Railroad Safety

New information: FRA recently issued a Safety Bulletin regarding a train collision involving a mis-aligned switch. You can read it here.  FRA also recently issued a Safety Advisory related to accident mitigation and train length. You can read it here.      

FRA's Office of Railroad Safety promotes and regulates safety throughout the Nation's railroad industry.  The office executes its regulatory and inspection responsibilities through a diverse staff of railroad safety experts.  The staff includes nearly 400 Federal safety inspectors who specialize in one of six technical disciplines focusing on compliance and enforcement in:

• Grade Crossings
• Hazardous Materials
• Motive Power and Equipment
• Operating Practices
• Signal and Train Control
• Track

For a look at our organizational structure, visit here. For information on the Safety Management Teams, visit here.

Other functions include:

• Railroad safety and stakeholder training (including State safety inspectors)
• Accident and employee fatality investigations and reporting
• Partnerships between labor, management, and the agency that address systemic initiatives
• Development and implementation of safety rules and standards