The theme of this year's workshop was keeping safety on track." This theme reflects the fact that safety remains the number one priority at FTA. To emphasize FTA's commitment to the dates and this Program, FTA released three major documents at the workshop:

• Annual Report on the State Safety Oversight Program
• Compliance Guidelines for States with New Starts
• Safety Action Plan: Accomplishments and the Future

Arkansas have designated agencies to oversee New Start systems.

In the next year, FTA expects that Puerto Rico, Arizona and North Carolina will designate oversight agencies. New light rail systems will open in Detroit and Little Rock. Major extension projects in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Colorado, Washington State, and Washington, D.C. are also being constructed. By 2010, FTA projects that as many as 31 States and 47 rail transit systems will be affected by the State Safety Oversight Program.

On Wednesday morning, Roy Field, also from the Office of Safety and Security, gave an overview of SSO activities for 2000 and presented to

the participants FTA's State Safety Oversight Program, Annual Report for 1999. Mr. Field noted that the past year was a busy one for FTA's Office of Safety and Security. Throughout the year, compliance monitoring activities required close coordination with Regional Offices, SOAs, and rail transit agencies, strengthening essential interfaces. In 1999, FTA's Office of Safety and Security continued Phase I of the State Safety Oversight Audit Program. The Office also initiated programs to revise 49 CFR Part 659; to address requirements from NTSB for bus safety oversight; to coordinate with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on shared use operations; to develop policy and programs to support the integration of New Start systems into the State Safety Oversight Program; and to promote integration of system safety concepts in transit operations through training and technical assistance. Further, FTA ensured the integration of safety and security into other management programs with the continued application of its triennial review process.

Continued on page 3

State Agency

New Start Project

Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department

Little Rock River Rail (Central Arkansas Transit Authority)

Minnesota State Patrol

Hiawatha Light Rail Project (Minnesota DOT and the Metro Council)

Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

Norfolk-Virginia Beach Light Rail (Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads)

Wisconsin Department of Transportation

Kenosha Street Car Circulator (Kenosha Transit)

The State Safety Oversight Audit Program remained a priority for FTA's Office of Safety and Security throughout the year. The Audit Program provides FTA with the opportunity to identify the requirements of Part 659 that have been most difficult for SOAs to implement. Further, it supports communication with the States that results in the greater sharing of technical information, the solicitation of best practices, and the development of activities that promote an increased coordination between all stakeholders responsible for ensuring that system safety objectives are being identified and met each year.

As of February, 2001, FTA has audited 14 Oversight Agencies. These agencies represent the industry's full range of safety oversight experience, oversight authority, resource allocation, and geographical diversity. Throughout 1999 and 2000, States worked closely with FTA to resolve identified deficiencies and areas of concern. To date, all deficiencies have effectively been addressed. No funds have been withheld from a State for failure to comply with audit findings.

• Draft contracts and specifications such that safety certification is emphasized as a primary activity with clearly identified deliverables and milestones, closely tied to contract payment.
• Receive and review status reports from contractors and the transit agency.
• Coordinate with local emergency responders and develop procedures and training for managing incidents on the extension.
• Make sure the transit agency addresses public awareness and expectations regarding the introduction of light rail service into mixed traffic environments.

At the conclusion of the panel discussion, Dave Genova led a tour of the Denver RTD system on a Light Rail Vehicle specially chartered for the workshop participants.

Natalie Jones, of the Tri-State Oversight Committee (TOC), and Cynthia Nethercut, of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), both gave presentations describing their experiences implementing Part 659 Three-year Safety Review requirements.

Their presentations highlighted key issues in the contractor selection process, including the following questions:

Continued on page 5

Don Johnson distributed the California Public Utilities Commission's (CPUC) RTSS-4 "PROCEDURE FOR PERFORMING TRIENNIAL ON-SITE SAFETY REVIEWS OF RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEMS" to workshop participants. This procedure describes the standard process used by the CPUC for performing triennial, on-site, safety reviews at affected rail transit agencies. Don Johnson also distributed copies of CPUC annual reports.

Jim Dunn and Bob Campbell from the NTSB gave a presentation summarizing the history and role of the NTSB, as well as its use of the "Party System" to manage investigations. John Contestabile (Maryland Department of Transportation) and Jerry Shook (New York Public Transportation Safety Board) followed, describing their agencies' interactions and experiences with the NTSB during accident investigations.

Based on discussion of the NTSB and State presentations, the following items were identified for State consideration:

• State Oversight personnel were urged to review their procedures for coordinating with NTSB, to ensure that they would be prepared in the event of such an investigation.
• State Oversight personnel were also encouraged to determine how their policies for receiving, reviewing, and approving investigation reports from the rail transit agency may be affected by the presence of the NTSB (for example, the Oversight Agency may choose to keep all accident reports in draft form until the Board issues its final report).
• State Oversight personnel must determine if they will adopt NTSB recommendations and require corrective action plans for these recommendations from the rail transit agency.

Continued on page 7

Sherrie Anderson from the U.S. DOT Office of the Secretary, Office of Intelligence and Security, presented information regarding the awareness and mitigation of the threat of terrorism to rail transit systems, as well as specific countermeasures, such as the incorporation of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and the use of technology.

Key points identified during Ms. Anderson's presentation and subsequent group discussion to support State oversight activities were as follows:

• Security issues relating to rail transit agencies are managed by the U.S. DOT through FTA's Office of Safety and Security and the U.S. DOT Office of Intelligence and Security.
•  The public transportation infrastructure is vulnerable to acts of terrorism and extreme violence, including mass shooting, bombings, armed assaults, hijackings, and events involving weapons of mass destruction, including the release of chemical, biological, and nuclear agents.
• Available countermeasures for addressing this threat include the following:
• Development and implementation of a System Security Plan that addresses emergency response capabilities and threat and vulnerability analysis.

Continued on page 8

WORKSHOP continued from page 7

• Technology, including CCTV, access control, emergency phone and speaker systems, radio communications, and public communications systems.
• CPTED and Situational Crime Prevention features included in station and facility planning, design, and construction.

Howard Fegles (Oregon Department of Transportation) and Bob Kraus (Missouri Department of Economic Development) followed, presenting their agencies' approach to system security requirements for their respective RFGS.

Jerry Fisher (Office of Safety and Security) and George Gavalla (Federal Railroad Administration) highlighted the relationship between FTA's Office of Safety and Security and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and each agency's efforts over the last two years to develop a Joint Policy Statement on Shared Use of the General Railroad System.

The policy statement proposes, "that regulation of light rail service on the general railroad system, under conditions of temporal separation from conventional rail movements, be handled through application of complementary strategies.

and comment. The States and FTA discussed the parameters of this requirement and the different ways in which it is implemented at rail transit properties around the country.

Susan Hausmann of the Texas Department of Transportation explained how the ISAP is conducted at the two rail transit agencies in her program (DART and GIT). The States discussed the merits of having contractors and insurance agencies performing or managing the process for the rail transit agencies.

Mack Christensen described the oversight program developed for the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), and updated participants on safety issues relating to UTA's first year of service.

In the workshop's last session, the States were asked to present their opinions regarding:

• The organization and content of next year's workshop
• The location of next year's workshop
• The major issues facing the State Safety Oversight Program

Following the charge, the State representatives discussed the above topics for one hour, without FTA or contractors present.

At the conclusion of the session, the SOAs had prepared a list of 14 SSO Program challenges for FTA. The States requested FTA consideration of, and response to, each of the following items:

Federal Transit
Administration

State Safety Oversight - Issue 9