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Responding to a former Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) employee's allegations that the agency was "relaxing" safety rule enforcement at Union Pacific Railroad, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General (IG) conducted a general review of the FRA's safety inspection procedures last year.

In December, the IG issued its report, which found no evidence to support the employee's allegations or of any FRA wrongdoing, but recommends the administration increase its use of safety inspection data to enforce rule violations and create universal inspection procedures. Currently, individual inspectors determine how and where to inspect railroads.

"The investigation finds that the FRA has strengthened its record of railroad safety inspections and enforcement actions over the past four years," administration officials said in a prepared statement, responding to recent newspaper accounts of the IG's report. "[But] it also identifies safety and inspection issues that require further improvement."

During the past four years, the FRA has been improving safety investigation processes and collecting more fines from railroads, says FRA spokesman Steve Kulm, adding that the administration will focus on improving the use of inspection data. The number of safety inspectors and inspections has risen 12 percent and 33 percent, respectively, and fines for safety regulation violations have increased 141 percent from $4.3 million to $10.4 million.

"Furthermore, the FY2005 budget provides funding for 17 new safety inspectors and the proposed budget for FY2006 specifically asks for funding to hire two safety inspectors to inspect facilities where tank cars are manufactured or repaired," says Kulm.

— Jeff Stagl