Casey calls for more federal rail bridge inspectors

There are only eight to assess 70,000 spans

HARRISBURG — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey on Thursday called for increasing the number of federal rail bridge inspectors, saying the government has too few workers overseeing the safety of more than 70,000 bridges in the United States.

Mr. Casey, a Democrat, told reporters on a conference call that the Federal Railroad Administration has eight employees responsible for the safety of the nation’s rail bridges. With train derailments in the news in recent years, he said there should be more inspectors assigned to rail bridges.

“They’re charged with making sure that these train bridges are safe, and the investment we’ve made in their work is inadequate,” Mr. Casey said. “You don’t have to be an expert in rail safety or engineering ... to know that eight for 70,000 isn’t nearly enough.”

Mr. Casey is proposing nearly doubling the number of bridge specialists.

The Federal Railroad Administration is evaluating its bridge management program to

determine if more can be done with its current resources, communications director Matthew Lehner said. The 2008 federal Rail Safety Improvement Act instructed railroads to build bridge management programs and the FRA to audit those programs, he said.

“We are carrying out those instructions,” Mr. Lehner said. “With more resources from Congress, FRA could have a more robust program.”

The train company CSX, which has about 2,000 miles of tracks in Pennsylvania, will invest more than $2.5 billion this year in the safety and adequacy of its infrastructure, including in its bridge management system, spokesman Rob Doolittle said.

The bridge management system requires that each of the company’s bridges receive a complete inspection at least once a year, and tracks crossing the bridges receive frequent visual inspections, he said.

“Safety is CSX’s highest priority, and CSX appreciates Sen. Casey’s continued focus on these important issues,” Mr. Doolittle said.

Dave Pidgeon, spokesman for Norfolk Southern Corp., said rail transportation is safe and getting safer. Norfolk Southern is spending $1.3 billion this year on its infrastructure, including tracks and bridges, he said. He said the company employs 4,700 people in Pennsylvania.

“When we talk about safety, it’s not just a good business practice,” he said. “It’s personal, too”

Ed Greenberg, spokesman for the Association of

Ed Greenberg, spokesman for the Association of American Railroads, said that freight railroads follow strict federal and industry standards in all areas of train operations, including through visual and high-tech inspections of tracks and bridges.

American Railroads, said that freight railroads follow strict federal and industry standards in all areas of train operations, including through visual and high-tech inspections of tracks and bridges.

“Freight railroads are performing more inspections than required by federal regulations, and at any point during the day or night, the nation’s rail system is being inspected, undergoing maintenance or being upgraded,” he said.

Gov. Tom Wolf supports Mr. Casey’s proposal, spokeswoman Beth Melena said. In April, the governor’s office announced that Mr. Wolf had hired a rail expert to focus on the safety of trains transporting crude oil through Pennsylvania. The governor has also written to President Barack Obama to ask for the federal government’s help in ensuring the safety of transporting oil by train.