Second railroad joins FRA pilot program

Under a waiver granted by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) this week joins the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in the Close Call Reporting System Demonstration Pilot Project.  

Approximately 350 Wisconsin-based CP employees can report "close call" incidents without fear of sanction or penalty from the railroad or the federal government. The pilot program is a key element of the agency’s National Rail Safety Action Plan. 

The cumulative results of "close call" reports are being studied to determine areas of potential risk and to develop solutions to prevent and minimize their occurrence in the future, said Joseph H. Boardman, federal railroad administrator.  

In order to participate, the CP, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the United Transportation Union (UTU) each ratified an agreement with the FRA to allow employees to make confidential reports of "close calls" to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.