Evaluation Summary, April 2020
The Rail Safety Improvement Program (RSIP) is a grant and contribution program that consolidates the former Grade Crossing Improvement Program (GCCP), Grade Crossing Closure Program (GCCP), and Operation Lifesaver Program (OL). The Program aims to support rail safety through projects related to infrastructure, technology, and research (ITR) and public education and awareness (E&A).
The Evaluation of RSIP assessed the Program's relevance, performance, and efficiency from 2014-15 to 2018-19, with a particular focus on the achievement of the expected outcomes of the Program. Data collection methods included: a document and literature review, stakeholder interviews, administrative and financial data review, and project case studies.
About the program
2016 RSIP is launched
2017 The Railway Safety Act Review has sixteen recommendations to enhance rail safety
2021 The new Grade Crossings Regulations come into full effect
$64.7M total program funding over three years (2016-17 to 2018-19)
3.25 FTEs as of 2019
420 applications received in 2019, compared to an average of 278 per year in past years.
Since 2016, RSIP has funded:
371 crossing and infrastructure improvements, crossing closures, and research and technology projects
19 education & awareness projects
Findings
There is an ongoing need for rail safety improvements in Canada. RSIP helps to address this need.
Evidence suggests that RSIP has contributed to risk reduction in the rail sector for the Canadian public.
The majority of RSIP funding is allocated to high risk projects, as measured by the GradeX risk tool. However, there are opportunities to improve the GradeX risk model.
RSIP has an expanded list of eligible recipients compared to previous rail safety funding programs (i.e., GCIP, GCCP, OL). Some of these new types of recipients (e.g., small municipalities, some shortline railways) have struggled with applying, obtaining funding, financing and completing their RSIP projects, and the RSIP cost-sharing ratio.
The waiting period between application review/evaluation and formal approval is difficult for recipients, in terms of project planning. However, recently RSIP has introduced promising Lean principles to improve efficiency.
Although evaluation criteria have been established for reviewing project proposals, there is room for improvement in the consistent application of these criteria and the description of the roles and responsibilities for all reviewers.
The reliance on additional TC employees, who are unaccounted for in the official funding documents, to help deliver RSIP suggests that the costing model for the program could be improved to enhance program planning and delivery.
Recommendations, actions
The program should:
RSIP management should examine funding options, in collaboration with Rail Safety (who are working to address the recommendations from the 2018 Railway Safety Act Review) and Rail Policy, to identify if there is a need to allocate a portion of funding for all types of applicants such as municipalities, shortlines, and passenger rail during each funding cycle.
RSIP management should examine the extent to which the cost-sharing ratios defined in the RSIP Terms and Conditions remain relevant for all types of recipients, and to determine if new cost-sharing ratios should be considered given the financial capacities of the different categories of eligible applicants.
RSIP should develop a costing model that comprehensively accounts for all of the costs required to deliver the Program (including the human resources who are funded through A-base funding in other groups within Transport Canada) so that an accurate financial estimate can be determined for program renewal and planning purposes.
The program agreed to:
- Identify options to allocate funding between categories of eligible applicants, in collaboration with Rail Policy and Rail Safety.
- Engage TC's Centre of Expertise on Transfer Payments to explore changes to the current Terms and Conditions.
- Analyze the current allocation of funds to different project types.
- Engage with internal rail (Rail Safety and Rail Policy) and financial (Corporate Finance and CoE Transfer Payments) partners to better understand any requirements to allocate funding and to potentially make changes to the RSIP Terms and Conditions.
- Make recommendations to the Minister to amend the Program's Terms and Conditions.
- Analyze the RSIP workload to better understand hours and skill sets needed to run RSIP.
- Develop an RSIP costing model in conjunction with TC Finance and share model internally, with implicated partners.