General
I-ETMS™ Positive Train Control Passenger Braking Algorithm Enhancement – Phase II
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) funded Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) to examine the performance benefits of four potential modifications to the current methodology used for passenger braking enforcement algorithms (EA) in the Interoperable Electronic Train Management...
FRA Announces University of Illinois to Receive $5 Million to Establish the National University Rail Center of Excellence
First of its kind effort made possible through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (...
Development of a Bayesian Network-Based Accident Model for Hazmat Unit Trains
The objective of this research project was to develop a predictive risk model for the release of hazardous material transported in unit trains using data science techniques for available rail accident and traffic data. This work builds upon previous research (Bing, et al., 2015) which examined...
Load Environment Characterization of Tank Car Stub Sill During Revenue Operations
Fractures in the stub sills of tank cars pose a significant problem for the rail industry due to the potential for damage to the tank structure and possible release of the contents. Previous FRA research revealed that high magnitude coupling forces that occur in yard operations have the...
Bearing Grease Degradation Related to Water and Roller Bluing
The Federal Railroad Administration sponsored a team from Transportation Technology Center, Inc. to conduct two investigations to improve the safety of roller bearing operations on railcars. The team conducted the research between September 2018 and April 2022 in collaboration with Burlington...
Enhancing the Safety of Coupler Knuckles
The primary objective of this research was to validate the finite element (FE) stress levels obtained during previous research through physical testing of a selected knuckle design. The validated FE model was used to investigate potential improvements in knuckle fatigue life, such as higher...