FRA proposes new safety standards for high-speed trains

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
image description
California High-Speed Rail/File photo

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has proposed updates to current U.S. passenger train safety standards as the nation aims to add high-speed trains capable of traveling as fast as 220 mph and replace its older passenger fleet.  

 

Representatives say the proposals are the result of nearly 10 years of work by FRA’s passenger rail division.

“As several regions of the United States build faster passenger rail service, the trains on those tracks must keep passengers safe,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “To do that, we want to allow manufacturers to innovate and achieve all-new levels of safety. These proposed changes put us on track to do just that.”

The proposed safety standard revisions would create a category of passenger equipment, Tier III, for trains traveling up to 220 mph. The updates would provide an alternative approach to evaluating how well passengers and crews are protected in an accident, frequently referred to as “crashworthiness.”

The FRA will accept feedback on the proposed rule from the public, the railroad industry, railroad labor, manufacturers and other stakeholders throughout the next two months, officials say.

The prospective updates would also allow for a train’s crashworthiness to be assessed based on whether it meets necessary safety standards through crash energy management technology or other innovative engineering processes.

“We look forward to hearing from everyone on how this proposal can help our country build a stronger passenger rail network—one that is not only faster but allows for new technologies to make passenger trains even safer,” said FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg.

Requirements will mandate that Tier III trains have exclusive tracks to operate at higher speeds, but representatives say the new standards will allow Tier III trains to safely share track with Tier I and Tier II commuter, intercity and Amtrak Acela trains.

Officials also emphasized that compatibility between equipment types will be key to enabling trains to share existing corridors to reach downtown stations.

The proposed updates can be found here

Tags: