Program directory · Transport Canada
Rail Safety Improvement Program
- Department
- Transport Canada
- Program code
- BTW15 (TC)
- Core responsibility
- Safe and Secure Transportation System
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
Transport Canada's Rail Safety Improvement Program (RSIP) provides federal funding in the form of grants or contributions for projects that contribute to increasing safety at high-risk grade crossings and along rail lines through investments in infrastructure, technology, research, education and awareness initiatives. These aim to reduce collisions, derailments, and trespassing incidents as well as increase resilience of the rail transportation network against climate change and extreme weather events. It funds a variety of recipients, including provinces, territories, municipalities, and local governments, road and transit authorities, crown corporations, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations (including academia), Indigenous groups, communities and organizations and individuals/private landowners. Through these important safety investments, the program also helps to mitigate disruptions, supporting the fluidity of the supply chain and building public confidence in Canada’s rail transportation system.
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).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rail Safety Improvement Program | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $163M |
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 contribution agreements completed on budget; Percentage of contribution agreements for projects completed on time | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Indicators dropped: Number of projects completed to close, relocate or improve crossings; Number of projects to implement or adopt new technologies to improve safety; Total dollar value of contributions made | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Spending $19.6M, against $13.7M in 2021-22 (+43%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Spending $39.5M, against $19.6M in 2022-23 (+102%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Indicators added: Number of closed crossings, improved or relocated crossings, and projects to improve rail safety | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of contribution agreements completed on budget; Percentage of contribution agreements for projects completed on time | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned spending $26.1M, against $38.1M in 2024-25 (−31%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
| 2027-28 | Planned spending $19.3M, against $32.5M in 2026-27 (−41%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
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
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≥ 90% | 2022 | 27% Some projects were delayed due to Covid-19 (lack of human or other resources to complete the project), or other circumstances beyond the program authority's control. | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 90% | 2023 | 31% Some recipients’ projects experienced cost increases caused by, for example, unexpected design changes required and unexpected cost increases of material. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 90% | 2024 | 100% During 2023-24, the Program stopped tracking recipients' cost overruns, which as per the terms and conditions of the contribution agreement, are not the financial responsibility of Transport Canada regardless. This indicator will not be used in the future as it is not an effective measure of the success of the Program to improve safety. | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 90% | 2025 | 100% Results achieved exceeded the target. | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ≥ 90% | 2022 | 27% Some projects were delayed due to COVID-19 (lack of human or other resources to complete the project), or other circumstances beyond the program authority's control. | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 90% | 2023 | 44% Several recipients' projects experienced delays for various reasons including continued COVID supply chain issues, continued labour shortages, and project dependencies on third parties. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 90% | 2024 | 32% Some recipients experienced project delays due to, for example, delivery of materials, project dependencies on third parties to complete the work, weather, labour availability, and recipient's project management capacity. This indicator will not be used in the future as it is not an effective measure of the success of the Program to improve safety. | Not met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 90% | 2025 | 80% Some recipients experienced project delays due to, for example, delivery of materials, project dependencies on third parties to complete the work, weather, labour availability, and recipient's project management capacity. This indicator will not be used in the future as it is not an effective measure of the success of the Program to improve safety. | Not met |
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | Not applicable | 2019 | 50 projects were completed and 54 projects are in progress. Projects can be approved for multiple years. Next year's report will include completed projects that began in 18-19. | Met |
| 2019-20 | Not applicable. | 2020 | 132 | No result reported |
| 2020-21 | The target is 100% projects announced for funding being completed. | 2021 | 86% RSIP approved 158 rail crossing projects, of which 22 were cancelled by the recipient. COVID-19 played a significant role in the ability for some recipients to complete projects. | No result reported |
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | Not applicable | 2019 | 1 project was completed and 2 are in progress. | Met |
| 2019-20 | Not applicable | 2020 | 4 | No result reported |
| 2020-21 | Not applicable | 2021 | 3 projects RSIP approved 3 Research and Technology projects. | No result reported |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ $100 | 2019 | $100 Approximately $1.154M was paid to Education and Awareness recipients. Approximately $17.2M was paid to to RSIP ITR Recipients. | Met |
| 2019-20 | $0 – $0 | 2020 | $18 The goal is to invest the full amount of Treasury Board's annual allocations = 21,3 M$ | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ $21.3M | 2021 | $21.3M RSIP allocated its full Treasury Board envelope. | Met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 40 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $23.2M | $18.7M |
| 2019-20 | $12.1M | $18.4M |
| 2020-21 | $21.7M | $14.9M |
| 2021-22 | $21.7M | $13.7M |
| 2022-23 | $21.7M | $19.6M |
| 2023-24 | $37.8M | $39.5M |
| 2024-25 | $47.9M | $38.1M |
| 2025-26 | $26.1M | — |
| 2026-27 | $32.5M | — |
| 2027-28 | $19.3M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $19.2M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 12 | 3 |
| 2019-20 | 1 | 3 |
| 2020-21 | 3 | 4 |
| 2021-22 | 3 | 4 |
| 2022-23 | 3 | 7 |
| 2023-24 | 1 | 11 |
| 2024-25 | 4 | 12 |
| 2025-26 | 3 | — |
| 2026-27 | 3 | — |
| 2027-28 | 3* | — |
| 2028-29 | 3* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $23,241,153 | $12,500,586 | $12,500,586 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $12,051,349 | $11,650,852 | $11,651,323 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $21,668,739 | $21,672,906 | $21,673,659 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $21,683,932 | $21,683,994 | $11,666,066 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $21,688,763 | $11,665,553 | $11,664,444 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $37,839,146 | $37,821,375 | $16,053,231 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $47,867,147 | $26,105,152 | $14,351,805 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $26,138,279 | $14,378,766 | $10,330,265 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $32,502,750 | $19,253,887 | $19,247,123 | ||||||||
| Actual | $18,749,096 | $18,441,103 | $14,880,523 | $13,728,874 | $19,604,478 | $39,521,033 | $38,100,945 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
