Security
Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation
As common carriers, railroads carry approximately 1.7 million carloads of hazardous materials each year. Of that volume, over 99.99 percent of these shipments arrive at their destination safely. Railroads take their obligation to carry hazmat very seriously and have implemented rigorous operational and safety initiatives to ensure the safety of chemical movements. Furthermore, railroads route shipments of Toxic Inhalation Hazards (TIH) pursuant to regulations promulgated by DOT’s Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA). RSPA requires the railroads to consider 27 factors in routing TIH.
The Rail Corridor Risk Management System (RCRMS) is a software tool that provides assistance to all Class I railroads in the routing of TIH to meet federal requirements. RCRMS was developed under a project originally funded by DHS/FEMA for $5,000,000. Subsequently, CSX funded the project for continued refinement and to enhance the tool functionality for $4,754,293. RCRMS is the result of thorough analysis and prioritization of the 27 risk factors identified by the TSA to be accounted for in all hazmat rail route planning. RCRMS undergoes modifications and updates based on continuing analysis of rail hazmat transportation data.
The project has been funded in four phases and the current year award is $1,893,060 with $1,514,488 provided by the FRA and $378,612 to be provided by the railroad industry.
Operations & Maintenance of the Railroad Alert Network
The objective of this project is to assist the railroad industry in sustaining the deployment of the Rail Liaison Agent Program to work with the National Joint Terrorism Task Force (NJTTF) to protect the country’s critical mass transit and freight rail infrastructure by collecting and disseminating rail-related terrorism intelligence information to the NJTTFs and critical rail partners. Additionally, the development of a National Trespasser Database was added to this objective to provide the railroad industry with timely and accurate intelligence information to further strengthen the railroad’s relationship with federal agencies in dealing with security matters.
The NJTTF, Rail Liaison Agent Program and National Trespasser Database project has been funded by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) as a Cooperative Agreement for three years. The current award’s funding is in the amount of $250,000. This project is scheduled for completion in 2011.
In addition, the NJTTF and Rail Liaison Agent Program has been funded by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as a Cooperative Agreement for five years to ensure that the railroad industry receives and share intelligence information with the appropriate federal, state and local authorities. The current award’s funding is in the amount of $265,324. This project is ongoing and scheduled for completion in 2015.
