FRA 02-24

January 29, 2024

Contact: FRA Public Affairs

Tel.: (202) 493-6024 

FRAPA@DOT.gov

USDOT and FRA Continue Pressing on Rail Safety, Finalizes Norfolk Southern

Railway Participation into Confidential Close Call Reporting System 

Entry into the program will allow approximately 1,000 workers to confidentially report close calls and 

improve rail safety

Additional Class I freight railroad participation stands to benefit more than 100,000 railroad employees

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced that Norfolk 

Southern Railway (NS) will officially join a pilot program of the Confidential Close Call Reporting 

System (C3RS) in partnership with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) 

and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation 

Division (SMART-TD). As a result of the agreement, NS employees represented by BLET and 

SMART-TD in Atlanta, Georgia; Elkhart, Indiana; and Roanoke, Virginia, will be able to confidentially 

report unsafe events that they experience while being protected from NS discipline. The program has 

been proven to improve rail safety.

USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg called on all Class I freight railroads to join this vital reporting

program nearly a year ago – after the NS derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Every Class I railroad 

agreed to join – yet NS is the only one that has joined. Today's agreement comes after months of FRAled meetings and collaboration with worker representatives and NS to secure the first group of Class I 

freight railroad employees to currently participate in C3RS. USDOT and FRA continue to expect the 

remaining Class I freight railroads, all of which committed to joining C

3RS in March 2023, to make 

good on their commitment.

“FRA and the U.S. Department of Transportation have been using the full range of our authority to 

improve rail safety and push the industry to protect their employees, keep the public safe, and keep 

communities informed,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Norfolk Southern has taken a 

good first step, and it’s time for the other Class I railroads to back up their talk with action and make 

good on their promises to join this close call reporting system and keep America’s rail network safe.

U.S Department of Transportation

Office of Public Affairs

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590

www.transportation.gov/briefingroom 

News
Enabling workers to report their experiences without fear of retribution is an essential part of building a 

robust safety culture in the rail industry. C

3RS is designed to enable employees to share their full 

experiences, better informing the railroad, other workers, and the entire industry about close calls that 

employees experience. This collaborative program informs corrective actions that mitigate hazards, and 

shares data and analyses conducted by NASA under C3RS with the entire railroad industry, which

ultimately improves rail safety. Lessons learned and best practices are also shared during briefings and 

at FRA-hosted workshops, leveraging the experiences employees report to enhance the safety of the rail 

industry as a whole.

“C

3RS is a commonsense program that empowers frontline railroad employees to play a critical role in 

ensuring their safety and that of their colleagues and the general public,” said FRA Administrator 

Amit Bose. “We are greatly encouraged by Norfolk Southern Railway’s decision to enter the program

with some of their employees represented by BLET and SMART-TD. However, it’s been nearly a year 

and no other Class I freight railroads have made good on their promise to join the program – it's time for 

action. All Class Is and their various craft employees stand to benefit from this program. The occurrence 

of any preventable accident, injury, or death is unacceptable, and FRA will continue to fight for the right 

of rail workers to help improve rail safety without fear of discipline or enforcement.”

In addition to Secretary Buttigieg's letter to Class I railroads in February 2023, FRA has encouraged the 

Class I freights to join C

3RS for years, having achieved significant growth in the program from about 15 

participating shortline and passenger railroads covering 23,000 employees in 2019 to 27 such railroads 

and more than 32,000 workers covered today. C3RS provides a system for proactive safety actions that 

allows railroad employees, managers, and companies to prevent and reduce the risk of accidents that 

could lead to unnecessary casualties. To date, NASA has received nearly 31,000 reports through C3RS.

In addition to C

3RS, DOT has taken a number of actions over the last year to improve rail safety, and 

better support workers and first responders, including:

• Conducted more than 7,500 rail safety inspections on hazardous material routes

• Funded projects to eliminate or improve more than 400 at-grade crossings

• Helped press to get paid sick leave for more than 87% of Class I freight rail workers 

• Funded 70 rail safety projects through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety 

Improvements program

• Proposed rule to require railroads to maintain and update in real-time information on rail hazmat 

shipments

• Issued a Final Rule requiring railroads to provide emergency escape breathing apparatus to train 

crews

For more information on C3RS, including a full list of participating railroads, please see FRA’s webpage 

on the program here. 

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