Office of Inspector General Audit Report

Over a recent 10 year period, Class I railroads1, which own 82 percent of the nation’s 100,000 railroad bridges, have experienced an 8 percent increase in average train loads, from 2,662 tons in 1988 to 2,861 tons in 1997. In addition, technological advancements have allowed use of larger, longer freight cars, increasing carload capacity from 263,000 to 315,000 pounds2 . Railroads have also introduced double-stacked container railcars for their intermodal rail service3 which, according to the Association of American Railroads, has grown from 3 million trailers and containers in 1980 to 8.7 million in 1997. FRA officials project that rail traffic will increase annually through the year 2006. Therefore, there is a clear need to focus on the structural integrity of bridges due to the trend toward heavier loads and increased traffic levels.