The Federal Role in Railroad Bridge Safety (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Oct. 5, 2018 |
| Report Number |
IF10995 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Ben Goldman |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
Railroad bridges carry heavy and potentially dangerous
loads over busy roadways and important waterways. Many
of these bridges are a century old or more. For example, the
Metropolis and Sciotoville bridges over the Ohio River,
owned and maintained by freight railroads BNSF and CSX,
respectively, were built in 1917. Near Baltimore, CSX
freight trains and MARC commuter trains use a stone arch
bridge built in 1835. These bridges, built to conservative
standards in the age of heavy steam locomotives, have
proven to be durably engineered, and rail accidents
resulting from bridge failure have been rare.
Nevertheless, the presence of visibly aging infrastructure
can be alarming to residents, especially in the aftermath of
the rare incidents where bridges do fail. For example, on
July 5, 2018, two 30-ton pieces of non-load-bearing
concrete fell from the Onondaga Street Bridge, owned by
the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway (NYSW),
in Syracuse, NY; no one was hurt. In a separate incident in
2012, a Conrail train derailed and a tank car carrying
hazardous materials was punctured while crossing a
movable bridge in Paulsboro, NJ. While the bridge was
structurally sound, it was not fully locked in place, which
went unnoticed during crew inspection. There were no
fatalities or serious injuries, but hundreds of residents were
evacuated.
As entities engaged in interstate commerce, railroads are
regulated by the federal government. However, unlike road
bridges, which are the responsibility of public entities,
railroad bridges are the responsibility of the private railroad
companies that own or operate them, including the
responsibility to maintain records of bridge inspections and
repairs. Congress has acted in recent years to improve
oversight of railroad bridge safety, but incidents such as the
ones noted above have prompted concerns about whether
enough is being done to protect the public.
