394 ASLRRA Member Short Line Railroads Earn Jake Safety Awards

ASLRRA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) announced 394 short line railroads have earned Jake Safety Awards for 2024.

The Jake Safety Award is named after the late Lowell S. “Jake” Jacobson, the former President and General Manager of the Copper Basin Railway. Jacobson realized there was no award to recognize the safety efforts of smaller railroads and worked to create an awards program “to honor his fellow small-railroad colleagues and their commitment to safety.” The award was adopted by the ASLRRA Safety Committee in 1999. According to the release, 357 of those railroads are awarded “with Distinction.” Nineteen railroads are also recognized by ASLRRA as President’s Safety Award winners. This is due to “the lowest injury frequency rate in a variety of regions and person-hours worked categories.”

For an ASLRRA member railroad to earn a Jake Award, it must perform better than the “average reportable injury frequency rate per 200,000 person-hours worked for ‘railroads other than Class Is, transit, commuter railroads and Amtrak’.” Railroad Injury and Illness Summary Forms are submitted to the FRA each month, and a Jake Award winner must have a lower rate than the industry average of 2.31. This is lower than the previous year’s rate of 2.38.

 “For short line railroads, there is nothing more important than operating safely. The Jake Award program is an industry bellwether of performance against that goal each year,” said Chuck Baker, President of ASLRRA. “It is particularly notable that the average industry injury frequency rate, based on FRA-reported performance in 2024, has dropped, making it more difficult to achieve a Jake Award. Yet, 394 of our member railroads have notched a frequency lower than industry average, and of these a record breaking 357 railroads reported zero injuries. Zero is remarkable! These results are a testament to the short line industry’s dedication to ‘Safety First, Every Day,’ and our commitment to investing in technology, infrastructure, and continuous training for employees to be ever-safer.” 

The President’s Awards will be presented at the 2025 ASLRRA Region Meetings this fall. From September 9th to 11th in Charlotte, N.C., the meeting for the Eastern and Southern regions will be held. From November 3rd to 5th in New Orleans, La., the meeting for the Central and Pacific regions will be held. Below is a list of winners in each region:

Central Region Winners 

• Belt Railway Company of Chicago Lowest Frequency Rate: more than 500,000 person-hours 
• Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis Lowest Frequency Rate: 250,000 – 500,000 person-hours 
• South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad Lowest Frequency Rate: 150,000 – 250,000 person-hours 
• Burlington Junction Railway Lowest Frequency Rate: 50,000 – 150,000 person-hours 
• Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad, Inc. Lowest Frequency Rate: less than 50,000 person-hours 

Eastern Region Winners

• Consolidated Rail Corporation Lowest Frequency Rate: more than 500,000 person-hours 
• Union Railroad Company, LLC Lowest Frequency Rate: 250,000 – 500,000 person-hours 
• Indiana & Ohio Railway Company Lowest Frequency Rate: 150,000 – 250,000 person-hours 
• SMS Rail Service Inc. Lowest Frequency Rate: 50,000 – 150,000 person-hours 
• Rochester & Southern Railroad, Inc. Lowest Frequency Rate: less than 50,000 person-hours 

Pacific Region Winners 

• Portland & Western Railroad Lowest Frequency Rate: 250,000 – 500,000 person-hours 
• Clarkdale Arizona Central Railroad, LC Lowest Frequency Rate: 150,000 – 250,000 person-hours 
• Great Northwest Railroad Lowest Frequency Rate: 50,000 – 150,000 person-hours 
• Southwestern Railroad, Inc. Lowest Frequency Rate: less than 50,000 person-hours 

Southern Region Winners 

• Conrad Yelvington Distributors Lowest Frequency Rate: more than 500,000 person-hours 
• Paducah & Louisville Railway Lowest Frequency Rate: 250,000 – 500,000 person-hours 
• Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway Lowest Frequency Rate: 150,000 – 250,000 person-hours 
• Aberdeen, Carolina & Western Rwy. Co. Lowest Frequency Rate: 50,000 – 150,000 person-hours 
• Georgia Southwestern Railroad Lowest Frequency Rate: Less than 50,000 person-hours