U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, alongside several Democratic colleagues, has voiced concerns over a request by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to reduce track safety inspections and loosen repair requirements for safety defects. The senators addressed their worries in a letter to Drew Feeley, Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
The letter emphasized caution against an over-reliance on technology, stating: “We are supportive of the deployment of advanced safety technologies; but the Federal Railroad Administration should take care not to allow railroads to become overly reliant on technology.”
The senators expressed apprehension about AAR's proposal that seeks a waiver to lessen inspection and repair obligations while deploying automated track inspection (ATI) technology. Although ATI has been recognized for its effectiveness since the 1970s, there are concerns that it may not detect certain track issues identifiable by human inspectors.
A significant part of the waiver requests is reducing visual inspections from twice weekly to twice monthly. The senators argue that this reduction could overlook various safety issues like broken rail ties and missing track spikes. Additionally, the proposal would permit up to 72 hours for addressing identified defects compared to immediate action currently required when detected by human inspectors.
The National Transportation Safety Board has also raised concerns about over-reliance on ATI technology, noting in a report that these inspections do not capture unique hazards detectable by human inspectors.
Senator Cantwell and her colleagues urged Mr. Feeley to deny AAR's waiver request and instead finalize proposals requiring automated inspection technology use without diminishing current safety standards.
