WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 -- Federal Railroad Administration has issued a notice called: Safety Advisory 2026-02: Advanced Chemistry Battery Hazards in Passenger Railcar Operations.
The notice was published in the Federal Register on Nov. 12 by John Karl Alexy, Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety and Chief Safety Officer.
Summary: FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2026-02 to alert the passenger rail industry to the severe safety risks associated with advanced chemistry batteries, such as lithium-ion battery (LiB) power sources, carried aboard passenger railcars within electric micromobility vehicles (EMVs). Recent full-scale testing shows that thermal runaway in these battery systems poses rapid and potentially catastrophic thermal, toxico...