles, and

Reducing Human Error and Strengthening Hazardous Materials Tank Cars Top Rail Safety Agenda for 2007, says DOT Secretary Peters

May 22, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Department will issue a final rule to prevent human factor-caused train accidents and complete research for new hazardous materials tank car design standards this year to continue recent improvements in rail safety, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said as part of a progress report on a Department campaign to improve rail safety. She noted that preliminary data for 2006 shows the number of train accidents declined for the second year in a row and there were fewer highway-rail grade crossing collisions. Last year, train accidents dropped 11.3 percent over 2005 resulting in a train accident rate

FRA Launches Two New Automated Inspection Vehicles to Detect Track Flaws; 100,000 Miles of Track to be Federally Inspected Each Year

May 16, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Two new custom-built inspection vehicles equipped with state of the art technology to help identify track flaws that could lead to train derailments are now in service and will allow the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to triple the amount of track it inspects each year by automated means to nearly 100,000 miles, announced FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. “Finding track problems and getting them fixed before a train accident occurs is key to safeguarding communities,” Boardman said. Boardman explained that the new automated track inspection vehicles increase the FRA’s fleet to five and are primarily used on high-volume

Norfolk Southern’s Harrisburg Division Sets Standard for Rail Worker Safety

March 8, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

HARRISBURG, Pa. — With the statistics tabulated and verified, Norfolk Southern announced that its Harrisburg Division was the safest operating division on the railroad’s 22-state network for 2006, with an injury ratio of .56. The Harrisburg Division’s Transportation Department recorded the lowest operating department injury ratio in the history of Norfolk Southern, with a ratio of .31. The corporate goal for 2006 was a .89 injury ratio, which also was bettered by the Harrisburg Division’s Maintenance of Way and Structures Department, and Communications and Signals Department. Rail industry injury ratios are based on Federal Railroad Administration reportable incidents per 200,000

Train Accidents Decline for Second Year in a Row Preliminary 2006 Safety Data Show

March 7, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The number of train accidents declined for the second year in a row and there were fewer highway-rail grade crossing collisions according to preliminary 2006 rail safety data announced today by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters. “The aggressive actions we are taking to improve rail safety are paying dividends,” Secretary Peters said. “As a result, many communities where trains operate are safer,” she added, noting that 36 states experienced fewer train accidents in 2006 as compared to 2005. The preliminary statistics released today by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reveal that in 2006 railroads had

Federal Government Will Regulate Railroad Hours of Service and Increase Focus on Safety Risk Reduction, Under the Administration’s Proposed Rail Safety Legislation

February 14, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — For the first time ever the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will have authority to regulate railroad worker hours of service and will provide greater focus on risk reduction to improve safety in the railroad industry under a rail safety reauthorization bill submitted to the Congress today, FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman announced. “We must embrace new methods and strategies to further reduce the number of accidents in the rail industry,” Boardman said. “Railroads must be more accountable for the safety of their operations and rail employees need work schedules that reduce fatigue and promote safety,” he added, noting

Rail Employees at Nation’s Largest Rail Yard to Confidentially Report ‘Close Calls’ Under New Federal Rail Safety Pilot Project

February 2, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Employees at the nation’s largest rail yard can now voluntarily and anonymously report “close call” incidents that could have resulted in an accident, but did not, without fear of sanction or penalty from their employer or the federal government as part of a new rail safety pilot project. “Having the opportunity to learn about and analyze these ‘close-calls,’ will help us identify and correct problems across the industry,” Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman said, noting that the aviation industry already has a similar program. FRA currently requires railroads to report a wide range of accidents

FRA Issues Safety Advisory on Maintenance Equipment

January 26, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — In response to a deadly derailment in November, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today issued a safety advisory to railroad industry owners and operators urging them to ensure specialized maintenance equipment is only operated by fully qualified individuals and is properly inspected. “I cannot emphasize enough the responsibility and necessity of railroads and contractors that use these vehicles to operate them in the safest manner possible,” said FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. “We have zero tolerance for careless mistakes that needlessly cause harm or injury to workers, contractors or the public at large.” The Safety Advisory is being