Risk Reduction Program

FRA is issuing this final rule to require each Class I freight railroad and each freight railroad with inadequate safety performance to develop and implement a Risk Reduction Program (RRP) to improve the safety of its operations. RRP is a comprehensive, system-oriented approach to safety that determines a railroad operation’s level of risk by identifying and analyzing applicable hazards, and involves developing plans to mitigate, if not eliminate, that risk. Each railroad has flexibility to tailor an RRP to its specific railroad operations. Each railroad shall implement its RRP under a written RRP plan that FRA has reviewed and approved. Each railroad shall conduct an annual internal assessment of its RRP, and FRA will audit a railroad’s RRP processes and procedures. This information collection is mandatory, submitted to FRA as needed, and there is a requirement for reporting and recordkeeping.

The latest form for Risk Reduction Program expires 2023-06-30 and can be found here.