The eRulemaking Program
10/30/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2026 07:08
Safety Advisory: 26-01; Overhead Catenary System and Pantograph Reliability
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Safety Advisory 26-01 Overhead Catenary System (OCS) and Pantograph Reliability
AGENCY:
Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION:
Notice of Safety Advisory.
SUMMARY:
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is issuing Safety Advisory 26-01 to recommend State Safety Oversight Agencies (SSOAs) direct Rail Transit Agencies (RTAs) within their jurisdiction to use their Safety Management System (SMS) to identify hazards and mitigate risks related to Overhead Catenary System (OCS) and pantograph failures.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Isaiah Garcia, Senior Accident Investigator, Office of Transit Safety and Oversight, at [email protected], phone: 202-695-9765.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The FTA is issuing Safety Advisory 26-01 in response to recent OCS and pantograph- related events that highlight emerging systemic risks across rail transit systems, including structural failures, pantograph entanglements, and downed live wires.
FTA recommends that State Safety Oversight Agencies (SSOAs) direct Rail Transit Agencies (RTAs) within their jurisdiction to use the RTA's Safety Management System (SMS) to review and analyze safety performance data to identify hazards related to OCS and pantograph failures, conduct safety risk assessments, identify new or modified safety risk mitigations as necessary to reduce the associated safety risks, and monitor the effectiveness of those mitigations as part of the RTA's Safety Assurance process.
FTA recommends SSOAs obtain any documentation related to the recommended actions outlined above from their RTAs.
FTA recommends that SSOAs that receive such documentation submit it to the State Safety Oversight Reporting (SSOR) system within 180 days from the issuance of this Safety Advisory.
FTA's Safety Advisory 26-01, "Overhead Catenary System (OCS) and Pantograph Reliability," will be available in its entirety on the agency's public website: https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/safety/fta-safety-advisories.
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 5329; 49 CFR 1.91 and 670.29.
Jamie D. Pfister,
Acting Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 2026-22168 Filed 10-29-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P
The eRulemaking Program published this content on October 30, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 30, 2026 at 13:09 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]