RailTAP - Rail Technical Assistance Program

A training and education initiative aimed at improving safety and reducing collisions at highway-rail grade crossings

RailTAP’s goals are to:

• Educate the public and workers about rail crossing risks
• Promote safety practices to reduce crashes and injuries
• Provide localized training for those involved with rail crossings

RailTAP focuses on raising awareness and providing safety education to key community stakeholders through a public-private partnership between NC State University and the North Carolina Railroad Company, leveraging NCRR’s ROSCOE Program (Rail Operations Safety Center of Excellence) to deliver advanced safety training and resources. NCRR currently provides a rail safety training program for its employees that is approved and validated by FRA and Norfolk Southern Railway. Through this partnership with NC State, NCRR will offer guidance, best practices and support for the new rail safety training program.

RailTAP joins two other existing Technical Assistance Programs administered at NC State University. First, RailTAP builds off the success of the longstanding model NC LTAP (Local Technical Assistance Program), which has continually offered a variety of road maintenance, traffic control, and safety training courses on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration for more than 40 years to help local agencies tap into new technology, information, and training so they can operate more efficiently and safely. In more recent years, NC AirTAP was funded by the NCDOT Division of Aviation and NC Airports Association to provide educational offerings, information resources, and related assistance to the state’s airport professionals.