Rail Security Alliance
Rail Security Alliance is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit trade association founded in 2016 that drives U.S. legislation and federal engagement to protect the North American freight rail industry from Chinese state-owned enterprises, serving rail manufacturers, suppliers, and policymakers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Rail Security Alliance does
Rail Security Alliance (RSA) is a private, Washington, D.C.-based non-profit trade association founded in 2016 that conducts policy advocacy on behalf of the North American freight rail industry, with a stated focus on countering the influence of Chinese state-owned enterprises such as CRRC. The organization does not sell products or technology services; instead, it drives legislative and regulatory outcomes through direct engagement with the U.S. Congress, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the European Commission, as well as through coalition building with industry partners such as the Railway Supply Institute, UNIFE, and the Illinois Railroad Association.
RSA's most consequential outputs are statutory and regulatory: it is the principal advocate behind the SAFE TRAINS Act (signed into law in November 2021 as Section 22425 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with a final FRA rule published in December 2024 and full implementation completed by December 19, 2025), TIVSA provisions, and the Freight RAILCAR Act of 2025 (H.R. 1200 in the House, S. 2758 in the Senate, the latter introduced in September 2025 with a 10% tax credit mechanism for freight railcar fleet modernization). The organization is led by Executive Director Erik Olson and operates with 11–50 employees across two disclosed Washington, D.C. offices (1341 G St NW and 750 9th St N.W.).
The business model is membership-funded: RSA is supported by industry dues and coalition partners rather than commercial revenue, venture capital, or public investment, and it does not disclose its financials. Its research output is produced in partnership with Oxford Economics, which has quantified the U.S. railcar industry footprint at $36.0 billion in output, $14.9 billion in GDP contribution, and 112,200 family-wage jobs in 2024 — figures that RSA uses to support its legislative asks. Distribution of influence runs through earned media in trade publications (Railway Age, Progressive Railroading, Transportation Today, Washington Times), its @railcarsecurity social channel, and the railsecurity.org website, with a 40+ co-sponsor congressional coalition on the Freight RAILCAR Act as the principal measure of its reach.
Rail Security Alliance firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rail Security Alliance
- Legal name
- Rail Security Alliance
- Website
- https://railsecurity.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Rail Security Alliance is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit trade association founded in 2016 that drives U.S. legislation and federal engagement to protect the North American freight rail industry from Chinese state-owned enterprises, serving rail manufacturers, suppliers, and policymakers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rail Security Alliance industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Association / Policy Advocacy
- NAICS
- Regulation and Administration of Transportation Programs (926120), Support Activities for Rail Transportation (48821)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rail Infrastructure Resilience, Safety & Compliance (Standards, RAMS, Cyber/Physical) (TLAJADAI)
Keywords
Where Rail Security Alliance is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Rail Security Alliance business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Rail Security Alliance product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rail Security Alliance is a non-profit policy advocacy organization that promotes U.S. policies, procedures, and laws designed to enhance the security of American railroads, with a particular focus on protecting the domestic freight railcar manufacturing and supply industry from competition by Chinese state-owned enterprises such as CRRC. The organization drives legislative initiatives including the SAFE TRAINS Act, Transit Infrastructure Vehicle Security Act (TIVSA), and the Freight RAILCAR Act, and engages with Congress, federal agencies, and international bodies on rail security and trade policy.
Product overview
Rail Security Alliance is a policy advocacy organization focused on promoting U.S. rail security legislation and protecting the North American freight rail industry from foreign competition, particularly from Chinese state-owned enterprises. The organization does not offer technology products or software services; rather, it engages in legislative advocacy, produces research reports, and supports policies such as the Freight RAILCAR Act and SAFE TRAINS Act.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- SAFE TRAINS Act fully implemented as of December 19, 2025
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Rail Security Alliance
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Rail Security Alliance technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Rail Security Alliance partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Railway Supply InstitutecoreIndustry group that jointly backs the Freight RAILCAR Act with RSA, citing potential for renewed U.S. investment in railcar manufacturing. Both organizations advocate for domestic railcar production and have collaborated on tax credit legislation.
- Oxford EconomicscoreEconomics research firm that provides economic impact analysis for RSA, including reports on U.S. railcar industry footprint ($36B output, $14.9B GDP contribution, 112,200 jobs) and CRRC's global market impact.
- UNIFEminorRSA endorsed UNIFE's call for greater protection against Chinese entities in European rail infrastructure (January 2026), aligning U.S. and European rail security advocacy efforts.
- Illinois Railroad AssociationminorState-level rail association that publicly supported the Freight RAILCAR Act of 2025, demonstrating industry-wide coalition building across North America.
