With the singular objective of improving safety culture at short-line and regional railroads, the Short Line Safety Institute launched in September 2015. Its first initiative focused on assessing safety practices at 12 roads that transport crude oil.
Over the ensuing five-and-a-half years, the nonprofit organization — established in partnership with the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Congress — continues to find ways to keep railroads and their employees safer.
“Our greatest accomplishment is that in 2021, the institute’s services are still highly sought-after by the industry,” says Tom Murta, SLSI’s executive director. “We’ve been able to systematically identify what needs to be done to help the industry move forward.”