FRA 07-06
Contact: Steve Kulm or Warren Flatau, Tel.: (202) 493-6024
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
First-Ever Federal Freight Locomotive Crashworthiness Standards to Improve
Protection for Train Crews
Train crews involved in a locomotive collision will have a better chance of
survival with reduced injuries as a result of the first-ever federal freight
locomotive crashworthiness standards issued today, according to Federal Railroad
Administrator Joseph H. Boardman.
The regulation published today is intended to prevent the locomotive cab from
being crushed during a head-on collision with another locomotive, or when it
strikes the rear of another train, a shifted load on a train on an adjacent
track, or a vehicle at a highway-rail grade crossing, Boardman said.
“This regulation will give engineers and conductors a better chance to walk away
from the devastation and destruction of a locomotive collision,” Boardman said.
“Train crews deserve the highest level of protection possible.”
The crashworthiness standards include upgraded structural elements such as
stronger collision posts and the addition of anti-climbing equipment to keep the
locomotive upright and in-line on the tracks after a collision occurs, Boardman
said. The interior of the locomotive cabs also will need to be reconfigured to
soften many sharp edges and provide better emergency lighting and exits. In
addition, fuel tanks will be strengthened to prevent spills that could lead to a
fire, he added. The rule changes will be required for locomotives newly
manufactured or rebuilt beginning in January 2009.
This federal rule incorporates and expands on effective railroad industry
standards first implemented in 1989 that have significantly improved the crash
performance of new locomotives. The rule is the result of a collaborative effort
by the Locomotive Crashworthiness Working Group of the Railroad Safety Advisory
Committee (RSAC), an ongoing FRA-led cooperative effort that includes
representatives of all industry stakeholders.
A copy of the final rule can be found on the FRA web site at
www.fra.dot.gov.
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Briefing Room
