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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Sled Tests to Evaluate Wheelchair Securement and Occupant Restraint Systems in Simulated Train Impact

Document Series:
Technical Reports
Author:
  • Federal Railroad Administration
Report Number
DOT/FRA/ORD-26/19
Office
RDI-20
Subject:
Crashworthiness - Passenger Equipment
Keywords:
Wheelchair, train impact, wheelchair transportation safety, WTORS, occupant protection, collision safety, crashworthiness, accessibility
Report Number
DOT/FRA/ORD-26/19
Office
RDI-20
Document
Wheelchair Sled Tests_final-Ac.pdf (12.73 MB)

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), with technical direction provided by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe), sponsored University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) to conduct impact tests using a wheelchair (WC) and an Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD) between July 2024 and January 2025 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Over the past decade, FRA funded and led several research initiatives on rail car accessibility. The current research effort focused on evaluating the performance of wheelchairs and occupants under dynamic accident loads represented by an 8-g crash pulse with and without Wheelchair Tiedown and Occupant Restraint Systems (WTORS).


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Last updated: Wednesday, August 26, 2026