​Remarks as prepared for delivery​.

​​Good morning and thank you for the opportunity to be here today. 

I want to start by thanking each of you for your continued work to improve safety at grade crossings, including the creation of the FRA’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

Outstanding work is also happening at the state and local level. 

Thanks to the efforts of FRA Administrator Bose; then-Acting FHWA Administrator Pollock; Governor Parson; Missouri DOT Director McKenna; the people of Mendon, Missouri; and the critical efforts of Chairman Sam Graves, the State of Missouri acted quickly and decisively after Amtrak’s Southwest Chief collided with a dump truck in 2022, claiming four lives and injuring 146 others. 

Their work to improve the state’s 47 passive grade crossings, supported by a $50 million investment, far exceeded our expectations and, as a result, we didn’t issue any recommendations in our final investigative report. 

Also, as we discuss safety today, we need to keep in mind: rail transportation is not only cleaner and more fuel-efficient than transportation on our roadways — it’s also far, far safer. That’s true whether we’re talking about transporting passengers or freight. 

We’d save so many lives if we could get people out of cars and onto trains and public transit.

The fact is, the U.S. is facing a public health crisis on our roads. More than 40,000 people are killed every single year in preventable crashes. Millions more are injured. 

Grade crossings are among the deadliest spaces on our rail system because that’s where our rails meet our roads. 

In fact, the rate of grade-crossing collisions has increased by 34% over the last decade. 

Today, I’d like to highlight three areas where we see significant room for improvement: 

• ​Grade crossing design; 
• Technology; and 
• Rail worker safety. 
  

First, design. 

The safest grade crossing is no grade crossing. In a perfect world, our rail system would be completely separated from our roads. That means building underpasses or overpasses. 

But grade separation isn’t always an option, which is why we’ve recommended: 

• ​​Converting passive grade crossings to active ones; 
• Increasing and improving signage; and 
• Ensuring proper road design so vehicles don’t “bottom out” and become stuck on the tracks. 
  

The second area: technology. 

If you’ve ever used the Waze app, you’ll notice it alerts drivers when they’re approaching a grade crossing. That safety improvement is the result of a 2016 NTSB recommendation. We’ve called on other companies to do the same in their navigation apps. Unfortunately, some of them, including Google, Apple, and Microsoft, have yet to implement our recommendation.

For decades, we’ve also called on USDOT to develop and test in-vehicle safety technology — like V2X — to warn drivers of trains at grade crossings. We’re still waiting. 

We also strongly support other lifesaving technologies, like positive train control. Current law requires the railroads to use PTC in established work zones to ensure worker safety. But, under FRA regulations, they can circumvent that law by using train-approach warning. That’s when a watchman is assigned to protect workers who are maintaining the track. When they spot a train coming — sometimes at speeds of 110 miles per hour — they’re supposed to tell workers to move. 

 We’ve conducted numerous investigations where workers have died in extremely hazardous conditions as a result of train approach warning. 

In 2021, I wrote a letter to DOT and FRA imploring them to take action; nothing’s been done. I’d like to include that letter in the hearing record. 

The NTSB has also called on FRA and the railroads to end the practice of allowing workers to ride on a railcar through a grade crossing. To be safe, workers must get off the train. Unfortunately, we’ve seen little action on these recommendations. 

The NTSB has over 190 rail safety recommendations that are currently open. We have 318 more recommendations that have been closed – unacceptable. 

These recommendations, if acted on today, will save lives. There is no reason — none — to wait. 

Before I close, I want to thank you for your staunch support of the NTSB. Our authorization expired at the end of FY22. Thank you for reauthorizing us in the FAA bill and for providing the funding we requested in the President’s FY24 budget. 

I want to specifically thank Congressman Van Orden for successfully increasing the NTSB’s funding during Committee deliberations. 

Again, thank you. I look forward to taking your questions.

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