advertisement

---

Last year was the safest year in U.S. freight rail history, with preliminary Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) data indicating that train accident, employee casualty and grade-crossing incident rates were all at record-low levels in 2009, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

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 established in 2008, according to preliminary FRA data. The number of employee casualties on freight railroads fell by 14 percent while the casualty rate declined 4 percent from 2008, the year the previous record was established.

The number of ’09 grade-crossing collisions on freight railroads (1,670) fell below 2,000 for the first time ever, and the rate of 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 reported rail-related fatalities (497) on freight railroads — about 93 percent of them involved either grade crossing collisions or trespassers, according to AAR.

“The safety challenge is a never-ending one,” said AAR President and Chief Executive Officer Edward 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.”