The US Department of Transportation (US DOT) has announced a significant expansion of its oversight of railroad bridge safety.
Under the direction of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, more than 160 federal and state track inspectors will be trained to carry out structural safety checks on bridges across the national rail network.
Until now, fewer than ten inspectors within the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) had direct responsibility for auditing railroads’ bridge management programmes. This work will now be reinforced by inspectors already active in track monitoring, who will receive additional training to examine bridges during field inspections.
Secretary Sean P. Duffy said:The Trump Administration is delivering on its promises to make government more efficient and keep travellers safe. Leveraging our existing, dedicated workforce to improve oversight of railroad bridge safety is another common-sense win for Americans.
The inspectors will be drawn from both FRA staff and state partners participating in the agency’s State Safety Participation Programme. Following their training, they will be able to review bridges for signs of structural weakness, assess compliance with federal Bridge Safety Standards, and recommend civil penalties where serious defects are found.
FRA Acting Administrator Drew Feeley said:The Bridge Safety Standards have long helped assure that railroad bridges are safe. The addition of this training for existing inspectors will give FRA many more opportunities to confirm the structural soundness of railroad bridges. We will continue to find new and cost-effective ways to improve safety.
According to the FRA, several states had recently approached the agency about taking a more active role in enforcing bridge safety standards. The new training programme, beginning in November, will include modules on bridge fundamentals, materials such as timber, steel and concrete, and the requirements of a Bridge Management Programme. Inspectors will also be trained in inspection protocols and coordination between agencies.
In total, 163 inspectors are expected to complete the training. The FRA state that the initiative will result in more frequent field observations of bridges and closer auditing of railroads’ compliance with safety standards.
SMART Union National Safety & Legislative Director Jared Cassity said:The safety of the railroad system relies upon a multitude of components, but few are as critical to the public and the men and women we represent as the integrity of the bridges America’s trains traverse. That’s why SMART TD is encouraged to see the Trump Administration taking action to increase the number of inspectors qualified to inspect bridges by utilising the existing State Track Inspectors and providing them with the necessary training to ensure rail carrier compliance on bridge safety.
