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Technical Reports

Rail Crossing Violation Warning (RCVW) Application - Phase II

Phase 2 of the Rail Crossing Violation Warning (RCVW) application provides the means for equipped connected vehicles (CV) on approach to a highway-rail intersection (HRI) to be warned of an imminent violation of an HRI active warning/protective system through the interconnection of a CV Roadside...

In-Vehicle Auditory Alerts Literature Review

This literature review covers over 70 documents related to standards, research, and use cases on the design of in-vehicle auditory alerts (IVAAs) for highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs). Although standards exist for auditory warnings in vehicles and they have been used for years, there are only...

High Speed Rail: Cost of Compliance for Noise Mitigation Procedures

This report includes the results of follow-on research related to high speed rail noise. The earlier study, entitled High Speed Rail Noise Standards and Regulations, surveyed noise standards and regulations currently in place within the US, EU, Japan, and China as well as methods employed to...

Fouled Ballast Waiver Operations and Results

Current regulations require locations of noncompliant ballast to be remediated within 30 days or to be taken out of service, regardless of track class. In 2013, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) applied for a waiver to the current regulations that proposed a track class specific...

Rail Safety Training Course for Law Enforcement

Proper law enforcement can deter risky behavior and it is vital that law enforcement officers receive proper training pertaining to the importance of enforcing trespassing and grade crossing laws. Law enforcement officers are typically the first emergency responders to reach the scene of an...

Wheel Failure Investigation Program: Phase 2

Although rare, broken wheel derailments tend to be more catastrophic than other derailment types as a sudden fracture can occur in service at revenue train speeds. It is very difficult to detect the hidden defects which cause such events, prior to failure. In February 2016, the Federal Railroad...