1. John Barton, P.E. Assistant Executive Director for Engineering Operations Texas Department of Transportation Mid-States Highway-Rail Safety Conference Grapevine, Texas May 19, 2008 Texas DOT Railroad Program & Project Initiatives

2. TEXAS IS NUMBER ONE! State with the Most: Miles of Railroad Tracks Highway-Rail Grade Crossings Highway-Rail Collisions, Injuries & Fatalities

3. TxDOT Railroad Program & Project Initiatives Highway-Rail Crossing Improvement Programs & Projects Highway Projects Involving Highway-Rail Grade Separations & Joint Facilities Rail Safety Inspection Program Rail System Planning - Freight Rail Relocation & Improvements

4. TxDOT Highway-Rail Dedicated Fund Programs Federal RR Signal - $35 M (Million) per year Federal RR Grade Separation - $25.1 M / year State Grade Crossing Replanking - $3.5 M / yr. State RR Signal Maintenance - $1.0 M / year Total dedicated fund programs = $64.6 Million per year

5. Texas Crash Data Reporting New Crash Records Information System (CRIS) went live in 2006 Backlog data completed in February 2008 Provides vastly improved database for reporting and crash analysis New TRAX database will use CRIS for reporting

6. Direction of Texas Crossing Safety Improvement Program Install more YIELD & STOP signs at passive crossings ID Passive Crossings with Limited Sight Distance for Signal Upgrade or Closure Develop New TRAX Database More Crossing Corridor Safety Upgrade Projects More Railroad Signal Preemption Upgrade Projects

7. Rail Safety Inspection Program TxDOT assists FRA with railroad compliance to all applicable federal rail safety regulations. TxDOT responsible for all Short line rail safety inspections. Trained to participate in Operation Lifesaver presentations. Coordinating oversight of mixed use (freight and passenger) facilities. Maintain Rail Safety Hot Line Reporting Number

8. Freight Rail Corridor Improvements Short term –Grade crossing improvements –Grade separations –Crossing closures Mid term –Operational improvements on the rail lines Long term –Metropolitan by-passes

9. Texas Freight Rail Studies Economic Feasibility of Relocating Hazardous Materials Transported by Freight Rail, Released March 2008. Relocate Haz-mat rail freight away from residential areas with population over 1.2 Million people. Includes Houston, San Antonio & Dallas- Ft. Worth metropolitan areas.

10. State Railroad Relocation & Improvement Fund Created by Texas Legislature and approved by voters in 2005 Amended Texas Constitution to allow spending on rail infrastructure Up to the 2009 Texas Legislature to Fund Projects identified as part of freight rail studies

11. Houston Study

12. San Antonio Study

14. Texas Freight Rail Relocation Benefits Minimize potential exposure to haz-mat release due to train derailment. Reduce delay time for vehicles at highway-rail grade crossings. Improve air quality. Expand use of existing freight rail corridors for passenger rail service in metropolitan areas.

15. The TxDOT Plan Reduce Congestion Enhance Safety Improve Air Quality Support Economic Opportunity Protect our Transportation Assets