FRA spokesman Warren Flatau said freight railroads weren't addressed because a 2015 law Congress passed only required regulators to establish a rule for passenger railroads.
But many freight railroads, including all the biggest ones that handle a majority of shipments nationwide, have installed cameras voluntarily, starting with outward-facing cameras and later adding ones showing the crews' actions.
Later, lawmakers also required regulators in the 2015 law to look at requiring locomotive video recorders for passenger trains.
Amtrak pledged in 2015 to install cameras on its trains after a crash in Philadelphia that killed eight people and injured about 200.
“While video recorders cannot directly prevent accidents, they help maintain a higher standard of safety,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose.
Persons:
Warren Flatau, Jennifer Homendy, Homendy, there’s, ” Homendy, ”, Amit Bose
Organizations:
—, National Transportation Safety, Federal Railroad Administration, Railroad Association, Norfolk Southern, NTSB, Union Pacific, Metrolink, Amtrak
Locations:
OMAHA, Neb, Ohio, Norfolk, East Palestine, Pennsylvania, Palestine, Chatsworth , California, Chatsworth, Philadelphia