NCTD partners with NASA, FRA on safety reporting program

Rail News Home Safety 8/19/2019 Rail News: Safety
The purpose of the C3RS program is to improve railroad safety by collecting and analyzing safety reports of “close call” events.Photo – NCTD

The North County Transit District (NCTD) earlier this month entered into a partnership with NASA and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to report unsafe rail conditions as part of the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) program.

The purpose of the C3RS program is to improve railroad safety by collecting and analyzing voluntary and confidential safety reports of “close call” events from rail staff and contractors. A close call is defined as an unsafe event which may have had the potential for more serious safety consequences, NCTD officials said in a press release. 

When a close call on or around railroad track is identified, the participating agencies will identify potential causes, recommend and implement corrective actions, and evaluate the effectiveness of any such action.

NASA took the lead on the program after developing its own successful reporting system in the aviation industry. NASA will serve as an objective recipient of the reports submitted by railroad professionals, NCTD officials said. 

The C3RS includes NCTD’s rail operations and maintenance contractor, Bombardier Transportation USA Inc., and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART). The SMART union represents the conductors and engineers on NCTD’s San Diego subdivision.