- Sens. Cornyn (R-TX), Baldwin (D-WI), Moran (R-KS)coreBipartisan Senate sponsors who introduced the SAFE TRAINS Act (passed as Section 22425 of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, November 2021) protecting U.S. freight rail from adversarial SOEs.
- Sens. Jim Banks (R-IN) and Chris Coons (D-DE)coreSenate sponsors of S. 2758 Freight RAILCAR Act introduced September 10, 2025, providing 10% tax credit over three years to modernize North America's freight railcar fleet.
- Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Brad Schneider (D-IL)coreHouse sponsors of H.R. 1200 Freight RAILCAR Act introduced February 11, 2025, with strong bipartisan support and 40+ co-sponsors.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Rail Security Alliance competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- American Public Transportation Association: Large U.S. transit industry association that played a parallel role in the TIVSA/SAFE TRAINS Act era to block Chinese railcar procurement, making it a comparable advocacy peer even though its focus is broader public transit.
- Association of American Railroads: The leading U.S. Class I railroad trade association, representing freight rail operators. It is a broader incumbent that engages in rail policy advocacy and shares overlapping interests with RSA on infrastructure security and trade policy, though it represents carriers rather than manufacturers.
Direct peers
- American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association: Trade association for short line and regional freight railroads that benefit from railcar tax credit legislation like the Freight RAILCAR Act. Its policy work and member advocacy function parallel RSA's, though its constituency is operators rather than manufacturers.
- Railway Supply Institute: U.S. trade association representing rail equipment suppliers and manufacturers; directly co-advocates with RSA on the Freight RAILCAR Act and domestic railcar production policy, making it RSA's closest functional peer.
- UNIFE (European Rail Supply Industry Association): European rail supply industry association that recently partnered with RSA to counter Chinese railcar procurement in Europe. It is a direct international peer pursuing the same anti-CRSS/anti-SOE policy agenda across jurisdictions.
Emerging players
- Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association: Trade association for rail engineering and maintenance-of-way suppliers. It represents manufacturers with overlapping policy interests to RSA on domestic content and infrastructure investment, though narrower in scope.
- National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association: U.S. trade association for railroad contractors and maintenance firms; adjacent to RSA's domain because its members would also benefit from Freight RAILCAR Act fleet renewal incentives, though its primary focus is construction services rather than equipment security.
Others
- American Trucking Associations: Largest U.S. trucking industry association; adjacent rather than directly competitive because it represents a different transport mode, but it shares the broader transportation policy advocacy function and often participates in multi-modal policy coalitions.
- National Industrial Transportation League: U.S. shipper-focused trade association advocating on freight rail service and policy. It is an adjacent peer engaged in rail policy advocacy from the demand side, complementing RSA's manufacturer-side orientation.
Regional players
- Illinois Railroad Association: State-level railroad association that publicly endorsed the Freight RAILCAR Act alongside RSA. It is a regional peer operating at sub-federal scale but engaging the same rail policy domain.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Rail Security Alliance social profiles
Digital presenceRail Security Alliance financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rail Security Alliance leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Rail Security Alliance funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Rail Security Alliance M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rail Security Alliance
What does Rail Security Alliance do?
Rail Security Alliance is a non-profit policy advocacy organization that promotes U.S. policies, procedures, and laws designed to enhance the security of American railroads, with a particular focus on protecting the domestic freight railcar manufacturing and supply industry from competition by Chinese state-owned enterprises such as CRRC. The organization drives legislative initiatives including the SAFE TRAINS Act, Transit Infrastructure Vehicle Security Act (TIVSA), and the Freight RAILCAR Act, and engages with Congress, federal agencies, and international bodies on rail security and trade policy.
Is Rail Security Alliance a public or private company?
Rail Security Alliance is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Rail Security Alliance founded?
Rail Security Alliance was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Rail Security Alliance based?
Rail Security Alliance is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Rail Security Alliance's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are American Public Transportation Association and Association of American Railroads. Direct peers are American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, Railway Supply Institute and UNIFE (European Rail Supply Industry Association). Emerging players are Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association and National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association. Others are American Trucking Associations and National Industrial Transportation League. Illinois Railroad Association is listed as a regional player.
Does Rail Security Alliance have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rail Security Alliance.
What industry is Rail Security Alliance in?
Rail Security Alliance's product category is Trade Association / Policy Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAJADAI, Rail Infrastructure Resilience, Safety & Compliance (Standards, RAMS, Cyber/Physical). Its NAICS code is 926120 and its SIC code is 8600.