Skip to main content

Federal Railroad Administration invests in rail safety

The US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded eight grants totalling more than US$21.2 million to invest in highway-rail grade crossing safety, positive train control (PTC) implementation and passenger rail. The eight grants were awarded in states across the country and feature a wide array of projects, including: Grade crossing safety and passenger rail planning grants to California department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Transportation; Transportation Technology Center PTC
April 17, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded eight grants totalling more than US$21.2 million to invest in highway-rail grade crossing safety, positive train control (PTC) implementation and passenger rail.  

The eight grants were awarded in states across the country and feature a wide array of projects, including: Grade crossing safety and passenger rail planning grants to 923 California department of Transportation and 2030 Illinois Department of Transportation; Transportation Technology Center PTC implementation project Interoperable; 2008 Amtrak, Arinc and 1267 Metropolitan Transportation Authority receive grants for train control messaging security.

“These projects are examples of the positive work we could do if we had predictable, dedicated funding for rail,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.  “The Grow America Act is a blueprint for continued economic growth that will help us further strengthen rail’s safety record, close the nation’s infrastructure deficit, and modernise the nation’s freight and passenger rail network.”

“Enhancing grade crossing safety, investing in the deployment of PTC, and funding planning efforts are investments that will make our rail network safer, more reliable, and efficient,” said Acting Federal Railroad Administrator Sarah Feinberg.  “Continuous investment in rail infrastructure will enable us to meet the growing demand for rail and to keep people living along rail lines safe.”

Related Content

  • Video developments in automatic incident detection
    May 22, 2012
    David Crawford reviews technological progress with automatic incident detection Highway safety problems are likely to intensify given recent predictions of future traffic growth across the world. In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that currently over 30,000 deaths and 1.5 million injuries occur as the result of accidents on the nation’s roads each year. These figures will increase with the number of kilometres travelled each year in the US expected to gr
  • ITS America 23rd annual meeting highlights life-saving vehicle technology
    January 29, 2013
    The Intelligent Transportation Society of America’s (ITS America) 23rd Annual Meeting and Exposition will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN from April 22 – 24, 2013, and will showcase the latest ITS technology solutions with an exhibit hall and panel discussions featuring national, regional and local transportation officials and innovation leaders. The three-day event will highlight the latest transportation innovations that are being developed and implemented acr
  • Chicago’s Metra rail system implements PTC
    September 7, 2015
    US systems integrator Parsons has been selected by Metra, Chicago’s commuter rail operator, to install positive train control (PTC) technology on its commuter rail trains. PTC, which is federally mandated, is high tech collision avoidance technology that monitors and controls train movements. It is intended to prevent train to train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursions into established work zones, and movement of trains through a main line switch left in an improper position. As prime contra
  • California traffic deaths drop for fifth consecutive year
    April 20, 2012
    California saw a decline in overall traffic deaths for the fifth year in a row. According to federal government figures, total vehicle fatalities dropped 11.9 per cent, from 3,081 in 2009 to 2,715 in 2010. Since the latest high of 4,333 in 2005, the 2010 figures show a total decline of 37.3 per cent.