The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently released updated, performance-based safety standards for railroad-passenger equipment.
Previous passenger-equipment regulations limited U.S. rail companies’ purchase options and required companies petition the FRA for waivers before acquiring modern technologies. This is the opposite of the global standard where passenger train manufacturers are permitted to test and utilize new technology.
Under the ruling, high-speed rail can utilize existing infrastructure for traveling up to 220 miles per hour.
High-speed rail is now categorized as a Tier III passenger train, and the ruling establishes minimum safety standards for trains in this class.
Tier I trains can travel at speeds up to 125 mph, and Tier II trains can travel between 125-160 mph. This is a 10-mile maximum speed increase.
An executive order will reduce rail regulations, a move that is forecasted to save more than $475 million in net regulatory costs.
“These new regulations were made possible by a wealth of FRA research, reinforcing our unwavering commitment to safety,” FRA Administrator Ronald L. Batory said. “FRA’s safety experts solicited input from industry stakeholders at numerous levels and took those ideas to develop standards supporting a new era in public transportation.”
The Engineering Task Force assisted the FRA with the new standards.