FRA Shuts Down Key Railroad Safety Committee — What This Means for Signalmen

On August 13, 2025, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) abruptly disbanded the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) — the very group that brought rail labor, industry, and government together to develop and improve railroad safety rules.

For decades, RSAC has been where union voices, including the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, could sit at the same table with regulators and carriers to fight for stronger protections, safer workplaces, and policies rooted in the reality of life on the rails. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave us a seat and a say in shaping the rules that govern our craft.

Now, with RSAC gone, that seat is empty.

Why This Matters

RSAC wasn’t just a “meeting group.” It was a formal process where labor could:

• Propose safety improvements before accidents happen.
• Push back against corporate shortcuts that put profits before people.
• Ensure that workers’ real-world experience shaped national safety policy.

Without it, the FRA can still write regulations — but without the same structured, collaborative input from the people doing the work. This risks sidelining labor’s perspective in favor of carrier and corporate interests.

No Clear Plan to Replace It

The FRA has not given a firm timeline for creating a new advisory body or reinstating RSAC. Members of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO — which BRS is a part of — have already raised alarms. In their words, “The termination of these committees is very concerning as is the lack of a timeline for reconstituting them.”

We share that concern. Every day that labor is not at the table is a day decisions may be made without us.

This Follows Other Troubling Moves

Earlier this year, the FRA shut down RSAC’s Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) working group after it couldn’t get industry to agree on a fair, effective safety reporting system. Instead of breaking the impasse in labor’s favor, the FRA folded the group entirely. That decision — and now the disbandment of RSAC — shows a disturbing trend toward walking away from hard safety conversations rather than finishing them.

What We’re Doing

The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen is committed to keeping labor’s voice in safety rulemaking. We are already working with our allies in the AFL-CIO and other rail unions to demand:

• Immediate clarification from FRA on how labor input will be secured going forward.
• A transparent process for reinstating or replacing RSAC with a body that maintains equal labor representation.
• Assurance that worker safety will not take a back seat to corporate convenience.

What You Can Do

• Stay informed. We’ll keep you updated on developments.
• Speak up. If called upon, help make our case to Congress and the public that worker input is non-negotiable in railroad safety.
• Stay united. Our strength at the bargaining table, in the legislature, and in safety discussions comes from standing together.

Bottom line: Safety rules should be built on the experience of the people who make the railroads run. Disbanding RSAC is a step backward. Together, we’ll fight to make sure it’s not the last word.