Table 2-39: Railroad System Safety and Property Damage Data
Table 2-39: Railroad System Safety and Property Damage Data
(Excludes highway-rail grade-crossing accidents)
| 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatalities | 785 | 575 | 584 | 454 | 599 | 567 | 551 | 602 | 577 | 530 | 512 |
| Injuried Persons | d17,934 | 50,138 | 58,696 | 31,617 | 22,736 | 12,546 | 10,948 | 10,227 | 10,156 | 10,304 | 10,424 |
| Accidentsa | 8,095 | 8,041 | 8,205 | 3,275 | 2,879 | 2,459 | 2,443 | 2,397 | 2,575 | 2,768 | 2,983 |
| Train-miles (millions)b,c | 839 | 755 | 718 | 571 | 609 | 670 | 671 | 677 | 683 | 712 | 723 |
| Rates per 100 million train-miles | |||||||||||
| Fatalities | 94 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 98 | 85 | 82 | 89 | 84 | 74 | 71 |
| Injuries | N | 6,640 | 8,180 | 5,540 | 3,740 | 1,870 | 1,630 | 1,511 | 1,487 | 1,446 | 1,442 |
| Accidents | 970 | 1,070 | 1,140 | 570 | 470 | 370 | 360 | 354 | 377 | 389 | 413 |
| Property damage (current $ millions) | 121.6 | 177.4 | 267.4 | 179.3 | 198.7 | 189.2 | 212.3 | R210.7 | R233.9 | R245.1 | 263.2 |
KEY: R = revised.
a Train accidents only; excludes highway-rail grade-crossing accidents.
b Train-miles in this table differ from train-miles in the vehicle-miles table in Chapter 1. Train-miles reported in Chapter 1 include only Class I rail (see glossary for definition), while this table includes Class I rail, Group II rail, and other rail. For example, in 1999 Group II rail accounted for 75 million train- miles, and other rail for 25 million train-miles. Moreover, the vehicle-miles table in Chapter 1 includes only train-miles between terminals and/or stations, thus excluding yard and switching miles. In 1999, Class I yard/switching train-miles totaled 70 million train-miles. Note that commuter rail safety data are reported in the rail mode and the transit mode. Commuter rail train-miles are included in Class I rail and Group II rail in this table.
c A train-mile is the movement of a train (which can consist of many cars) the distance of 1 mile. A train-mile differs from a vehicle-mile, which is the movement of 1 car (vehicle) the distance of 1 mile. A 10-car (vehicle) train traveling 1 mile would be measured as 1 train-mile and 10 vehicle-miles. Caution should be used when comparing train-miles to vehicle-miles.
d 1970 injuries not comparable to later years due to change in reporting system.
NOTE: This table includes information for both freight and passenger railroad operations.
SOURCES:
Fatalities, injuries, accidents, and property damage:
1970-96: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Policy and Program Development, Accident/Incident Bulletin (Washington, DC: Annual issues), tables 14 and 15.
1997-2000: Ibid., Railroad Safety Statistics Annual Report 2000 (Washington, DC: July 2001), tables 1-1 and 3-1.
Train-miles:
1970-90: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration,National Transit Database (Washington, DC: Annual issues), form 406.
1990-99: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Internet site http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/Prelim/1999/r02.htm as of July 10, 2000.
2000: Ibid., Railroad Safety Statistics Annual Report 2000 (Washington, DC: July 2001), table 2-4.