ASLRRA honors railroads for safe practices in 2017

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) announced this week that 330 member railroads earned Jake Awards, which recognize safety performance above the industry average in 2017.

To be honored with a Jake Award, an ASLRRA member railroad must perform better than the Class II and Class III industry average injury frequency rate as reported by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Of the 330 recipients honored this year, 282 railroads received the "Jake with Distinction" designation, which recognizes railroads that have had an FRA-reported injury-free performance in 2017, ASLRRA officials said Sept. 5 in the association's newsletter.

To see the names of award winners from each region, click on this link.

The Jake Awards are named for Lowell "Jake" Jacobson, the president and chief operating officer of the Copper Basin Railway. After helping the railroad achieve a perfect safety record in 1993, Jacobson sought to fill a void by creating an award program that recognized small railroads' safety efforts.