WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has moved to reestablish the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee, after disbanding it last summer.
The organization, which advises the FRA on safety matters, has had its charter reestablished via a notice published in the Federal Register on Jan. 13. The committee’s website says it is intended to “seek agreement on the facts and data underlying any real or perceived safety problems, identify cost-effective solutions based on the agreed-upon facts, and identify regulatory options where necessary to implement those solutions.”
The new committee will include 25 members from 21 organizations. The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO said in a statement that it welcomed the reestablishment of the organization but expressed concern about its makeup, with roughly half as many members as before.
“It’s difficult to see how this skinny version of the safety committee will allow FRA to maintain a balanced perspective between the powerful rail industry and those who advocate for the safety of workers and communities,” TTD President Greg Regan and Secretary-Treasurer Shari Semelsberger said in a statement. The most recent listing prior to the committee’s disbanding lists 46 members, including those who had pending nominations, from 26 organizaitons.
The committee last met in October 2024. It was disbanded last August as part of a broader move within the Department of Transportation. A DOT spokesman said at that time that the committees were “long overdue for a refresh” because of inactivity, and that some “have been overrun with individuals whose sole focus is their radical DEI [diversity, equality, and inclusion] and climate agenda.” [See “FRA disbands …,” Trains.com, Aug. 13, 2025].
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