Rail Safety Regulatory Framework

Department: Transport Canada
Program code: BTW13 (TC)
Core responsibility: Safe and Secure Transportation System
In Departmental Plans: 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan

What it does

With more than 44,000 kilometres of track and 23,000 public and private rail crossings, Canada’s rail network is the fifth largest in the world. Our Program’s mandate is to ensure that Canada’s federally regulated rail network is safe, efficient and environmentally responsible. To achieve this, we provide a balance of tools, including: legislation (i.e. the Railway Safety Act); regulations (e.g., the Grade Crossings Regulations, the Railway Safety Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations); rules (e.g., the Canadian Railway Operating Rules); and policies, standards and guidelines. By setting the conditions within which federally regulated railway companies are permitted to operate, we ensure that goods and passengers are transported safely.

Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.

History and lineage

First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).

Bars: spending by fiscal year (dark: actual; light: actual restated on the 2017-18 program structure; outlined: the latest plan's forecast; grey: related programs). Bands: each program in the lineage over the years it has data.

Program	Relation	Years with data	Actual spending over those years
Rail Safety Regulatory Framework	This program	2018-19 – 2028-29	$20.4M

No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.

Significant changes in scope and budget

Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.

Year	What changed	Source
2021-22	Indicators added: Percentage of new Canadian Rail Safety operating and equipment safety rules aligned with the US Rail Safety operating and equipment rules	Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase)
2021-22	Indicators dropped: 5-year average compliance rate trends to key risk areas, such as: Track Safety Rules, Canadian Rail Operating Rules (CROR), Grade Crossing Regulations, Rule 112 of Canadian Rail Operating Rules (Securement), and/or any evidence of trespassing; The dollar amount of administrative burden remaining on the ‘One-for-One Rule’ regulatory balance at the end of the fiscal year	Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase)
2022-23	Indicators added: 5-year average of harm reduction actions to key risk areas, such as: Infrastructure, Equipment, Operations, Signals and Crossings	Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase)
2022-23	Indicators dropped: Percentage of new Canadian Rail Safety operating and equipment safety rules aligned with the US Rail Safety operating and equipment rules	Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase)

Success criteria

The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.

Historical: targets against results

5-year average of harm reduction actions to key risk areas, such as: Infrastructure, Equipment, Operations, Signals and Crossings

Expected result: Policies & regulatory instruments are clear and provide necessary guidance