Death at Railroad Crossing Highlights Danger with Maintenance of Way Vehicles

A deadly railroad crossing accident in Gilroy CA last year involving a Union Pacific maintenance vehicle has raised serious safety questions about these type of vehicles traveling through crossings and whether they always trigger crossing gates and lights. The man who died, Don Williams, 55, was driving through the railroad crossing in Gilroy at Masten Avenue when his truck was […]

Train Conductor Sues Union Pacific for Injuries on Job

Union Pacific Railroad is being sued after one of its employees was allegedly thrown from a rail car in Cheyenne WY. The plaintiff filed his lawsuit on April 8 in Laramie County District Court in Wyoming. The complaint stated that he was working as a conductor on Oct. 30, 2014 when he was thrown from the car and suffered a […]

Feds Issue New Safety Orders for DC Metro

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has ordered the Washington Metrorail system to take immediate action to reduce the chances of smoke and fire problems after a tunnel fire last week that forced metro officials to close a station for the evening. The FTA has issued the new safety orders that mandate that the transit agency pinpoint power hot spots and […]

FRA Releases List of Deadly Railroad Crossings

The Federal Railroad Administration just released its list for the worst and most dangerous railroad crossings in the US, and a notorious railroad crossing in Alabama made that list. However, state officials in Alabama claim that the problem has been fixed. The majority of the problem railroad crossings are in heavily populated areas such as Phoenix, Baton Rouge, Memphis and […]

FRA Announces $25 Million Funding for Rail Safety Improvements

The Federal Railroad Administration has started to take applications from local governments, states and railroads for $25 million in grants to fund their railroad safety efforts. Applicants can ask for funds for safety upgrades to railroad crossings, tracks, tunnels, yards, bridges, etc. The grants have been made available under the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act. According to US Transportation Secretary Anthony […]

FRA Demands Immediate Amtrak Safety Review

The Federal Railroad Administration has directed Amtrak this week to conduct an immediate safety review, due to violations that were revealed in the fatal crash and derailment in Pennsylvania on Sunday. The FRA told Amtrak this week to do a safety stand down, which is a review of all of its work safety protocols with track workers and train dispatchers. […]