Railroad Operations Data
Data Scope
Data includes information on Railroad Operations. Railroads are required
by regulation (49 CFR 225) to report to FRA monthly their train miles,
employee hours, passenger train miles.
Data Collection
Methods - All railroads, with the exceptions listed below in
Noncoverage Error, must report as required by regulation to the FRA. Reports
must be filed in writing on standard FRA Form F6180.55 30 days after the
month the operation data. Railroads who fail to make these reports may
be penalized by fines, depending if the failure was willful or not. The
instructions for completing the required forms are in The FRA Guide for
Reporting Accidents and Incidents.
Schedule - Data is collected 30 days after the close of the month
in which the railroad operated.
This data has been collected from 1975 to the present. The only significant
change occurred in 1997. In 1997 the data base was expanded to make it
Y2K compliant. The Railroad Operations Data Bases prior to 1997 were retrofitted
to the same size as the new format.
Prior to 1997, commuter railroads that had Amtrak or other carriers
run the railroad for them, had their accidents aggregated in other railroads
injury reports. Beginning in 1997, these railroads had to report their
own injuries and accidents separately.
Nonsampling Errors
We attribute nonsampling errors to made in data collection and entry
(e.g., recording or coding the data).
We use quality control and edit procedures to reduce errors made by
respondents and coders.
Nonsampling errors should not have a very minor impact on most interpretations
of the data, but the impact will vary depending on the data used. Most
errors occur with very small railroads that have very low train miles and
employee hours.
Nonentry Error - It is known that there are some errors in reporting.
There are known errors in reporting minor train accidents that are very
close to the reporting threshold. FRA does inspect railroad records and
does cite violations for failure to report.
Duplicate Entry Error - Only one record per railroad is collected
each month. Therefore, duplicate records do not occur.
Missing Data Error - Missing data is very uncommon, usually occurs
with a small railroad that has ceased operations.
Response/Measurement Error - Very small railroads, many just
starting operations will fail to keep the proper record keeping. This happens
very rarely.
Coding/Recording Error - Occasionally a railroad will enter the
wrong information into a field. However, if the railroad incorrectly a
number and the number appears to be reasonable, based upon the previous
months submission, then there is no process to correct it. When the number
does not appear to be reasonable the railroad will be contacted to resolve
the discrepancies.
Noncoverage Error - Some railroad systems are excluded from reporting
to the FRA Railroad Operations Data Base: Intercity Rapid Rail (i.e., Washington,
D.C. Metro, New York City subway, San Francisco BART, etc.), track existing
inside an industrial compound, insular rail (e.g., rail that is not connected
to the general system and does not have a public highway rail crossing
or go over a navigable waterway).
Verification and Validation
Verification and validation occurs at several levels. The railroad safety
reporting officer should be reviewing the reports before submission to
the FRA. The railroad’s Internal Control Plan should insure that missing
data and corrected data is provided to the railroad safety reporting office.
Edit checks within FRA’s data entry system can detect some incorrect or
missing data and force review and correction before data entry is completed.
Cross field and cross record validation is performed monthly. The information
is also on the FRA Internet site allowing users the chance to review the
information and comment.
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