Confidential Close Call Reporting System

C3RS — Identifying Safety Risks in Railroad Operations

  
Photo of 1996 Amtrak train wreck in Silver Springs, Maryland A 1997 NTSB report of the 1996 collision and derailment of MARC Train 286 and Amtrak Train 29 near Silver Spring, Maryland, cited several close calls preceding the crash.

Railroads can reduce risks before an accident by studying close calls.
C3RS Home > Demonstration Project
IMPORTANT
C3RS is only accepting close call reports from:

UP North Platte Service Unit
CP Chicago Area
New Jersey Transit
Amtrak East
Amtrak West

Close Calls Demonstration Project

A voluntary, confidential demonstration program:

  • Accepts close call reports
  • Stores confidential data
  • Analyzes close calls
  • Distributes de-identified reports on safety trends and corrective actions to participating organizations and FRA
  • Tracks carrier reports on corrective actions to measure system impact on safety
  • Evaluates and identifies ways to improve reporting system effectiveness
  • Currently four operational demonstration sites; first site on-line in 2007.

Who is Involved in C3RS?

  • Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) — sponsors and oversees the demonstration program
  • Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) — independent third party; manages demonstration implementation and protect data confidentiality (CP, UP, NJT only)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) — independent third party; manages demonstration implementation and protect data confidentiality (Amtrak only)
  • U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Volpe Center — independent third party; manages demonstration implementation and protect data confidentiality
  • Railroad carriers — implements the reporting system
  • Carrier employees — reports close calls
  • Labor organizations — represents employees reporting close calls
    • United Transportation Union (UTU)
    • Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET)
    • American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA)
  • Peer Review Team (PRT) — stakeholder representatives: oversees corrective action

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