Melvin Smith, Executive Staff Director, Office of Outreach Programs and Engagement

TRMTC Meeting – Denver, Colorado

RAIL

MOVING AMERICA FORWARD

TRMTC Requests

• Participation in FRA Safety Programs
• Introduction to FRA Safety Training
• Travel Funding
• Railroad Safety Data
• How do we move forward?

2

Railroad 101 Course

• Locations: Steam Town, PA
• Pueblo, CO

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Intro/Visit FRA Technical Training

• TTC at Pueblo, CO

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Ride-A-Longs

• Memorandum of Understanding

Participating with FRA

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Locations:

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• Steam Town – Scranton, Pennsylvania
• Transportation Technology Center (TTC), Pueblo, Colorado

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Other option:

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• Conduct Railroad 101 at an Annual Meeting Location

Railroad 101

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• 3-day Course (Can be condensed to 1 or 2 days)
• Classroom & Hands-on
• Class Size 10-20 pax
• Location: Steam Town or TTC
• Timeframe: 1^st Qtr. FY25 or 3^rd Qtr. FY25
• Optional – Hands-on/tour at local railroad

Railroad 101 Course

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• Majority of training conducted at TTC
• 2 or 3 Days in duration
• Classroom and Hands-on
• PPE is required for Hands-on
• Lodging at Pueblo
• Visit led by TTSD Staff

Intro/Visit to FRA Technical Training Training

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• Possible under certain circumstances
• Must to be planned in advance
• Observations only and no participation
• Host Railroad Notification
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Limitations will be observed

Ride-A-Longs

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• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
• Liability Clause (FRA & Railroad)
• Roles of Inspectors
• Roles of Guests (TRMTC)
• Do’s and Don’ts
• Safety Requirements

Considerations

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Alabama

Arizona

California

District of Columbia

Florida

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Maine

Maryland

Minnesota

Mississippi*

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Participating States

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New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

Nevada

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

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• Arkansas
• Colorado*
• Georgia
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Utah*
• Wisconsin

Potential States

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• Need list of participants for Railroad 101 Course
• List of participants for TTC Visit
• Drafting Memorandum of Understanding
• Need Tribal Assistance in Recruiting States Participation
• Travel Funding thru Various Grants

Moving Forward

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• FRA Grants Procedures provided
• Suggest applying for grants for 2-3 years
• Number of Participants & Names
• Travel Costs Estimates
• Participants’ Availability

Travel Funding

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• CRISI Factsheet: https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2021-12/CRISI%20Grants%20fact%20sheet.pdf

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• CRISI Workforce Development: https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2022-09/CRISI%20Workforce%20fact%20sheet.pdf

CRISI Grants Information

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Presentation by RDI (Lindsay Peters-Dawson):

• Railroad Train Accidents
• Railroad Employee Casualties
• Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Accidents
• Railroad Safety Inspections

FRA Safety Data

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Melvin Smith

Phone: 972-839-2650

Email: melvin.smith@dot.gov

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Lindsay Peters-Dawson

Phone: 202-440-3024

Email: lindsay.petersdawsondot.gov

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Contact Us

Federal Railroad Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590