The Obama administration today proposed legislation giving the federal government the power to impose safety regulations on local rail transit systems.

"The current system for federal rail transit safety oversight is weak and inadequate and does not guarantee a consistent level of safety for transit passengers," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "While rail transit remains a safe way to travel, the Obama administration believes it is time to take serious steps to make it even safer and ensure a standard level of safety across all systems."

Mr. LaHood and the administrator of the Federal Transit Agency, Peter Rogoff, told a House committee that rail systems are governed by a "patchwork" of 27 state agencies with inconsistent standards and inadequate staffing. A 1965 law prohibits the federal government from imposing safety standards.

"This is an antiquated law and it must be changed," Mr. LaHood said in remarks to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The proposal follows a June crash of two trains on Washington, D.C.'s Metro subway system that killed nine and raised questions about the agency's safety and maintenance practices.

Port Authority CEO Steve Bland said while he believes Pennsylvania has a strong rail transit safety program he would welcome any federal oversight that improves consistency, training and information sharing.

"We're proud to have one of the safest systems out there," he said. "But we always look to improve."

He said he hoped the legislation would not include unfunded mandates or bureaucratic requirements that are not related to improving safety. "What we hope is that they focus on outcomes. Too often the federal government gets mired in process."

The American Public Transportation Association issued a statement saying safety standards on rail systems already are high and that it is "much safer to ride in a rail transit vehicle than to ride in an automobile."

"According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, over the past six years (2003-2008), there has been an annual average of nearly 42,000 highway fatalities, of which nearly 32,000 were motor vehicle occupants. In contrast, there has been an annual average of one passenger fatality on heavy rail (subway). And there was no passenger fatality on light rail transit (streetcars, trolleys) in this six-year period," the association said.

The association said the federal government should shoulder any costs associated with federal regulation. "Public transportation systems do not have extra money in their budgets to accommodate unfunded federal mandates," it said.

Two Republicans on the transportation panel, John L. Mica of Florida and John J. Duncan Jr. of Tennessee raised questions about the need for federal oversight, citing its potential added costs and the generally solid safety record of rail transit. Mr. Mica noted that Amtrak, which is federally regulated, has a higher passenger fatality rate than rail transit systems.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.