Report to federal administration suggests the US should consider material fire performance and smoke toxicity criteria possibly comparable to European railway requirements. The report compares US railroad rolling stock fire safety regulations to those in the EU, Japan and China. The EU standard (EN 45545-2) is considered to be the “most robust and comprehensive”, enabling interoperability between railways and ensuring safe travel across national borders. The US leaves risk assessment largely to the railroad operators. The report indicates that the US does not have fire performance and smoke toxicity criteria and should consider integrating these into material performance criteria and should also look at requirements on flammability, gas storage and inspection procedures.
“Comparison of International Fire Safety Standards with U.S. Requirements”, G. Stillman, Volpe National Transportation Centre, for the US Department of Transportation (DoT), November 2022, 62 pages, DOT/FRA/ORD-22/40 https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/64794