WASHINGTON
-- (10/17/08)
-- President Bush signed a
sweeping railroad safety bill which is the most
comprehensive rail safety legislation proposed in 34
years. HR
2095 Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 Nothing
has changed the way railroads day-to-day operations are
conducted more since the Railroad
Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976.
(Read Full Bill
Here)
FRA to increase
track inspectors by 50%
Rail
Safety Improvement Act of 2008:
Among the many issues passed
is a dramatic increase of Federal Railroad
Administration
government track
inspectors (Section 301). The FRA is required to
increase their present track inspectors by 50%. The more FRA
Track Inspectors the more private track inspectors needed by the
railroad industry to assure compliance.
SEC. 301.
HUMAN CAPITAL INCREASES: (a)
IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall increase the number of
Federal Railroad Administration employees by—50
employees in fiscal year 2009, 50 employees in fiscal
year 2010, 50 employees in fiscal year 2011, 25
employees in fiscal year 2012; and 25 employees in
fiscal year 2013. There are
currently 421 Federal rail safety inspectors and 160
State inspectors.
 
FRA to require
minimum training standards
Rail
Safety Improvement Act of 2008: Requires minimum training standards for all crafts (Section
401). The transportation department of
railroads have always been required to submit their
training program to the FRA for the FRA's approval. Now
for the first time, railroad track repair departments will
also have to submit their training programs to the FRA
for their approval.
SEC. 401.
MINIMUM TRAINING STANDARDS AND PLANS.
AMENDMENT.—Subchapter II of chapter 201, as amended by
section 210 of this division, is further amended by
adding at the end the following new section:
§ 20162.
Minimum training standards and plans ‘‘(a)
IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation shall, not
later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the
Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, establish—
This
section requires the Secretary to establish minimum
training standards for each craft of railroad employees.
It also requires the railroad carriers
to submit their training and qualification programs to
the Federal Railroad Safety Administration. HR 2095 has
changed the 20102 Of Title 49 of the United States Code
Section 201 to include mandated, on
going safety training for "all crafts" as the
Secretary of the FRA determines.
FRA to change track
safety inspection criteria
- Rail
Safety Improvement Act of 2008:
- SEC. 403. TRACK INSPECTION TIME
STUDY—Not later that 2 years
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
transmit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report containing
the results of a study to determine whether—(a)
(1) the required intervals of
track inspections for each class of track should
be amended;
(2) track remedial action
requirements should be amended;
(3) different track inspection
and repair priorities or methods should be
required; and
(4) the speed at which railroad
track inspection vehicles operate and the scope
of the territory they generally cover
allow for proper inspection of the track and
whether such speed and appropriate scope should
be regulated by the Secretary.
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