The Rail Corridor Risk Management System (RCRMS) has been adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a “key enabling technology for the industry in accomplishing the objectives of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.”

In coordination with DOT and the rail industry, the FACTOR Project Team conceived, designed, developed, and deployed the Rail Corridor Risk Management System (RCRMS) as part of a multi-year, ongoing effort to manage hazmat transportation risks for the freight rail industry. The RCRMS is a methodology and GIS-enabled software tool that assists all Class I and more sophisticated smaller rail operators with maintaining hazardous material commodity flow information, analyzing route safety and security risks for these flows, and making critical routing decisions. The system was developed in coordination with federal regulators from PHMSA, FRA, TSA, and FEMA to support rail industry compliance with federal regulations.

The RCRMS represents the state of the art for rail route risk assessment and risk-based routing alternative analysis, incorporating the most advanced risk assessment techniques and data currently available. The RCRMS allows rail operators, as part of their route analysis (including assessment of route alternatives), to consider the 27 required risk factors, including network infrastructure characteristics, railroad operating characteristics, human factors, and environmental and terrorist-related parameters. The tool provides a mechanism for the rail operators to maintain their route analyses and document their findings and results for FRA review. The RCRMS is in full use by the freight rail industry and continues to evolve under the guidance of an industry risk management steering committee with input from federal regulators.