The Rail Corridor Risk Management System (RCRMS) was described 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 designed and developed 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 seven 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 with oversight 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 by incorporating the most advanced transportation risk assessment techniques and data currently available. As part of their routing analyses, the RCRMS allows rail operators to consider the 27 risk factors including network infrastructure, railroad operating characteristics, at-risk population, and environmental and security-related parameters. The tool enables rail operators to maintain their route analyses and document their findings and results for review by federal regulators. The RCRMS continues to evolve under the direction of an expert industry user group, incorporating the latest methods and data for improving the safety and security of the North American freight rail system.