Funds allocated to launch Short Line Rail Safety Institute pilot study

The Federal Railroad Administration announced on Wednesday that it would support the establishment of a Short Line Rail Safety Institute to minimize risks connected with the transportation of crude oil and other hazardous materials.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, have led efforts to start a Short Line Rail Safety Institute. The institute would work to improve safety on the more than 50,000 miles of track operated by 550 short line rail companies throughout the U.S.

In May, the senators penned a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx that outlined their support for the initiative.

“As we discussed when (Foxx) testified before our subcommittee, there is no silver bullet to improving rail safety,” the senators said. “It is a complicated, multi-faceted issue involving prevention, mitigation and response aspects. The proposed Short Line Railroad Safety Institute could be an important part of the larger solution and would help improve the safe transportation of crude oil and other hazardous materials.”

In June, the senators introduced legislation that would authorize the Short Line Rail Safety Institute. Additionally, a transportation appropriations bill for fiscal year 2015 recommended $2 million for the institute to begin carrying out safety assessments of short line rail.

The Federal Railroad Administration has agreed to allocate $250,000 to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association to launch the pilot phase of safety culture assessments. An additional $100,000 was awarded to the University of Connecticut to conduct initial work that focuses on the development of safety testing and training programs for managers and employees.