After the Metro-North accident the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal railroad Administration issued an industry-wide Safety Advisory. According to the FRA’s Administrator Joseph C. Szaba, overall the railroad industry has a good safety record, but the Metro-North accident serves as a reminder of the need to remain vigilant in ensuring compliance with operational speed limits.
The Safety Advisory consist of four recommendations to help ensure railroads adhere to federal regulations regarding maximum authorized train speed limits through appropriate operating policies, procedures and effective implementation. Below are the four recommended actions that the FRA expects railroads to take immediate action on:
- The review the circumstances of the Spuyten Duyvil derailment of December 1, 2013 with their operating employees
- To provide instruction to employees during training classes and safety briefings on the importance of compliance with maximum authorized train speed limits and other speed restrictions
- To evaluate the results of operational data regarding speed testing
- To reinforce the importance of communication between train crew members located in the controlling locomotive, particularly during safety-critical periods when multiple tasks are occurring and during extended periods of inactivity
For more information on the Safety Advisory please visit the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Administration at the following link: https://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L04881
Source: www.railresource.com & www.fra.dot.gov
