Reflective tape may be required for railroad freight cars

Washington, (July 15, 1999) — A U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) study has concluded that fitting freight cars with reflective tape could reduce the incidence of nightime collisions between trains and highway vehicles at at-grade crossings. In 1998 there were 754 collisions in which highway users struck rail equipment; 49 percent of these occurred during hours of dawn, dusk or at night.

FRA Administrator Jolene M. Molitoris, said that the FRA will be gathering additional data and conducting an economic analysis to determine whether initiating proposed regulatory or other action may be appropriate. “One of the most challenging problems facing the railroad industry is collisions between trains and vehicles at grade crossings,” Molitoris said. “Improving motorists’ recognition of trains at crossings could go a long way toward reducing the number of highway-rail grade crossing accidents, injuries and fatalities.”

In 1994, Congress required the U.S. DoT to conduct a review of department rules with respect to railroad car visibility. FRA issued a final rule requiring that locomotives be equipped with extra “alerting lights” at the front of the locomotive in March, 1996. All locomotives operating in excess of 20 miles per hour over public highway-rail crossings were required to be equipped by Dec. 31, 1997. This rule has contributed to an 18 percent reduction in
highway-rail crossing collisions in 1996-1998.

The research, which was conducted by the department’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, studied the feasibility of using reflective materials on freight train cars to help prevent collisions in which a motor vehicle strikes the side of a train. Copies of the Volpe Center report can be obtained by calling the FRA at 202-493-6024 or on the DoT web site.