| Railroad – Community Relations Many discussions begin with, “what’s in it for my railroad?” This is quickly followed by “who is going to pay?” Unfortunately that discussion overshadows and frequently supplants the original discussion which is how to enhance safety on the railroad’s “right of way” (ROW). Before a CTA project is discussed in a staff meeting, these points may help in determining whether a CTA project is right for you. Most agree that communication and cooperation are enhanced by advanced knowledge of each other’s resources, concerns, objectives and goals. A CTA “map plotting” project is frequently the first time that a railroad and community emergency services have talked to each other about mutual planning. So, “what’s in it for my railroad” becomes: - When a local railroad emergency event happens, responders who have established personal relationships are prepared to meet the challenge. They know who and what they responding to and have a plan.
When the finger pointing begins after a rail incident, there is a positive story that can be told about pro-active mitigation. Good corporate – community relations may result in some kind words at a critical time. It puts a face on the Railroad. When the railroad needs political support for government grants or other assistance, local communities have strong ties to legislators. They may be willing to assist in your request. Having acquired a product that encourages pro-active planning for enhanced life safety and incident mitigation looks a lot better before the fact. Civil juries are attuned to this. One civil judgement award reduction may offset the cost of CTA services.
CTA projects lend themselves to project cost sharing with the railroad committing:
- property access
- service interruption on the ROW
- rail vehicle needed for ROW mapping
- rail vehicle operator
- knowledgeable person(s) to validate GPS map plot points.
This matched with local emergency services or 911 addressing dollars can fund the project. A railroad can help position itself as a good community corporate citizen by engaging those who plan and respond to emergencies in CTA “right of way” map plotting. Enlist the community as a rail supporter. |
