(The Associated Press circulated the following article on January 3.)
WASHINGTON — A new federal safety rule aimed at decreasing motorist collisions with trains at gate crossings requires that all freight locomotive and rail cars install reflective materials to make them more visible, the Federal Railroad Administration announced Monday.
Under the policy, set to go into effect March 4, railroads must install yellow or white reflective materials on locomotives by 2010 and on freight rail cars by 2015. The rule applies immediately to all new locomotives and freight cars, as well as many of those going in for maintenance or repair. Passenger cars, generally lighter in appearance and often with interior lights, are not subject to the changes.
The FRA, which is part of the Transportation Department, estimates fully implementing the measures will cost railroads $74.5 million over two decades.
In 2003, there were 331 fatal motor vehicle crashes and some 2,900 accidents overall at highway-rail grade crossings, the lowest figures on record. Crash statistics from the first nine months of 2004, however, show a slight increase from the same time period in 2003.
Nearly a quarter of all grade-crossing accidents involve motor vehicles colliding with trains already there, which the FRA said could be attributed to the large size and dark color of trains, along with poor lighting or limited visibility for motorists.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommended installing reflective material on trains in the early 1980s, said NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz, but it was not done.
The new ruling says reflective materials two decades ago were not effective or durable enough to withstand harsh railroad environments.