This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
9/4/2025
The Federal Railroad Administration yesterday announced that the number of its bridge safety inspectors will increase from 10 to more than 160.
Specifically, track inspectors and their state counterparts in the FRA's State Safety Participation Program soon will begin inspecting railroad bridges that could result in recommendations for civil penalties when defects are found, FRA officials said in a press release. A small FRA team already audits railroads’ bridge management programs to ensure safe maintenance practices and identify potential weaknesses. They will soon be joined by 163 inspectors who will undergo training to assess railroads’ compliance with Bridge Safety Standards as part of regular field inspections, they said.
FRA was recently approached by several state partners interested in helping to ensure compliance with the Bridge Safety Standards, FRA officials said. The agency is using existing authority to enable its own inspectors and participating state agency inspectors to review railroad bridge safety under current regulations.
The new training will address bridge mechanics, with a focus on critical defects that could indicate a railroad’s bridge inspection program is insufficient to identify deficiencies. After undergoing training, inspectors may observe any railroad bridges for general condition and safety, and they may recommend civil penalty violations for certain critical defects if observed in the field.
The training will include modules on bridge fundamentals; timber, steel and concrete bridges; the components of a bridge management program; and the processes, protocols and coordination necessary for the initiative to succeed.
"The Bridge Safety Standards have long helped assure that railroad bridges are safe,” said FRA Acting Administrator Drew Feeley. “The addition of this training for existing inspectors will give FRA many more opportunities to confirm the structural soundness of railroad bridges. We will continue to find new and cost-effective ways to improve safety.”