USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

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

Technical Reports

Subscribe to Technical Reports

Energy Management Guildelines for Rail Transit Systems: Volume II

The cost of electricity is a significant portion of the operating costs of rail transit systems. The impact of increasing energy costs is felt by those systems presently in operation and will be felt by those in the planning or construction phases. Because of the number of nuclear power plants...

Energy Management Guidelines for Rail Transit Systems: Volume I

The cost of electricity is a significant portion of the operating costs of rail transit systems. The impact of increasing energy costs is felt by those systems presently in operation and will be felt by those in the planning or construction phases. Because of the number of nuclear power plants...

Energy Management Guidelines for Rail Transit Systems: Executive Summary

The cost of electricity is a significant portion of the operating costs of rail transit systems. The impact of increasing energy costs is felt by those systems presently in operation and will be felt by those in the planning or construction phases. Because of the number of nuclear power plants...

STARS AC Propulsion Project

This report describes the design, manufacture and testing of a propulsion system for passenger rail application utilizing a variable-voltage, variable-frequency (VWF) inverter and a squirrel cage induction motor, along with associated microprocessor control circuitry. Novel developments in this...

Laboratory Testing on Three Alternative Track Structures

Laboratory track strength characterization tests on three different track structures were conducted. The objectives of these tests were to determine the structural characteristics of each track structure, under various loadings and levels of consolidation, and to compare the findings with the...

Laboratory Tests of Two 100-Ton Covered Hopper Cars

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Association of American Railroads (AAR) have jointly sponsored an experimental program to study the 100-ton covered hopper car with the end objective of improving its safety performance. The total program includes track and laboratory testing of two...

Advanced Group Rapid Transit Vehicle Control Unit Design Summary

The purpose pf the Advanced Group Rapid Transit (AGRT) program was to develop an advanced automated guideway transit system capable of providing high passenger volumes, short waiting times, and high levels of passenger service. The system is the development of a transportation system consisting of...

Vehicle/Track Interaction Assessment Techniques Volume III, Part II

This report describes Vehicle/Track Interaction Assessment Techniques (IAT) which are developed to provide standardized procedures and tools in order to investigate the dynamic performance of railroad vehicles, and systematically identify and cure dynamic track interaction problems associated...