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For FRA, rail operators, and communities to reduce rail suicides, they need to comprehensively understand the characteristics of such incidents. The U.S. DOT Volpe Center analyzed FRA data to produce a baseline measure of rail trespassing and suicide incidents. This baseline is the...
Every year, there are approximately 270 to 325 fatalities reported by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that a state coroner or medical examiner determines to be a suicide. However, systems to determine whether a fatality is a suicide can vary by county. That nationwide inconsistency can...
With support from the U.S. DOT SBIR program and the Federal Railroad Administration, GS Engineering developed and tested a system that makes accessing freight locomotives easier and safer for railroad engineers and workers.
The Federal Railroad Administration worked with U.S. DOT's Volpe Center and the Association of American Railroads to convene a group of international experts who specialize in suicide prevention on the rail system. This group, known as the Global Railway Alliance for Suicide Prevention (...
Research shows that media reporting of suicides can lead to copycat incidents if journalists do not follow guidelines for responsible reporting. The Federal Railroad Administration and the U.S. DOT Volpe Center are working on strategies to encourage responsible reporting of rail-...
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has sponsored a research effort at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center to work directly with rail carriers to identify, implement, and evaluate appropriate suicide death mitigation strategies. One such evaluation is underway with...
Penn Station is one of the busiest passenger transportation facilities in the U.S., serving more than 600,000 commuter rail and Amtrak passengers each day. In late March and early April, Penn Station suffered two train derailments within a week of each other. Following both derailments, U.S...
What’s the best way for raw fuel material to get to a refinery? Road, rail, water, pipeline? What emissions are associated with moving raw material and fuel? Environmental biologist Kristin Lewis recently talked about how a Volpe-developed tool can help optimize fuel logistics strategies.
Responsible media reporting on rail suicide and trespass incidents can inform the public and help those in need. However, media reporting of such events can also lead to copycat incidents. A new report illuminates common reporting practices that could increase suicide contagion on the rail...
Over the past decade, research from rail suicide prevention experts in Europe, Canada, and Australia has illuminated strategies that can reduce rail suicides. Volpe and the Federal Railroad Administration built on this global research to develop a program with six focus areas to identify ways to...