Caltrain’s Safety Culture Development

After a major incident on the Caltrain system highlighted critical safety deficiencies, Caltrain turned to The Wathen Group as a trusted partner to assist in transforming its safety culture. This case study outlined the challenges, the collaborative solutions implemented, and the significant improvements achieved, including a 90% reduction in near-misses within 18 months.

On March 10, 2022, a major accident occurred on the Caltrain system in San Bruno, resulting in 14 injuries and approximately $1.4 million in damages. This incident was a wake-up call for Caltrain as it identified serious safety deficiencies. It also threatened public confidence in Caltrain’s reliability and governance as the agency was in the midst of a multi-billion dollar modernization program to improve system performance with faster, more reliable service.

TWG employed a robust methodology to evaluate Caltrain’s safety culture. Key activities included field observations; document review of existing policies and protocols; management interviews; employee focus groups and an employee survey. The assessment and key findings were built around the five key elements that define a positive safety culture: a Reporting Culture; a Learning Culture; a Flexible Culture; a Just Culture; and an Informed Culture.

“The findings and recommendations were blunt and eye-opening. Caltrain’s leadership took the necessary steps to transform safety into a core organizational value.”
— Deborah Wathen Finn, CEO of The Wathen Group

Established Strong Leadership and Clear Safety Roles

• Created a Chief Safety Officer role.
• Redefined governance for clear accountability.
• Embedded safety into the new mission statement.

Improved Communication

• Introduced weekly safety meetings and real-time reporting tools.
• Developed a Safety Culture Playbook.

Enhanced Training

• Launched specific trainings for electrification.
• Reviewed and improved efficiency testing

Protocol Overhauls

• Revised Roadway Worker Protection rules.
• Implemented new Track and Time procedures with fail-safes.

Employee Engagement

• Established Safety Champions and recognition programs.
• Used surveys and focus groups to ensure feedback loops.

• Increased Awareness: Regular communication and training improved safety knowledge across all levels.
• Enhanced Accountability: With a CSO in place, safety concerns are addressed swiftly.
• Greater Trust: Employee engagement programs fostered collaboration and morale.
• Incident Reduction: Near-misses dropped significantly, with only two incidents in 18 months.