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FRA sponsored research to examine the performance benefits of four potential modifications to the current methodology used for passenger braking enforcement algorithms in Positive Train Control applications. All four modifications improved braking performance compared to the baseline. PTC...
On May 14, 2022, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) conducted a full-scale shell impact test (Test 13) of a DOT-113C120W9 (also identified as DOT-113) specification tank car at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, CO. This test was the final impact test in a planned...
The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) is dedicated to the continuous improvement of safety and safety culture across all short line and regional railroads in the United States. Strengthening a railroad’s safety culture may result in less frequent or severe accidents and create a safer working...
Several research and field applications have backed the crib circuit (CC) (i.e., installed between two ties) for vertical wheel load measurement. However, no studies have explored whether the tie circuit (i.e., installed on top of a tie) is valid for rail-tie interface force measurement. Thus,...
In this analysis, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe) staff established Time 1 and Time 2 safety culture scores for each railroad, leveraging outputs from SLSI’s SCA process. Volpe staff then measured railroads’ safety culture growth within the 10 Core Elements. While the...
On October 2021 in Chambersburg, PA, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) tasked ENSCO Inc. and Oklahoma State University (OSU) to verify the concept and assess how different track and loading configurations can affect the accuracy of the measurements. This document provides a summary of...
Kansas State University researchers conducted fracture toughness (FT) tests on four, 3-point bending concrete specimens for each mixture type. Next, they fabricated pretensioned prisms with varying amounts of concrete covering the reinforcements. The prism strength was 4,500 psi when de-...
The U.S. Department of Transportation John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe), under the direction of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research, Development, and Technology, developed an AI software application for automating the detection of grade...
Collaborating with the North American railroad industry, TTCI developed systems engineering documents defining the EIC-PRT system, including interoperable requirements for the EIC-PRT, EIC server, and onboard segments. Additionally, TTCI and its subcontractors developed a prototype roadway...