GAO: Better communication needed between FRA, railroads

The U.S. Government Accountability Office is recommending communication be improved between the Federal Railroad Administration and the wider railroad industry about the close-call reporting system, according to a report the office published Nov. 16.

The GAO studied the FRA’s Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS), a voluntary system designed to improve railroad safety by collecting reports from employees describing unsafe situations that have the potential for more serious consequences, GAO officials said in the report. 

Out of the total 800 railroads in the United States, only 23 participate in the system. Non-participating railroads have cited concerns about the program’s confidentiality, and said that they already have similar internal safety-reporting systems, the report states.

The FRA could improve its communication with industry stakeholders by sharing information from the program with non-participants, including broader safety trends and success stories, GAO officials wrote. FRA officials agreed.

The GAO recommended two points of action: that FRA Administrator Amit Bose make C3RS safety information more accessible to the wider rail industry; and that Bose should ensure that success stories from the system are effectively communicated with industry stakeholders.

“By not effectively communicating C3RS safety trends or success stories to the wider railroad industry, non-participating stakeholders may be unaware of important and relevant safety information. Further, the [FRA] may miss opportunities to demonstrate the C3RS program's benefits to a wider audience through communication of success stories, a practice that could help increase program participation,” officials said in the study.

C3RS is administered in collaboration with NASA, which conducts the same reporting system for the space and aeronautics industries.