The short line railroad industry posted a new safety benchmark in 2025, with a record number of carriers reporting zero injuries, according to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.
ASLRRA said 418 member railroads earned a 2025 Jake Safety Award based on Federal Railroad Administration injury and illness reporting. Of those, 371 carriers received a “Jake with Distinction,” awarded to railroads that reported zero FRA-reportable injuries during the year, ASLRRA said.
To qualify for a Jake Award, an ASLRRA member must perform better than the average reportable injury frequency rate per 200,000 person-hours for railroads outside of Amtrak, Class I, commuter and transit operations. ASLRRA said the 2025 industry average was 2.24, a lower threshold than the prior year, and that the industry average injury frequency rate has declined 3% in each of the past two years.
The association credited the results to safety culture and training efforts, including participation in programs offered by the Short Line Safety Institute and ASLRRA’s Short Line Training Center. It also pointed to state and federal investment in infrastructure, including support through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program, as a factor in addressing worn track and ties — a key contributor to derailments on short lines.
The Jake Awards are named for Lowell S. “Jake” Jacobson, a former short line executive who pushed for a safety recognition program for smaller railroads after his carrier achieved a perfect safety record in 1993. ASLRRA adopted the awards in 1999 and said more than 8,200 Jake and Jake with Distinction Awards have been issued since 1995.
ASLRRA represents 603 short line and regional railroads and supply company members. The group said short lines operate about 50,000 miles of track in 49 states, roughly one-third of the nation’s rail network.
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