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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

FTA Announces Certification of the State Safety Oversight Program for Missouri Ahead of Important Deadline

Monday, September 24, 2018

9/24/2018

States must receive FTA certification by April 15, 2019 or new federal transit funds cannot be awarded

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced that Missouri has obtained federal certification of its rail transit State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program, in advance of an important safety deadline.

Federal law requires states with rail transit systems to obtain FTA certification of their SSO Programs by April 15, 2019.  By federal law, the deadline cannot be waived or extended. 

"FTA is pleased that Missouri has developed a safety oversight program that meets federal certification requirements and will strengthen rail transit safety," said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. "With certification, transit agencies in Missouri can continue to receive federal funding."

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is responsible for providing safety oversight of the Kansas City Streetcar Authority streetcar system and the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District trolley system.  MoDOT is also jointly responsible with the Illinois Department of Transportation for providing safety oversight of the Bi-State Development Agency St. Louis Metro light rail system.

By April 15, 2019, 30 states must obtain certification of 31 SSO Programs. With today’s announcement, 25 states have now achieved SSO Program certification.  A certification status table by state is available online.  

If a state fails to meet the deadline, FTA is prohibited by law from awarding any new federal transit funds to transit agencies within the state until certification is achieved.  

To achieve FTA certification, an SSO Program must meet several federal statutory requirements, including establishing an SSO agency that is financially and legally independent from the rail transit agencies it oversees.  In addition, a state must ensure that its SSO agency adopts and enforces relevant federal and state safety laws, has investigatory authority, and has appropriate financial and human resources for the number, size and complexity of the rail transit systems within the state’s jurisdiction.  Furthermore, SSO agency personnel responsible for performing safety oversight activities must be appropriately trained.

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