Freight railroad safety is front and center in FRA data and AAR white paper

In freight railroad circles, the topic of safety is never far from top of mind.

That was made clear on two fronts this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR), in the form of railroad safety data it cited from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and an AAR white paper, entitled “Building a Safer Future: Examining Freight Rail’s Comprehensive Safety Network.”

The FRA data observed a slew of interesting takeaways, including:

• the train accident rate falling 26% going back to 2000 and 6% since 2022;
• for all railroads, on-duty fatalities declined 71% since 2000 and reached an all-time low in 2023;
• for Class I railroad employees, the rate of injuries and fatalities has dropped by 63% since 2000 reaching an all-time low in 2023;
• for all railroads, the derailment rates have dropped 30% since 2000 (this statistic and the ones below are based on Analysis of 2023 FRA Data per million train miles)
• per carload, the hazardous materials (hazmat) accident rate is at its lowest ever and down 75% since 2000 based on preliminary data;
• Class I railroads’ mainline accident rate is down 42% since 2000 but increased slightly compared to 2022; and
• Class I railroads decreased yard accident rate per million-yard switching miles by 11%, reversing last year’ increase

And the AAR white paper noted that the FRA’s statistics highlight how: “The journey towards achieving zero accidents and injuries in the rail industry is complex and does not always follow a straight or predictable path. However, the trends over the past two decades are encouraging and underscore rail’s status as the safest way to move goods over land.”

What’s more, AAR observed that the industry’s success is deeply rooted in its workforce and safety milestones stem from consistent investment in privately rail owned infrastructure, integration of advanced safety technologies, and updates to operating and maintenance practices based on ongoing learnings. It said that this multi-faceted approach protects its workforce and the public, as well as reinforces the industry’s commitment to maintaining its status as a leader in transportation safety.

In looking at the leading causes of train accidents, the AAR white paper said that the primary causes of accidents are infrastructure or track defects, equipment malfunctions, and human error, with railroads proactively identifying and implementing measures to mitigate these risks in order to reduce the likelihood of future accidents.

On the tracks, AAR said that railroads utilize various approaches, including visual monitoring and automated track inspection technology, to prevent wear and tear, defects, or weather-related impacts from causing accidents. AAR also noted that things like ground-penetrating radar technologies, focusing on detecting underground problems like excessive moisture that could destabilize track, as well as specialized rail cars equipped with advanced instruments are able to identify track defects not able to be seen by the huma eye.

“This approach allows railroads to develop a plan for timely maintenance and repair to ensure safe and timely operations,” said the AAR.

Addressing the impact of human error on railroad accidents, the AAR white paper said it remains a significant factor, accounting for around 43% of 2023 incidents.

Steps taken by railroads to counter human error, noted in the report, include things like rigorous training programs and technological innovations focused on assisting employees in minimizing risk and also Positive Train Control, or PTC, which it defines as a “set of technologies designed to prevent serious accidents caused by human error, like train-to-train collisions and derailments due to excessive speed.”

The high amounts of investments made by U.S-based freight railroads, from 1980-2022, came in at more than $780 billion, the equivalent of more than $23 billion annually, or $65 million per day, the white paper said.

This capital is being allocated towards maintaining and upgrading tracks, bridges, grade crossings, and what AAR called “other essential infrastructure and equipment,” adding that “a significant portion of these investments targets safety improvements directly, underlining the rail industry’s prioritization of operational safety.”

The role of policymakers in railroad safety-focused efforts was a key theme of the white paper, with the AAR stating that policymakers play a crucial role in the safety and efficiency of the rail industry, which it said is a responsibility involving balancing stringent oversight while encouraging continued innovation. And with an eye on promoting a safer rail network, it said it is imperative for regulators to work with the rail industry to address and eliminate barriers that hinder the adoption and expansion of both new and existing technologies.   

“Instead, they should adopt a regulatory environment that not only accommodates but also promotes the integration of these innovations,” said AAR.

AAR President & CEO Ian Jefferies recently told LM that without a doubt, the data show that railroads are the absolute safest mode “by leaps and bounds” to move products of any kind, especially hazardous materials, overland across the U.S.

“At the same time, we've seen that the East Palestine incident is a prime example that even one incident can have a dramatic impact on the communities in which we operate, so we've got to look for ways to increase safety,” said Jefferies.

With the resultant Railway Safety Act still being debated in Congress, Jefferies said that there are some key issues in the legislation, which AAR supports, like making sure first responders have the information they need to respond safely in the rare event of a hazmat incident occurring and also providing some kind of nexus across the vast network of wayside detection across the nation’s rail network. He said this includes hotbox detectors and myriad other types of detection systems having all been developed voluntarily and deployed and invested in by the railroads, as they have developed a data-driven safety case, something the freight rail industry has done over decades without regulation or legislation.

And, as noted by the FRA’s statistics, Jefferies pointed out that data-driven safety improvements are the way to go, when it comes to railroad safety-related improvements. That is something that needs to be kept top of mind, given that safety is a top focus for freight railroads every day.