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This report describes testing of prototype vehicle proximity alert system (VPAS) technologies, and presents and evaluates the results. The object was to determine the feasibility of VPAS for possible use in priority vehicles (i.e., emergency vehicles, school buses, vehicles carrying hazardous...
This workshop was held June 11 and 12, 1998, at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Participants included DOT staff and consultants, state highway and rail representatives, railroads, railroad suppliers,...
Every year in the United States, accidents at highway-railroad grade crossings take place where the motorist hits the side of the train at night. In a portion of these nighttime accidents, the motorist fails to see the train in the grade crossing. One proposed solution to prevent such accidents...
This report, prepared at the direction of the U.S. Department of Transportation, examines safety, design, and liability issues associated with the development of shared use paths and other trails within or adjacent to active railroad and transit rights-of-way. This document is intended to...
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has undertaken a rulemaking process to address the use of locomotive horns at public highway-railroad grade crossings [1]. This rule includes a provision to regulate the sound level output of railroad horns. This letter report supports the rulemaking by...
Five technologies were evaluated for their ability to detect trains and/or highway vehicles approaching and occupying highway railroad intersections. Tests were conducted on the performance of these technologies during October and November 1999 at the Federal Railroad Administration's...
The use of light emitting diode (LED) warning signals in the railroad industry has increased due to recent technological improvements. LED signals have many potential benefits over traditional incandescent signals, including longer life, increased durability, and lower power consumption. Safety...
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, under the direction of the Federal Railroad Administration, conducted a 3-year demonstration of an automated prototype railroad infrastructure security system on a railroad bridge. Specifically, this commercial...
This document provides guidance recommendations and supporting material to assist designers and implementer s of intelligent transportation system (ITS) applications related to highway-rail intersections (HRI). The guidance focuses specifically on roadway user human factors requirements...
This report provides an update on the state-of-the-art technologies with intrusion and obstacle detection capabilities for rail rights of way (ROW) and crossings. A workshop entitled Intruder and Obstacle Detection Systems (IODS) for Railroads Requirements was held in 1998, and the Volpe...