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Summary

The Office of Inspector General is initiating an audit of the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) progress on rulemakings required by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA). In response to several fatal rail accidents between 2002 and 2008, Congress passed RSIA, the first authorization of FRA's safety programs since 1994. RSIA directs FRA to, among other things, issue new safety regulations. These new regulations will govern different areas related to railroad safety, such as hours of service requirements for railroad workers, automated collision-prevention technology in trains, standards for track inspections, and safety at highway-rail grade crossings. The objectives of this audit are to assess FRA’s progress in: (1) developing and issuing the new regulations, and (2) establishing or modifying policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the new RSIA-required regulations.