Rail Safety

A decade after Congress set a deadline for rail systems to implement positive train control, only 4 rail systems were able to get the job done on time.

January 2, 2019 - CNN

With a year-end deadline approaching, reports indicate progress by agencies and optimism that vulnerable systems will meet this year’s requirements.

August 23, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

Next year, trains traveling at up to 110 mph will speed through grade crossings faster than the current trains traveling at up to 79 m.p.h, and motorists need to prepare for crossing gates that will stay down up to three times longer.

July 19, 2016 - The State Journal-Register

Vehicle crashes at grade crossings have emerged as a top priority for Sarah Feinberg, the new Federal Railroad Administrator. Fatalities at rail crossings in 2014 increased by 15 percent from 2013.

March 8, 2016 - Progressive Railroading

Rail travelers are not subject to the same degree of security measures as air travelers according to security experts, reports Ron Nixon for The New York Times. Yet far more travel by rail than plane, and rail has been a terrorist target abroad.

December 15, 2015 - The New York Times

The March 28 crash on Metro's extensive light rail system shouldn't have happened. All the safety measures acted as they should have. Could more have been done to prevent the motorist's fateful turn across the tracks as a train approached?

April 2, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

While all four passenger cars derailed in Tuesday morning's crash with a pickup truck, three on their sides, experts indicate that the new cars likely prevented far greater damage. Also covered is the locomotive push-pull issue and grade separations.

February 26, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Safety would win hands down for passenger rail, but for-profit railroads have a bottom line to consider. Regulators have proposed reduced train speeds, opposed by railroads, to prevent fiery derailments that have resulted from shipping shale oil.

October 18, 2014 - The Gazette

A new report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's lead watchdog outlines the top challenges the department faces in the coming year. Expanding oversight and improving air, rail and road safety top the list.

December 19, 2013 - Governing

As federal investigators focus on the likelihood of human error being the cause of the Dec. 1 derailment that killed four passengers, attention has been placed on the federal requirement for all railroads to install positive train control systems.

December 5, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal - New York

In the wake of several calamitous rail accidents, the Obama administration announced it would create a new federal agency to enforce safety standards on U.S. transit agencies. A new committee is now deciding just how that power will be wielded.

September 13, 2010 - The Washington Post

The newest transit safety bill was unveiled yesterday to cautious praise. While states are struggling to fund transit, FTA chief Peter Rogoff says the goal is to create a nationwide floor for transit safety.

December 9, 2009 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

A 'staggering' number of the bridges used by Amtrak trains in and around New York City are in poor or worse condition.

December 3, 2009 - The New York Post

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have filed a lawsuit against Metrolink, saying surveillance cameras, which were installed after a deadly crash, are an "invasion of privacy."

October 22, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Coming off the heels of two high-profile crashes with dozens of injuries, the San Francisco Municipal Railway is working to ensure operators are trained and accidents can be avoided.

September 8, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

Two weeks after Congress passed HR 2095, Bush signed this bill to double Amtrak funding and mandate safety technology to prevent Metrolink-like crashes. It may be a precursor to greatly expanded transit spending in the next administration.

October 19, 2008 - Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin