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Industry Response to Safety Advisory 2013-06
Background Information
On July 6, 2013, a catastrophic accident involving a freight train with loaded tank cars of petroleum crude oil occurred in the town of Lac-Mégantic Quebec, on the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA). To prevent a similar accident from occurring in the United States, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued an Emergency Order outlining measures railroads were required to undertake within 30 days, as well as a Safety Advisory recommending railroads take additional action to eliminate risk throughout the rail network. These actions, along with others identified in our Safety Action Plan, detail how we and our sister agency, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), are working to ensure the shipment of hazardous materials by rail is safe, reliable, and efficient.
Letter to Industry
On October 1, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo sent a letter to members of the railroad industry asking they detail actions they’ve taken in response to our Safety Advisory. Below, you can read the letters we sent as well as the responses, and on the right side of the page you can also view videos from an Emergency Railroad Safety Advisory Committee meeting where these issues were discussed. We will post industry responses on this page as we receive them.
Association of American Railroads
Initial Reply to FRA Safety Advisory (October 21, 2013)
American Public Transportation Association
Initial Reply to FRA Safety Advisory (October 16, 2013)
American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association
Initial Reply to FRA Safety Advisory (October 17, 2013)
