Railroad Safety:
DOT Faces Challenges in Improving Grade Crossing Safety, Track Inspection Standards, and Passenger Car Safety
T-RCED-96-115: Published: Apr 1, 1996. Publicly Released: Apr 1, 1996.
Additional Materials:
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GAO provided information on the safety of highway railroad crossings, commuter passenger rails and adequacy of track safety inspections. GAO found that: (1) the leading cause of death associated with the railroad industry involved railroad crossing accidents; (2) about half of rail-related deaths occur because of collisions between trains and vehicles at public railroad crossings; (3) in 1994, 501 people were killed and 1,764 injured in railroad crossing accidents; (4) to improve the safety of railroad crossings, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must better target funds to high-risk areas, close more railroad crossings, install new technologies, and develop educational programs to increase the public's awareness of railroad crossings; (5) DOT plans are costly and will require congressional approval; (6) the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is unable to adequately inspect and enforce truck safety standards or direct transportation officials to the routes with the highest accident potential because its database contains inaccurate information; and (7) Congress has directed FRA to establish sufficient passenger car safety standards by 1999.
Oct 3, 2018
Positive Train Control:
Most Passenger Railroads Expect to Request an Extension and Substantial Work Remains Beyond 2018GAO-19-135T: Published: Oct 3, 2018. Publicly Released: Oct 3, 2018.
Sep 13, 2018
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Positive Train Control:
Most Railroads Expect to Request an Extension, and Substantial Work Remains Beyond 2018GAO-18-692T: Published: Sep 13, 2018. Publicly Released: Sep 13, 2018.
Sep 5, 2018
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Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway:
Assessing Risks and Measuring Performance Could Improve Maritime TransportationGAO-18-610: Published: Sep 5, 2018. Publicly Released: Sep 5, 2018.
Jul 30, 2018
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Public Transit Partnerships:
Additional Information Needed to Clarify Data Reporting and Share Best PracticesGAO-18-539: Published: Jul 30, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 30, 2018.
Jul 26, 2018
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Aviation Security:
Basic Training Program for Transportation Security Officers Would Benefit from Performance Goals and MeasuresGAO-18-552: Published: Jul 26, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 26, 2018.
Jul 19, 2018
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Highway and Transit Projects:
Better Data Needed to Assess Changes in the Duration of Environmental ReviewsGAO-18-536: Published: Jul 19, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 19, 2018.
Jul 12, 2018
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Aviation Security:
Actions Needed to Better Identify and Track U.S.-Bound Public Charter Operations from CubaGAO-18-526: Published: Jul 12, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 12, 2018.
May 31, 2018
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Capital Investment Grants Program:
FTA Should Address Several Statutory ProvisionsGAO-18-462: Published: May 31, 2018. Publicly Released: May 31, 2018.
May 29, 2018
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Interstate Pipeline Inspections:
Additional Planning Could Help DOT Determine Appropriate Level of State ParticipationGAO-18-461: Published: May 29, 2018. Publicly Released: May 29, 2018.
May 24, 2018
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Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems:
FAA Should Improve Its Management of Safety RisksGAO-18-110: Published: May 24, 2018. Publicly Released: May 24, 2018.
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