The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has officially launched a new, interactive public safety data website to improve transparency, usability, and access to critical rail safety information. 

The site, now live, fulfills a mandate under Section 22405 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 2021.

The redesigned portal consolidates and modernizes information from two legacy FRA websites, including one developed in the 1990s, to deliver an easier, more flexible way for users to view, sort, and analyze safety data across the national rail system.

“Our new public FRA Safety Data website increases transparency, which is a top priority,” said FRA Acting Administrator Drew Feeley. “The new capabilities introduced will afford users significantly more flexibility when querying our railroad safety data.”

Key Enhancements for Users

The new site integrates the FRA’s 30 legacy safety reports and expands on them with interactive dashboards, visualizations, and narrative elements that make the data easier to understand and more actionable. Improvements include:

• Customizable filters and dropdowns for targeted data exploration.

• Interactive tables with sortable columns.

• Streamlined navigation and descriptive report summaries.

• Expanded filtering options standardized across reports.

• Embedded resource links for better understanding and context.

The site’s improved layout and intuitive controls result from a collaborative development process that included input from railroads, industry associations, state departments of transportation, researchers, and FRA staff.

Advancing Open Data and Safety Insights

The new platform supports the U.S. Department of Transportation’s broader Open Data Portal initiative by enhancing how stakeholders access and interpret safety data. It aligns with key data priorities, including:

• Enhancing data assets by integrating legacy and new datasets.

• Improving data accessibility through user-friendly design and export options.

• Promoting data literacy with clear definitions and data descriptions.

• Boosting data dissemination via OData and API tools that enable real-time updates and automated data pulls.

These capabilities allow users, from transportation planners and researchers to rail operators and public agencies, to make data-informed decisions and more effectively monitor safety trends.

FRA will continue to refine and expand the new public portal throughout 2025 and beyond, incorporating user feedback to enhance functionality and content.

The FRA Safety Data website is part of a broader modernization strategy to strengthen rail safety oversight and improve access to information for the public and industry stakeholders.