USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Railroads

BNSF coal train collision

April 2011: Fatigue Caused Collision of a Moving Coal Train with a Standing Equipment Train 2 Fatalities, $8.7M Physical Damage

On April 17, 2011, at 6:55 a.m., a BNSF Railway coal train, travelling about 23 mph, collided with the rear end of standing BNSF Railway...

Attention Related Accidents

Attention related accidents cost lives, injuries, and millions of dollars in equipment.

Accident prevention relies on understanding attention, and guarding against internal (in cab) and external (outside of the cab) distractions. The consequences of inattention can be immense...

First person: Distraction and its Consequences

Learn about attention first-hand from two operators who lived through an actual rail misadventure. This video provides different perspectives of a near-fatal incident that occurred because of distraction. 

Strategies to Manage Distractions

System Developers

Those who build displays and workstations match the amount, pace, and layout of information with what operators need. Overloading with too much information can be as much of a problem as having too little information.

Rail companies use participatory...

Distraction: Definition and Examples

What is a Distraction?

Distractions take attention away from what an operator needs to do when performing a task. Distractions can be external (such as noise) or internal (such as fatigue, rumination, or stress).  

Distractions may be caused by a number of...

Resources

The Resources page helps you find Rail Network Development resources by topic. The available resources include instructional and educational videos, presentations from past Rail Program Delivery conferences, oversight guidance (Monitoring Procedures), FRA reports and guidance documents, and...

Tasks & Demands

What Operators Do

Operators are workers who perform tasks to operate a rail system. This includes locomotive engineers and conductors, as well as dispatchers and yard supervisors. Engineers and conductors have five demands on their attention as they operate a locomotive....

Attention: Definition and Examples

What is attention?

Attention is the behavior a person uses to focus the senses, from sight to hearing and even smell. It may focus on information that matters outside of the cab (e.g., signals, traffic), inside the cab (e.g., displays, controls), or on...