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  • FTA Dear Colleague Letter: Track Worker Fatalities

    On May 8, 2007, then FTA Administrator James S. Simpson issued a Dear Colleague Letter discussing the eleven right-of-way worker fatalities that occurred between October 2005 and April 2007 and the initiatives underway to address this dramatic trend.

  • FTA Dear Colleague Letter: Track Worker Safety DVD

    On June 12, 2009, FTA Administrator, Peter M. Rogoff, issued a Dear Colleague Letter to the transit community announcing the development of a new safety awareness DVD for right-of-way workers entitled, “A Knock at Your Door.” The lessons learned presented in the DVD reflect the results of investigations and recommendations from SSO agencies and the NTSB.

  • FTA Dear Colleague Letter: SSO Training Curriculum

    In this February 29, 2008 Dear Colleague Letter, FTA Administrator, Peter M. Rogoff, responds to NTSB recommendations R-07-9 and R-07-10. The letter describes the FTA-sponsored SSO Program Manager’s Training Curriculum, developed to strengthen the the effectiveness of SSO Programs.

  • FTA Dear Colleague Letter: Fort Totten Collision

    FTA Administrator Peter M. Rogoff issued two Dear Colleague Letters related to the Washington Metro red line fatal collision on June 22, 2009 that killed nine and injured 70. The two letters and associated materials here were transmitted to the transit community.

  • FTA Dear Colleague Letter: Event Recorders

    In 2002, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made Recommendation R-02-19 to FTA urging the agency to “require that new or rehabilitated vehicles funded by FTA grants be equipped with event data recorders (EDRs) meeting Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard 1482.1.” On 3/5/07, then Administrator James S. Simpson issued the Dear Colleague letter below, describing FTA activities to assess the current usage of EDRs and continue to urge incorporation into the Nation’s fleet.

  • SSO Quarterly Newsletter – Fall 2011

    The 2nd newsletter in FTA’s new cycle of quarterly Rail Transit Safety Newsletters.

  • FTA Safety Bulletin No. 4 – Wire Termination and Splicing

    Employing good wiring practices to prevent future safety hazards is extremely important. Generally, transit agencies have training and certification programs for maintenance personnel engaged in wiring repair and modifications. This bulletin is intended to be a reference document for those systems that currently have programs in place as well as those whose programs are in development.

  • FTA Safety Bulletin No. 2 – Safety in Procurement

    The State Safety Oversight (SSO) program includes requirements for making sure that critical safety issues and concerns are addressed in an on-going manner through the procurement process. This Bulletin provides examples of Critical Safety Items (CSIs) in the procurement process.

  • FTA Safety Bulletin No. 1 – Torqueing Fasteners

    The importance of torqueing fasteners in many applications cannot be overemphasized. Failure of safety sensitive subsystems in rail vehicles and buses such as engines, wheels, brakes, trucks, and structural installations have frequently resulted in catastrophic accidents and derailments. During FTA’s State Safety Oversight (SSO) audits of various state Departments of Transportation, FTA has noted a number of events where nut and bolt torqueing procedures were not in place, not enforced or proper training not conducted.

  • SSO Quarterly Newsletter – Sep 2011

    FTA initiates a new cycle of quarterly Rail Transit Safety Newsletters, welcoming back readers from state safety oversight (SSO) agencies and rail transit agencies who follow safety and security issues and FTA’s SSO program.

  • BCG Develops Part 659 Implementation Toolkit

    Background 49 CFR Part 659 establishes FTA’s State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program, mandates the development state agencies, and outlines the requirements for state program standards to oversee the safety and security of local rail transit systems.  The original requirements for … Continue reading →

  • FTA’s First Ever CEO Summit on Safety

    Call to Action In July 2008, FTA Administrator James Simpson called the CEO Safety Summit to facilitate discussion regarding critical safety issues in the rail transit industry.  Administrator Simpson was aware that recent accidents had highlighted weaknesses in programs designed … Continue reading →

  • 49 CFR Part 659 Reference Guide

    This reference guide was been developed to support the efforts of states, oversight agencies and rail transit agencies to implement the requirements of the revised 49 CFR Part 659. The reference guide is a checklist tool organized by rule section and required activities. The left column contains a summary of the requirements of the revised rule and offers recommendations for states, oversight agencies, and rail transit agencies.

