2009 Safest Year Ever for Nation's Freight Railroads
11 Mar 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information Contact:
AAR Communications 202-639-2100
Holly Arthur harthur@aar.org
2009 Safest Year Ever for Nation's Freight Railroads
Record Shows Depth of Industry's Commitment to Safety
WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 11, 2010 - The Association of American Railroads today announced that 2009 was the
safest year in freight railroad history, with preliminary year-end data
indicating the train accident rate, employee casualty rate and grade
crossing incident rates were all at record low levels last year.
"This record of accomplishment shows the depth of the freight railroad
industry's commitment to the safety of our employees, the communities we
serve and the country's rail network infrastructure," said AAR President
and CEO Edward R. Hamberger. "Our industry is only as safe as our
employees make it. From their very first day on the job, they learn
that safety is the most important aspect of their railroading job."
Another factor leading to improved safety, Hamberger noted, was the
industry's continued near-record investments in maintaining and
improving track, signaling systems, freight cars and locomotives. In
spite of a poor economy, freight railroads last year invested more than
$9 billion in capital improvement programs, the third highest investment
in history. Since 1980, freight railroads have invested more than $460
billion - 40 cents of every revenue dollar - to maintain and improve the
nation's rail network.
The Federal Railroad Administration's preliminary data shows that the
total number of train accidents involving freight railroads declined by
26 percent last year, with the rate per million train-miles falling 12
percent from the previous record which was established in 2008. The
number of employee casualties on freight railroads fell by 14 percent
while the casualty rate declined 4 percent from 2008 when the previous
record was established.
The number of grade crossing collisions last year on freight railroads
(1,670) fell below 2,000 for the first time ever, and the rate 2.96 per
million train miles bested the previous low set in 2008 by more than 9
percent.
Also at a record low level was the total number of rail-related
fatalities (497) reported last year on freight railroads. Some 93
percent of them involved either grade crossing collisions or
trespassers, incidents over which railroads have little control.
Hamberger noted that at a time when the nation's railroads face a $10
billion federal mandate to install positive train control systems, the
primary purpose of which is to prevent train collisions, the industry is
seeing record low collision rates, of 0.23 per million train miles. The
collision rate has dropped by 87 percent since 1980 and 35 percent since
2000. Also reaching new lows last year were derailments per million
train-miles and accidents caused by defective track and human error.
"The safety challenge is a never-ending one," said Hamberger. "That's
why railroads will never become complacent where safety is concerned.
Freight railroads have extensive employee training programs, and
continue to invest heavily to maintain and improve both equipment and
track. We look forward to making 2010 another year of railroad safety
improvement." The Association of American Railroads also owns the
Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) in Pueblo, Colo., which is
the worldwide provider for high-value rail transportation technology
development, testing, standards and training. TTCI accelerates use of
clean, safe and efficient technologies by railways worldwide.
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Editors' Note: The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the world's leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers. AAR members include the major freight railroads, or Class I railroads, of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, as well as Amtrak. Class I railroads represent 67 percent of the U.S. freight rail mileage and 90 percent of freight railroad industry employees. Railroads account for 43 percent of intercity freight volume — more than any other mode of transportation. For more information, visit www.aar.org or follow us on Twitter: AAR_FreightRail.