(Reuters circulated the following article on February 10.)
NEW YORK — The U.S. Transportation Department is set to change its railroad inspection program in a bid to improve safety, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The agency’s railroad safety arm, the Federal Railroad Administration, will increase its emphasis on using safety, inspection and enforcement data to decide how and where to inspect railroads, the newspaper said.
A report by the agency’s inspector general last year found that the railroad inspection program has been subjective, with decisions often being left to the discretion of inspectors or following an incident, the Journal said.
The railroad regulator also suggested it would be more aggressive in fining railroads if attempts to resolve safety problems through negotiations fail, the newspaper said.
The changes will take effect no later than this fall, the Journal said.