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On March 26, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) announced winners of its 2003 safety awards, and "Jake" and "Jake With Distinction" awards.

Co-sponsored by CANAC Inc. and MARSH USA Inc., and divided into five categories, the safety awards recognize regionals' and short lines' safety ratio based on employee injuries per manhours.

The zero-to-10,000 manhours category winners are:
• gold — the 68-mile Chattooga & Chickamauga Railway Co.;
• silver — the 10-mile Valdosta Railway L.P.;
• bronze — the 12-mile Texas South-Eastern Railroad Co.; and
• copper — the 50-mile R.J. Corman Railroad Co./Cleveland Line.

In the 10,001-to-50,000 manhours category, winners are:
• gold — the 178-mile Grainbelt Corp.;
• silver — the 40-mile York Railway Co.;
• bronze — the 53-mile Arkansas Louisiana & Mississippi Railroad Co.; and
• copper — the 63-mile Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad Corp.

The 50,001-to-250,000 manhours category winners are:
• gold — the 230-mile Kiamichi Railroad Co. L.L.C.;
• silver — the 160-mile Columbus & Ohio River Railroad Co.;
• bronze — the 98-mile Illinois & Midland Railroad Inc.; and
• copper — the 312-mile San Joaquin Valley Railroad Co.

In the more than 250,000 manhours category, winners are:
• gold — the 552-mile Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd.;
• silver — the 230-mile Willamette & Pacific Railroad Inc.;
• bronze — the 49-mile Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad Co.; and
• copper — the 369-mile Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad Inc.

Finally, switching and terminal railroad winners are:
• gold — Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis;
• silver — Birmingham Southern Railroad Co.;
• bronze — The Belt Railway Co. of Chicago; and
• copper — Patapsco & Back Rivers Railroad Co.

On April 23, ASLRRA will present the awards at its annual meeting in St. Louis.

The association also announced that 168 and 31 regionals and short lines will receive 2003 Jake With Distinction and Jake awards, respectively. Jake With Distinction Awards recognize small roads that record no reportable accidents or injuries in a given year, based on Federal Railroad Administration data; Jake Awards honor roads that had no reportable injuries. The awards were created in 1994 by Copper Basin Railway President and Chief Operating Officer L.S. "Jake" Jacobson.

Last year, ASLRRA presented Jake With Distinction Awards to 213 regionals and short lines; the association didn't hand out any Jake Awards.