A group representing the nation’s freight rail companies said Wednesday that newly released data show last year was the safest year on record for the industry.
The Association of American Railroads said the overall train accident rate dropped 14 percent compared to 2024, while derailments were down 13.6%, according to Federal Railroad Administration data.
Accidents caused by human error fell nearly 20%, ones caused by equipment problems decreased 12% and track-related accidents were down 7.7%, the association said.
“These results reflect decades of sustained private investment and a relentless focus on data-driven, measurable safety outcomes,” said Ian Jefferies, the association’s president and CEO.
Over the past week, bipartisan groups of lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate have introduced legislation to strengthen safety requirements for rail carriers hauling hazardous materials.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, cosponsored the Senate version of the Railway Safety Act of 2026 introduced last week, while U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, introduced an identical House version on Monday. Both say the legislation is needed to reduce the chance of a toxic derailment like the one that happened in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023.
In a statement Tuesday, the Association of American Railroads did not specifically address the House and Senate bills but said freight railroads are already the “safest way to move goods over land.”
“As Congress considers any rail safety legislation, policymakers should reject backwards-looking, one-size-fits-all mandates that undermine competition and raise prices for consumers, and instead ensure each provision is objectively grounded in data to reduce risk,” said Ted Greener, the association’s vice president of communications. “The priority should be policies that encourage innovation and measurable safety outcomes without disrupting the supply chain or diverting resources from proven, safety-critical investments.”
While the association said overall safety in the industry is improving, work remains. It noted that grade-crossing incidents — collisions between a train and a car, pedestrian, bicycle or other vehicle — “were essentially flat year over year and show only modest long-term improvement.”
The association added that reducing accidents related to human error could be accelerated by the broader use of automation and advanced safety technologies. It said outdated regulations governing many rail operations are “limiting the industry’s ability to fully implement modern, performance-based safety innovations.”