Thank you Mr. Secretary. Your leadership has made a positive impact on the safety of America’s rail network.

The continued strong growth of the national economy has led to record demand for the transportation services provided by America’s railroads. The timely and efficient movement of goods across the country is critical to keeping the economy moving forward; however, ensuring safety must remain everyone’s top priority.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s commitment to improving rail safety is strong, deep, and comprehensive. From track to locomotives to signals systems and the safe movement of hazardous materials, FRA is actively involved in all aspects of rail safety.

Over the past few years, all the major rail safety trends have moved in the right direction—fewer train accidents, fewer highway-rail grade crossing collisions, and fewer rail-related fatalities and injuries. And while these achievements are noteworthy, they should not blind us to the safety problems we must tackle today.

The National Rail Safety Action Plan effectively identifies and addresses the key safety issues facing the nation’s rail industry. As the Secretary reported, during the past nine months many of the action items have been successfully completed or are underway and several more will be accomplished by FRA during the coming year. We are working to make that progress steady and continuous.

Nor can we forget the important role that the railroads play in ensuring safety for their employees and the communities through which they operate. I remind railroad managers of that point constantly and that the general public expects them to meet and exceed safety expectations. Plus, we have told every railroad that when FRA finds a safety problem, we will take all necessary and appropriate enforcement actions to make certain problems get corrected.

Rail safety requires constant vigilance and FRA has been, and will remain, on eternal guard.

Thank you.