ALSO: Railroad crossing safety faulted, defended

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Federal Railroad Administration on Tuesday defended its regulation of the nation's railroads, saying a report critical of national rail safety contains numerous inaccuracies and distortions.

"Safety is our highest priority and 1998 was the safest year in rail transportation history," FRA administrator Jolene M. Molitoris said in a written statement. "Our goal is zero tolerance for accidents, injuries or fatalities."

On Monday, RailWatch, a new railroad safety group that claims the support of 300 municipal officials across the country, released a report saying the FRA and the train industry was ineffective in reducing train mishaps.

The report, citing federal records, said the number of train accidents -- approximately 3.5 accidents for every 1 million miles of train travel -- has remained virtually constant from 1992 to 1998. One third of the states experienced more rail-related fatalities in 1998 than six years earlier, the report said.

RailWatch also said innocent motorists are often blamed for accidents caused by malfunctioning railroad equipment, outdated rail technology or poor railroad crossing design.

But the FRA Tuesday said the RailWatch report relied primarily on 1996 and 1997 data "while ignoring the very real, longer-term improvements in rail safety."

The FRA said it agreed that there are still too many unprotected rail crossings in the United States, but said it is working with states and localities to close and upgrade as many as possible. More than 33,000 crossings have been closed since 1991, in accordance with goals set forth with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the FRA said.

RailWatch organizers say they will ask Congress to investigate rail safety issues as part of the re-authorization of the FRA.

Extensive rail safety statistics can be viewed on the FRA's Web site at www.fra.dot.gov.

RailWatch's website is at www.railwatch.org.

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