Railroad Safety

DOD Can Improve the Safety of On-Base Track and Equipment Gao ID: RCED-91-135 June 20, 1991

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the safety of the Department of Defense's (DOD) railroad equipment, focusing on: (1) the condition of track systems on military installations; and (2) compliance with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) safety standards.

GAO found that: (1) DOD has not adopted FRA safety standards or developed its own uniform safety criteria; (2) despite its noncompliance with FRA standards, DOD rail equipment did not pose a risk of failure, but could pose risks to operating personnel; (3) although the equipment did not meet FRA safety standards, Army and Navy officials noted that the on-base fleet was safe, since it operated under less stressful conditions than commercial equipment, but DOD lacked minimum safety standards commensurate with those less severe conditions; (4) 38 percent to 98 percent of the 3,441 rail cars assigned at 33 DOD installations were not roadworthy, as measured by FRA safety standards, due to a lack of safety appliances, defective brake systems, component defects, and use of restricted equipment, and none of the 24 locomotives reviewed complied with all applicable safety standards; (5) Army and Navy maintenance standards were vague and conflicting, and maintenance personnel did not know which standards to use; (6) DOD, the Army, and the Navy lacked established equipment safety standards to ensure against fire hazards; (7) the Navy provided detailed blocking and bracing instructions for securing hazardous materials, but none of the three Army installations visited had developed such instructions; (8) at the seven installations visited, 76 percent of the derailments or other accidents were partially attributed to defective track; (9) track conditions were adequate for posted speed limits but routine preventive maintenance was generally not performed; and (10) Army and Navy officials noted that they lacked the funds or staff to inspect and maintain track to meet FRA requirements.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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