District of Columbia Train Accidents Fall 25% During First Six Months of 2006.

Nationwide Train Accident, Employee Casualty Rates Lowest Ever After Six Months

WASHINGTON -- The number of train accidents in the District of Columbia fell by 25% during the first half of 2006 compared to the same period last year. Nationwide, U.S. railroads are on track to record their safest year in history in terms of train accidents and employee safety, according to preliminary data released by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Across the U.S., train accidents were down 16.1 percent from the first six months of 2005, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman announced. Specifically, the number of derailments decreased by 13.6 percent and train-to-train collisions fell 34.1 percent. In all, 37 states saw a reduction in incidents.

"Nothing is more important to the nation's railroads and their more than 200,000 employees than safety," said Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR). "This improvement is the direct result of our efforts to maximize safety."

Railroads are working closely with both the FRA and rail labor to improve safety and are developing new technology that promises further safety advances, he added.

"Technology is one of the industry's greatest tools in the quest to improve safety," noted Hamberger. "Advanced train control technologies that are now being tested will reduce instances of human error, which is still the single largest cause of train accidents."

Through the first six months of 2006, the railroad train accident rate was 4.2 percent lower than in 1997, currently the safest year ever in terms of train accidents. This year's rate is also 18.4 percent below the train accident rate during the first six months of 2005. The employee casualty rate was down 9.9 percent from 2005, which set a record low rate for a full year. Employee fatalities were down 54.5 percent.

"Our industry has faced numerous challenges this year to our safety record," Hamberger continued, "including record volumes of freight and hiring thousands of new employees to operate trains, as well as to maintain tracks, signals and equipment. Our ability to improve safety under these conditions stands as a tribute to the dedication of our employees and the thoroughness of our training programs for new employees."

Also showing a reduction this year was the total number of rail-related fatalities, which was down 5.9 percent from a year ago. More than 98 percent of those involved either highway-rail grade crossing incidents or trespassers over which railroads have little control. The grade crossing incident rate was down 2.65 percent from a year ago while the number of fatalities increased by 5.8 percent. The trespasser incident rate was down 3.45 percent, while the number of fatalities was virtually the same as a year ago.

The AAR is the world's leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on increasing the safety and productivity of rail carriers.