(a) In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5329(e), a State that has a rail fixed guideway public transportation system within the State has primary responsibility for overseeing the safety of that rail fixed guideway public transportation system. A State safety oversight agency must have sufficient authority, resources, and qualified personnel to oversee the number, size, and complexity of rail fixed guideway public transportation systems that operate within a State.
(b) FTA will make Federal financial assistance available to help an eligible State develop or carry out its State safety oversight program. Also, FTA will certify whether a State safety oversight program meets the requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5329(e) and is adequate to promote the purposes of the public transportation safety programs codified at 49 U.S.C. 5329.
As used in this part:
Accident means an Event that involves any of the following: A loss of life; a report of a serious injury to a person; a collision involving a rail transit vehicle; a runaway train; an evacuation for life safety reasons; or any derailment of a rail transit vehicle, at any location, at any time, whatever the cause. An accident must be reported in accordance with the thresholds for notification and reporting set forth in Appendix A to this part.
Accountable Executive means a single, identifiable individual who has ultimate responsibility for carrying out the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan of a public transportation agency; responsibility for carrying out the agency's Transit Asset Management Plan; and control or direction over the human and capital resources needed to develop and maintain both the agency's Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5329(d), and the agency's Transit Asset Management Plan in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5326.
Administrator means the Federal Transit Administrator or the Administrator's designee.
Contractor means an entity that performs tasks on behalf of FTA, a State Safety Oversight Agency, or a Rail Transit Agency, through contract or other agreement.
Corrective action plan means a plan developed by a Rail Transit Agency that describes the actions the Rail Transit Agency will take to minimize, control, correct, or eliminate risks and hazards, and the schedule for taking those actions. Either a State Safety Oversight Agency or FTA may require a Rail Transit Agency to develop and carry out a corrective action plan.
Event means an Accident, Incident or Occurrence.
FRA means the Federal Railroad Administration, an agency within the United States Department of Transportation.
FTA means the Federal Transit Administration, an agency within the United States Department of Transportation.
Hazard means any real or potential condition that can cause injury, illness, or death; damage to or loss of the facilities, equipment, rolling stock, or infrastructure of a rail fixed guideway public transportation system; or damage to the environment.
Incident means an event that involves any of the following: A personal injury that is not a serious injury; one or more injuries requiring medical transport; or damage to facilities, equipment, rolling stock, or infrastructure that disrupts the operations of a rail transit agency. An incident must be reported to FTA's National Transit Database in accordance with the thresholds for reporting set forth in Appendix A to this part. If a rail transit agency or State Safety Oversight Agency later determines that an Incident meets the definition of Accident in this section, that event must be reported to the SSOA in accordance with the thresholds for notification and reporting set forth in Appendix A to this part.
Investigation means the process of determining the causal and contributing factors of an accident, incident, or hazard, for the purpose of preventing recurrence and mitigating risk.
National Public Transportation Safety Plan means the plan to improve the safety of all public transportation systems that receive Federal financial assistance under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53.
NTSB means the National Transportation Safety Board, an independent Federal agency.
Occurrence means an Event without any personal injury in which any damage to facilities, equipment, rolling stock, or infrastructure does not disrupt the operations of a rail transit agency.
Person means a passenger, employee, contractor, pedestrian, trespasser, or any individual on the property of a rail fixed guideway public transportation system.
Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) means the comprehensive agency safety plan for a transit agency, including a Rail Transit Agency, that is required by 49 U.S.C. 5329(d) and based on a Safety Management System. Until one year after the effective date of FTA's PTASP final rule, a System Safety Program Plan (SSPP) developed pursuant to 49 CFR part 659 will serve as the rail transit agency's safety plan.
Public Transportation Safety Certification Training Program means either the certification training program for Federal and State employees, or other designated personnel, who conduct safety audits and examinations of public transportation systems, and employees of public transportation agencies directly responsible for safety oversight, established through interim provisions in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5329(c)(2), or the program authorized by 49 U.S.C. 5329(c)(1).
Rail fixed guideway public transportation system means any fixed guideway system that uses rail, is operated for public transportation, is within the jurisdiction of a State, and is not subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration, or any such system in engineering or construction. Rail fixed guideway public transportation systems include but are not limited to rapid rail, heavy rail, light rail, monorail, trolley, inclined plane, funicular, and automated guideway.
Rail Transit Agency (RTA) means any entity that provides services on a rail fixed guideway public transportation system.
Risk means the composite of predicted severity and likelihood of the potential effect of a hazard.
Risk mitigation means a method or methods to eliminate or reduce the effects of hazards.
Safety risk management means a process within a Rail Transit Agency's Safety Plan for identifying hazards and analyzing, assessing, and mitigating safety risk.
Serious injury means any injury which:
(1) Requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours, commencing within 7 days from the date of the injury was received;
(2) Results in a fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or nose);
(3) Causes severe hemorrhages, nerve, muscle, or tendon damage;
(4) Involves any internal organ; or
(5) Involves second- or third-degree burns, or any burns affecting more than 5 percent of the body surface.
State means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands.
State Safety Oversight Agency (SSOA) means an agency established by a State that meets the requirements and performs the functions specified by 49 U.S.C. 5329(e) and the regulations set forth in this part.
Vehicle means any rolling stock used on a rail fixed guideway public transportation system, including but not limited to passenger and maintenance vehicles.
(a) Pursuant to section 20030(e) of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (Pub. L. 112-141; July 6, 2012) (“MAP-21”), the statute now codified at 49 U.S.C. 5330,titled,will.
(b) No later than three years after the effective date of the regulations set forth in this part, the regulations now codified at part 659 of this chapter will be rescinded.
(c) A System Safety Program Plan (SSPP) developed pursuant to 49 CFR part 659 shall serve as the rail transit agency's safety plan until one year one year after the effective date of the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan final rule, which will be codified in part 673 of this chapter.