Amtrak Safety: Amtrak Should Implement Minimum Safety Standards for Passenger Cars
RCED-93-196
Published: Sep 22, 1993. Publicly Released: Sep 22, 1993.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined whether the: (1) National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) has effective procedures for inspecting, repairing, and maintaining its passenger cars to ensure safe operation; and (2) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) provides adequate oversight to ensure the safety of Amtrak's passenger cars.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| National Railroad Passenger Corporation | The President of Amtrak should establish a safety standard that identifies a minimum threshold beyond which a passenger car may not be operated. |
Closed – Implemented
Amtrak has established safety standards as of January 1, 1994, that clearly define a safety-critical threshold beyond which a car may not be operated.
|
| National Railroad Passenger Corporation | The President of Amtrak should establish and implement procedures to ensure that cars do not operate unless they are in compliance with this safety standard. |
Closed – Implemented
Amtrak has printed its safety standards on laminated cards and distributed the cards to Mechanical Department personnel responsible for inspecting and repairing cars and locomotives. Amtrak supervisors are required to monitor personnel to ensure that the standards are met.
|
| Department of Transportation | The Secretary of Transportation should direct the FRA Administrator to conduct a study that considers all passenger service providers in assessing the need for establishing minimum criteria for the condition of safety-critical components on passenger cars. |
Closed – Not Implemented
FRA's actions do not include a study of the need to regulate passenger safety that includes all providers, although it plans to study Amtrak. In GAO's view, Amtrak is responding well to the recommendations on safety and FRA would not benefit from a study of Amtrak. FRA does not know whether other providers, such as commuter railroads, should be regulated regarding passenger car safety. A study of these carriers is needed. But FRA has no plans for such a study.
|
| Department of Transportation | The Secretary of Transportation should direct the FRA Administrator to establish any passenger car component regulations that the study shows to be advisable, taking into account any internal safety standards developed by Amtrak or others that pertain to passenger car components. |
Closed – Implemented
In 1994, the Congress enacted legislation that directed the Federal Railroad Administration to complete rulemaking governing passenger car safety.
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Topics
InspectionPassengersInternal controlsMaintenance standardsRailroad regulationRailroad safetyRailroad transportation operationsSafety regulationSafety standardsStandards evaluationTransportation safety