The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) all recently achieved certification from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for their State Safety Oversight (SSO) programs this August. MDOT’s SSO program oversees the Detroit People Mover, as well as the Q Line streetcar.  IDOT oversees the Chicago Transit Authority, as well as sharing responsibility for oversight of the St. Louis Metro light rail system. TDOT provides SSO for the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority Lookout Mountain incline railway and the Memphis Area Transit Authority trolley system. TRA supported all three of these client agencies in their efforts to achieve certification.

All states that have covered rail transit agencies under their jurisdiction must achieve SSO certification by April 15, 2019 in order to continue receiving federal transit funds, and 22 states have thus far achieved certification. Of TRA’s sixteen SSO client agencies, fourteen have achieved this certification and are making significant strides to upgrade their programs to prepare for the adoption of Safety Management Systems (SMS) in their practices. For more information about federal SSO program requirements and certification efforts, please check out FTA’s website: https://www.transit.dot.gov/state-safety-oversight