Safe and efficient movement of goods and people is the primary objective of the railroads that make up the US rail transportation system. Continued technological advances and opportunities for their adoption abound, and many are being implemented by today’s railroads. Despite these advancements, derailment rates have generally remained constant in recent years. What do railroads, regulators, and investigators need to do in the age of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) to bring derailment rates under 1.0/million train miles? There is nothing that can destroy the concept of precision railroading like a mainline derailment and track outage for 2-3 days. This presentation will cover current specific and timely recommendations for all stakeholders in the battle against derailments. Recommendations will include topics such as track, human failure, equipment, and railroad management. A note of caution from the presenter: this presentation could ruffle feathers – please plan accordingly.
