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Railroads

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Full-Scale Shell Impact Test of a DOT-113 Tank Car

On November 19, 2019, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) conducted a full-scale shell impact test of a DOT-113C120W (DOT-113) tank car at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, CO. A DOT-113 is a tank within-a-tank designed to transport specified cryogenic materials by rail...

Cant Excess for Freight Train Operations on Shared Track

Transportation Technology Center, Inc., with Federal Railroad Administration support, conducted a study to review and summarize current practices and issues related to shared operations—particularly freight train operations on curves with cant excess. Shared-track curve design requires a...

HQ-2019-1340

On June 6, 2019, at 4:57 a.m., CDT, Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) eastbound train CBTOK 03 (Train 1), with 141 loads, 0 empties, weighing 20,163 tons, and 7,909 feet in length, derailed at Milepost (MP) 51.20 on the Great Lakes Service Unit/Clinton Subdivision, in Stanwood, Iowa.

Trespasser Intent Determination and Evaluation (TIDE) Criteria

Findings showed that probable suicide determinations were similar between the official determination by a medical examiner or coroner and the TIDE criteria. However, TIDE was more likely to see accidents as inconclusive due to the absence of evidence. The lack of information...

Fatal Trespasser Strikes in the United States: 2012-2017

The results of the analysis show that California, New York, Florida, and Texas consistently had the highest number of fatal trespasser strikes, regardless of intent. Fatal suicide strikes most often occur during the spring, while non-suicides occur most often in the summer....

Fiscal Year 2019 Enforcement Report

For several decades, FRA has compiled an annual civil penalty report summarizing the civil penalty claims for violations of Federal railroad safety and hazardous materials (hazmat) statutes, regulations, and orders FRA has closed. This is the FY2019 annual enforcement report.

Teamwork in Railroad Operations and Implications for New Technology

This report examines teamwork processes that contribute to railroad operation safety.  It integrates findings from previously conducted Cognitive Task Analyses (CTAs) that analyzed the cognitive and collaborative work of dispatchers, roadway workers, locomotive engineers and freight train...