FRA safety alerts target grade crossing risks for crews

The FRA safety alerts issued Thursday focus on recent grade crossing incidents that killed railroad employees or motorists.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The agency released a safety advisory on shove movements through crossings and a separate safety bulletin warning that grade crossing warning systems may not activate because of loss of shunt.

FRA safety alerts on shove movements and “track is clear” procedures

In its Safety Advisory 2025-02, the Federal Railroad Administration said crews should make sure track is clear procedures are met before making shove movements through crossings that are not protected by gates.

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The advisory points to thorough job briefings and visual checks before equipment enters a crossing, what to do if a “track is clear” determination cannot be made, and whether railroads should evaluate certain crossings to determine if an employee riding a shove move can realistically make that call.

The FRA said recent accidents suggest additional training and operational testing may be needed to ensure understanding and compliance with “track is clear” requirements. In some cases, it added, operating rules and/or bulletins may need updates to require stop-and-flag protection at specific crossings.

The advisory follows a string of fatal accidents since 2020 involving railroad employees riding shove movements. The latest occurred this month in Ontario, Calif., where a Union Pacific brakeman riding the leading end of a shove movement on an industrial lead was fatally injured when the train collided with a semi-truck at a crossing equipped only with flashing lights, the FRA said.

The Dec. 4 accident remains under investigation, but preliminary information indicates the brakeman was positioned opposite the remote control operator who was controlling the movement. “Initial findings suggest the train entered the crossing without confirming the track was clear,” the FRA said.

The FRA offered four recommendations to railroads. It urged carriers to review rules related to shoving movements to ensure compliance with required comprehensive job briefings. It also recommended reviewing and revising operating rules so they account for all factors in determining when the track is clear.

In addition, the FRA said railroads should review and evaluate operational testing data related to shove movements at grade crossings, identify crossings with only passive protection, and prioritize locations where there are challenges to making visual assessments of approaching vehicular traffic. Finally, railroads should review crossings that have only flashing lights or passive warnings to determine whether train crew members can reliably see and communicate that the tracks are clear, considering visibility, obstructions, and weather.

If a crew member cannot safely make that determination, the FRA said railroads should revise rules to require an employee to be positioned at the crossing to provide protection, such as stopping and flagging traffic.

Union Pacific grade crossing accident and warning systems that may not activate

In a safety bulletin, the FRA said it was investigating a Union Pacific grade crossing accident in Kane County, Ill., that killed the driver of a pickup truck and seriously injured two passengers in the vehicle (Railway Supply). The crossing’s gates and flashers did not activate before a light engine move — involving a single, six-axle unit — entered the crossing, the FRA said.

“Preliminary information indicates the train crew did not follow required operating rules for traversing highway-rail grade crossings when operating equipment without the minimum number of axles needed to reliably activate grade crossing warning systems,” the FRA said.

As outlined in Safety Bulletin 2025-05, highway-rail grade crossing warning systems can fail if rail equipment does not shunt the approach circuit. This “failure to shunt,” also termed loss of shunt, may be caused by multiple factors, including trains with a low number of axles, contaminants on the rail or wheel of the train (including leaves), the condition of the rail including rust, and other conditions that cause poor wheel/rail contact.

The FRA encouraged railroads to review the bulletin with managers and employees to reinforce the critical importance of following operating rules and maintenance plans relating to loss of shunt and the proper operation of highway-rail grade crossing warning systems.

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