Alabama Train Accidents Fall 13 Percent.

Industry Efforts Result in Safest Year in Railroad History

WASHINGTON -- Alabama experienced 10 fewer train derailments and collisions in 2007, compared with 2006. The 13 percent decline in accidents in Alabama is part of a nationwide trend that marked 2007 as the safest year in freight railroad history. The number of train accidents across the U.S. declined for the third consecutive year, according to preliminary data from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Alabama was one of 34 states that saw a reduction in incidents. Eleven states reported decrease of 17 or more accidents, including California (-46), Texas (-45), New York (-30), Georgia (-28), Illinois (-26), Oregon (-24), Pennsylvania (-22), Arkansas (-19), Montana (-19), Kansas (-17) and Maryland (-17).

"Safety is a top priority for the railroad industry and it shows," said Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads. "These record-setting numbers clearly indicate that our investment in safety technology and infrastructure maintenance and improvement, along with our extensive employee training programs, are paying off."

In 2007, railroads experienced 406 fewer train accidents nationwide, a 13.7 percent reduction compared with 2006. Railroads also reported a strong improvement in highway-rail grade crossing safety, with 203 fewer collisions between motor vehicles and trains, a decrease of 6.9 percent.

Freight rail is the safest way to move goods and products across the country. Over the past three decades, the rail industry has reduced accident rates by 70 percent and employee injury rates by more than 80 percent.

In 2007, railroads invested nearly $9.4 billion in capital expenditures in their networks. Investments in safety technology, such as the use of satellite or wireless positioning technology to give dispatchers the precise location of trains at all times, contributed to the 7.8 percent reduction in train accidents caused by human error.

"Use of remote control technology in rail yards is reducing the number of accidents caused by miscommunication between employees on the ground and locomotive engineers," Hamberger said. "As advanced train control systems are deployed, accidents caused by human error should decline even further."

The AAR is the world's leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on increasing the safety and productivity of rail carriers. Its members include the leading freight railroads in the United States, Canada and Mexico.