The Nation : Railroads Termed Riskier Than Planes

A railroad traveler is more likely to be killed in an accident than an airline passenger despite public perceptions to the contrary, a nationwide study said. The report by the Illinois Public Action Council concluded that passenger and freight railroads are unsafe, saying that government regulations of the rail industry have been lax under the Reagan Administration. The Federal Railroad Administration sharply disputed the findings, saying that the rail industry is not only safe but its record is improving, with a decrease in the accident rate per million train miles of more than 7% in the first seven months of 1987. The report said that between 1982 and 1984, the passenger fatality rate for 100 million passenger miles was 0.07 for railroads, 0.04 for airlines and 0.02 for intercity buses. It said an average of 86 railroad workers and 1,253 non-employees were killed in train accidents each year from 1976 to 1985.