  • SSO Program Annual Report: 1999

    This report summarizes activities performed to implement the State Safety Oversight Program during Calendar Year 1999. Information provided by State Oversight Agencies documenting the safety and security performance of the rail transit industry in 1999 is presented, including a discussion of the probable causes of accidents and unacceptable hazardous conditions. This report also highlights procedures and policies, developed by State Oversight Agencies and rail transit systems, which have been particularly effective in supporting the objectives of the State Safety Oversight Program.

  • SSO Fatigue Management Survey Results

    This report has been prepared to present the results of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Fatigue Management Survey. FTA administered this survey over the six-week period between June 19 and July 31, 2006. FTA conducted this survey to identify and categorize the fatigue management practices of rail transit agencies and State Safety Oversight (SSO) agencies affected by 49 CFR Part 659. FTA provided information obtained from this survey to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as part of its response to Safety Recommendation R-06-3.

  • Resource Toolkit for SOAs Implementing 49 CFR Part 659

    The Resource Toolkit has been developed to support states and rail transit agencies in meeting FTA’s requirements for its revised State Safety and Security Oversight Rule (49 CFR Part 659).

  • Rail Transit Newsletter – Fall 2008

    In This Issue:
    - Safety Action Plan
    - NTSB Recommendations and FTA Response
    - 3rd Annual SSO Program Managers Workshop
    - 12th Annual SSO Program Meeting; CEO Safety Summit
    - SSO Audit Program Effective Practices

  • Rail Transit Newsletter – Summer 2009

    In This Issue:
    - Oversight 
of 
Rail 
Transit 
Agency
Track 
Inspections
    - Effective Oversight of 
RTA Track Inspection Processes (CTA Case Study)

  • Rail Transit Newsletter – Winter 2009

    In This Issue:
    - Welcome Phoenix Metro!
    - SSO Audit Program Results and Planned Activities for 2009
    - Accident Investigation Guidance
    - SSO Agency Feedback on Effective Accident Investigation Practices

  • Rail Transit Newsletter – Spring 2009

    In this issue:
    - Interview with the Director of the Office of Safety and Security
    - Oversight of Rail Transit Agency Rules Compliance Monitoring
    - Improving Safety Culture

  • FTA State Safety Oversight Program Pre-Audit Questionnaire

    This pre-audit questionnaire assists FTA auditors in collecting information prior to onsite SSO Audit Program interviews. Download

  • NTSB Recommendations and FTA Responses – Update

    This presentation presents the status of FTA responses to address NTSB recommendations.

  • State Safety Oversight Newsletter – Issue 13

    Winter 2005 – In This Issue: 8th Annual SSO Workshop; New Starts Systems; SSO Community Map; Efficiency/Proficiency Testing; SSO Contacts

  • State Safety Oversight Newsletter – Issue 12

    Summer 2004 — In This Issue: FTA’s 8th Annual Workshop; New Start Systems; 2003 Safety Data; PT-ISAC; FTA Top 20 List; SSO Contacts

  • Implementation Guidelines for 49 CFR Part 659

    These Implementation Guidelines for 49 CFR Part 659 have been prepared to assist states and rail transit agencies in developing compliant programs based on the revised FTA Rule. To ensure program consistency, these guidelines build on previous guidance provided to the affected SSO community in FTA’s 49 CFR Part 659 Reference Guide, released on June 22, 2005. These guidelines also incorporate practices and recommendations from the complement of technical assistance tools previously developed for the SSO program, including templates, reports, training workshops, seminars, web-based resources, and previously published documents.