Right On Track

This article describes features of the U.S. National Rail Safety Action Plan. Under this program, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) the agency is addressing numerous factors that can contribute to accidents. Some of its solutions are procedural, addressing human behavior and the effects of fatigue. Others involve evolving technology meant to assure that the road itself is safe. The track technology promises to let the railroads perform predictive rather than reactive maintenance on their roads. According to FRA, its National Rail Safety Action Plan, begun in 2005, is working. After a three-year plateau, the total number of accidents declined slightly, about 2.4 percent, in 2005 and dropped by 8.5 percent in 2006. The FRA argues that the rules are not based on scientific observation, and to correct that, the agency is developing statistical models based on work histories that will predict when fatigue may be nearing a critical point.