Federal Role in Rail Transit Safety (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
July 6, 2009 |
| Report Number |
R40688 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
David Randall Peterman, Analyst in Transportation Policy; William J. Mallett, Specialist in Transportation Policy |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
Rail transit operations are an inherently local activity, and the federal government has limited responsibility for the safety of rail transit operations. Congress directed the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to establish the State Safety Oversight Program in 1991; this program went into effect in 1997. [â¦]. States are required to establish a state safety oversight agency which sets requirements for rail transit safety and monitors the performance of rail transit agencies in following those requirements. FTA sets minimum requirements for the safety programs that the state agencies implement, and oversees the efforts of the state agencies in carrying out the program. [â¦]. In a congressional hearing on the program in 2006, and in a related Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the program, representatives of FTA, state safety oversight agencies, and rail transit agencies said they felt the program was effective, though it could be improved. [â¦]. At the hearing, and in the GAO report, several issues were mentioned by representatives of FTA and state oversight agencies as offering opportunities to improve the program. These included increasing the level of rail safety expertise and the level of safety resources in the state oversight agencies; providing federal funding to support the work of the oversight agencies; and providing additional enforcement authority to ensure compliance with the requirements of the program. Given that states are responsible for the safety of rail transit operations within their borders, the existence of rail transit systems that operate in more than one state poses a challenge for the program.
