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Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) named members of the Transit Rail Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS), a newly formed advisory body that will assist the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) with developing national transit-rail safety standards.

The creation of the committee is in response to the Public Transportation Safety Program Act of 2009, which authorizes the USDOT to establish federal safety standards for transit-rail systems, USDOT officials said in a prepared statement.

TRAC's recommendations will help the FTA develop new policies and practices, and forge new regulations aimed at enhancing passenger-rail safety.

TRAC's 20 members include representatives from the American Public Transportation Association and various transit agencies and rail labor unions, such as Amtrak, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division, Transportation Workers Union and Amalgamated Transit Union.