Short Line Safety Institute awarded $2.4M FY18 grant

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
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The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded the Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) with a $2.4 million grant, which officials said will allow the institute to enhance safety practices and increase the shortline and regional railroad industry’s safety efforts.

“To date, we have impacted more than 5,800 railroaders with our programming,” said Tom Murta, executive director for the SLSI. “The SLSI will have completed 64 Safety Culture Assessments by the end of this calendar year, with nine already scheduled in 2019, and offered numerous training opportunities through webinars and at regional meetings. This funding will allow us to develop and launch new programming to assist short line and regional railroads in filling the opportunity gaps identified through our ongoing Safety Culture Assessments conducted on short line and regional railroads.”

The Fiscal Year 2018 funding is also expected to allow the SLSI to create new training programs. One such program, focused on professional development,  is currently under in the works and is scheduled to launch in 2019, officials said. The training program will address the need for a formalized management training program relating to small railroads, including soft skills to assist with coaching employees, the SLSI said.

The grant funds will also enable the institute to continue offering Safety Culture Assessments, webinar training, in-person trainings and other resource materials.

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