The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a safety advisory (SA 2025-02) on December 10 to emphasize the importance of determining that the “track is clear” prior to shoving or pushing movements across highway-rail grade crossings equipped only with flashing lights or passive warning devices.
The advisory comes after four rail worker fatalities in five years at passive grade crossings, including the death of BLET Division 607 President Lou Shuster in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 7, 2023.
The FRA advisory focuses specifically on the need for adequate job briefings and visual assessments before railroad equipment traverses a crossing, the action required if a “track is clear” determination cannot be made, and the need for railroads to evaluate certain crossings to determine if it is feasible for an employee riding a shove move to make sure the track is clear.
The FRA advisory states: “Recent accidents demonstrate that railroads and their employees may require additional training and operational testing to ensure sufficient understanding and compliance with ‘track is clear’ procedures, and in some cases operating rules and/or bulletins need to be updated to require stop and flag at certain crossings.”
Members can read FRA Safety Advisory 2025-03 on the FRA website (PDF).