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Rail Safety - State Safety Oversight Program

In response to Congressional concern regarding the potential for accidents and incidents on rail transit systems, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) added Section 28 to the Federal Transit Act (codified at 49 U.S.C. Section 5330).  This section requires the FTA to issue a regulation creating the first state-managed oversight program for rail transit safety. 
Last Updated Title Description
Fall, 2008 Rail Transit Safety Newsletters Quarterly Rail Transit Safety Newsletters
2/2008 ROW Fatality and Trespass Reduction Workshop - April 1 & 2, 2008 The Federal Transit Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, and Caltrain are presenting a free two-day workshop, "ROW Fatality and Trespass Reduction" on April 1 and 2, 2008 in San Carlos, California.
10/2007 11th Annual State Safety Oversight Program Meeting Summary FTA held its 11th Annual State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 17-20, 2007. This meeting was co-hosted by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and Metro Transit.
Sessions at the SSO meeting included:

• Current FTA initiatives, including implementation of the Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission;
• FTA’s upcoming rule revision in SAFETEA-LU which affects 49 CFR Part 659’s legislation;
• Proposed responses to recommendations from the NTSB investigation into the July 2006 derailment at the Chicago Transit Authority;
• FTA’s technical clarification letter regarding hazard management program requirements in Part 659; and
• FTA’s SSO Audit Program.
05/2007 Dear Colleague Letter FTA Dear Colleague Letter dated May 8, 2007, addresses the recent track worker fatalities in heavy rail and commuter rail agencies and identifies new initiatives that FTA is taking to support improvements. This letter urges rail transit General Managers to identify what they are doing to protect workers and asks State Safety Oversight Program Managers to review current track worker protection programs. In addition, the Dear Colleague letter asks rail transit agencies to focus on maintenance, safety, and security issues. The letter also describes FTA sponsored initiatives, including maintenance oversight workshops, track inspection training, and safety and security roundtables.
11/2006 Commuter Rail Safety Study FTA worked cooperatively with the Federal Railroad Administration to identify frequency and causes of commuter rail accidents, direct FTA and FRA resources to address high risk causes and to raise industry awareness in identifying and implementing mitigation measures.
10/2006 State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program Annual Report for 2005 This document presents data provided by individual State Safety Oversight agencies and offer industry-wide analyses regarding accidents, probable causes and impacts.
09/2006 Rail Safety Action Plan FTA has prepared this plan to focus attention on those safety incidents of greatest concern in the rail transit industry. The objectives of the report are to target the most frequent, highest risk causes of accidents, direct oversight and technical assistance resources, accelerate industry awareness, and spotlight mitigation practices and activities.
09/2006 Fatigue Management Survey Results FTA conducted survey to identify and categorize fatigue management practices of rail transit agencies and oversight agencies affected by 49 CFR Part 659.  This information was collected as part of the FTA’s response to the National Transportation Safety Board safety recommendations.
03/2006 Implementation Guidelines for 49 CFR Part 659 The Federal Transit Administration recently amended 49 CFR Part 659, Rail Fixed Guideway Systems; State Safety Oversight. FTA's revised Rule was published in the Federal Register on April 29, 2005. These Implementation Guidelines for 49 CFR Part 659 have been prepared to assist states and rail transit agencies in developing compliant programs based on the revised FTA Rule.
03/2006 Resource Toolkit for State Oversight Agencies Implementing 49 CFR Part 659 To support state oversight agencies in fulfilling these requirements, FTA has developed its Resource Toolkit for State Oversight Agencies Implementing 49 CFR Part 659. The Resource Toolkit contains a sample "oversight agency program standard and referenced procedures" document that can be tailored by each affected oversight agency to develop a compliant Initial Submission.

The Resource Toolkit also includes sample program requirements that can be adopted by the state oversight agency to support the development of compliant System Safety Program Plans and Security Plans at rail transit agencies. A sample "certification that the system safety program plan and the system security plan have been developed, reviewed, and approved" is also provided, as well as sample checklists for use by state oversight agencies in reviewing and approving rail transit agency submissions. .
08/2005 Regulation and Updates 49 CFR Part 659 and Updates to the rule.
Winter,  2005 SSO Newsletters State Safety Oversight Newsletters
09/1999 Reporting Template

Note:  This document is in Microsoft Word format

To allow for the individuality of reporting agencies, FTA allows each agency to develop its own reporting format, including items such as accident cause classifications.  Some agencies have indicated that they would prefer to report using a standardized form.  In response, FTA has developed this SSO Annual Reporting Template.  This format is fully acceptable for Annual Certification and will help streamline the process.
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