Track-caused train derailments resulting from inadequate track maintenance and inspection has led the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to enter into an agreement with the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad, Inc. (CORP) to improve its compliance with Federal track safety standards.

The safety compliance agreement with CORP, a subsidiary of Rail America of Boca Raton, FL comes after a series of inspections conducted by FRA safety inspectors revealed ongoing failure to fully comply with federal track safety regulations. In addition, there have been at least seven derailments on CORP territory in 2004 and 2005 caused by track quality, FRA inspectors noted.

Specifically, the problems identified by FRA officials involve defective crossties, poor rail joint conditions, and wide gage where the rails have spread too far apart. Inspectors also noted that the railroad has not adequately trained its track inspectors, nor provided sufficient managerial oversight to ensure proper compliance with federal track safety rules.