Table 2-43: Railroad System Safety and Property Damage Data
(Excludes highway-rail grade-crossing accidents)
| 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | (R) 2006 | (R) 2007 | (R) 2008 | (R) 2009 | (R) 2010 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatalities | 785 | 575 | 584 | 454 | 599 | 567 | 551 | 602 | 577 | 530 | 512 | 550 | 594 | 531 | 520 | 525 | 534 | 512 | 513 | 447 | 469 | 461 |
| Injured personsa | 17,934 | 50,138 | 58,696 | 31,617 | 22,736 | 12,546 | 10,948 | 10,227 | 10,156 | 10,304 | 10,424 | 9,828 | 10,104 | 8,229 | 8,100 | 8,497 | 7,727 | 8,601 | 8,067 | 7,259 | 7,454 | 7,056 |
| Accidentsb | 8,095 | 8,041 | 8,205 | 3,275 | 2,879 | 2,459 | 2,443 | 2,397 | 2,575 | 2,768 | 2,983 | 3,023 | 2,738 | 3,019 | 3,385 | 3,266 | 2,998 | 2,692 | 2,478 | 1,907 | 1,897 | 1,955 |
| Train-miles (millions)c,d | 839 | 755 | 718 | 571 | 609 | 670 | 671 | 677 | 683 | 712 | 723 | 712 | 729 | 743 | 770 | 789 | 814 | 793 | 773 | 672 | 708 | 721 |
| Rate per 100 million train-miles | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fatalities | 94 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 98 | 85 | 82 | 89 | 84 | 74 | 71 | 77 | 82 | 71 | 68 | 67 | 66 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 66 | 64 |
| Injuries | N | 6,641 | 8,179 | 5,538 | 3,735 | 1,873 | 1,632 | 1,511 | 1,487 | 1,446 | 1,442 | 1,381 | 1,387 | 1,107 | 1,052 | 1,077 | 950 | 1,085 | 1,044 | 1,080 | 1,053 | 979 |
| Accidents | 965 | 1,065 | 1,143 | 574 | 473 | 367 | 364 | 354 | 377 | 389 | 413 | 425 | 376 | 406 | 440 | 414 | 368 | 339 | 321 | 284 | 268 | 271 |
| Property damage (current $ millions) | 121.6 | 177.4 | 267.4 | 179.3 | 198.7 | 189.2 | 212.3 | 210.7 | 233.9 | 245.1 | 263.2 | 314.5 | 266.5 | 298.3 | 325.9 | 339.9 | 322.6 | 316.5 | 300.9 | 227.4 | 253.1 | 244.0 |
KEY: N = data do not exist; R = revised.
a 1970 injuries are not comparable to later years due to a change in reporting system.
b Train accidents only; excludes highway-rail grade-crossing accidents.
c Train-miles in this table differ from Train-miles in the vehicle-miles table in Chapter 1. Train-miles reported in Chapter 1 include only Class I rail (see glossary for definition), while this table includes Class I rail, Group II rail, and other rail. In 2005, Group II rail accounted for 78 million Train-miles, and other rail for 29 million Train-miles. Moreover, the vehicle-miles table in Chapter 1 includes only Train-miles between terminals and/or stations, thus excluding yard and switching miles. In 2009, Class I yard/switching Train-miles totaled 63 million Train-miles. Note that commuter rail safety data are reported in the rail mode and the transit mode. Commuter rail Train-miles are included in Class I rail and Group II rail in this table.
d A Train-mile is the movement of a train (which can consist of many cars) the distance of 1 mile. A Train-mile differs from a vehicle-mile, which is the movement of 1 car (vehicle) the distance of 1 mile. A 10-car (vehicle) train traveling 1 mile would be measured as 1 Train-mile and 10 vehicle-miles. Caution should be used when comparing Train-miles to vehicle-miles.
NOTE
This table includes information for both freight and passenger railroad operations.
SOURCES
Fatalities, injuries, accidents, and property damage:
1970-90: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Policy and Program Development, Accident/Incident Bulletin (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), tables 14 and 15.
1995-99: Ibid., Railroad Safety Statistics Annual Report 2000 (Washington, DC: July 2001), tables 1-1 and 3-1, available at http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/publicsite/Publications.aspx as of Sep. 7, 2010.
2000: Ibid., tables 1.06 and 3.09, available at http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/ as of Sept. 7, 2010.
2001: Ibid., tables 1.06 and 3.09, available at http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/ as of Jun. 10, 2011.
2002-11: Ibid., tables 1.06 and 3.09, available at http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/ as of Apr. 24, 2012.
Train-miles:
1970-90: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), form 406.
1995-99: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, available at http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/Forms/Default.asp as of Aug. 22, 2002.
1999-2000: Ibid., table 1.06, available at http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/ as of Sep. 7, 2010.
2001: Ibid., table 1.06, available at http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/ as of Jun. 10, 2011.
2002-11: Ibid., table 1.06, available at http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/ as of Apr. 24, 2012.