After the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) accepted a 2011 recommendation by the Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC), the agency directed its Office of Research, Development and Technology (RD&T) to initiate a comprehensive study that would examine the track and operational conditions that contribute to joint bar failures. The goal of the study was to determine the root causes that lead to the failure of joint bars. Field observations and results of analysis of collected data are presented. Also, this study recommends the best track maintenance practices to mitigate the risks of rail joint failures and proposes further research to detect rail joints with high risks of future failures.