General
Cost/Benefit Analysis of Head Shields for 112A/114A Series Tank Cars
A cost/benefit analysis of head shields installed on new and existing 112A/114A series pressure tank cars was performed based on a redistribution of accident dollar losses. Head shields are designed to prevent puncture of a tank car head during an accident with resulting loss of lading and possibly...Acquisition and Use of Track Geometry Data in Maintenance-of-Way Planning
The report describes data acquisition by the FRA Measurement Cars and subsequent use of the collected track geometry data by the Bessemer and Lake Erie (B and LE) and the Denver and Rio Grande Western (D and RGW) Railroads. These two railroads, in conjunction with ENSCO, Inc., have prepared the...Computer Simulation of Tank Car Head Puncture Mechanisms. Classification Yard Accidents.
A number of railroad accidents have been aggravated by couplers puncturing the shell head of hazardous material tank cars. Development of means for identifying possible puncture mechanisms and quantifying the coupler forces involved is the subject of this report. A mathematical model, capable of...Anti-Derailment Sensor System Phase 1 Feasibility Study
In the context of items of hardware which have been developed for military use, principal causes of derailments were studied to determine those amenable to anticipation detection or by onboard sensors. Other elements for relaying sensor outputs and taking appropriate action to prevent or emeliorate...Advanced Cushioning Devices for Freight Locomotives
This report describes the design and analysis of an advanced cushioning device for freight locomotives. The device, or crash energy management system, minimizes the risk of locomotive override in the event of an in-line collision. As part of the system, energy dissipative elements integrated with...Federal Railroad Administrator: We All Must Do More to Prevent Fatalities at Railroad Crossings
WASHINGTON –Federal Railroad Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg today called for greater action to prevent fatalities at the nation’s more than 200,000 railroad crossings following several significant incidents in recent weeks that have killed parents and their children at railroad...
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative Boston-Springfield-New Haven-Montreal
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) are conducting a feasibility and planning study – the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative (NNEIRI) – that examines the opportunities and impacts of adding more frequent and higher...TIER 1 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Prepared Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (42 USC 4332) and 64 FR 28545
The Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative (NNEIRI) is a feasibility and planning study (NNEIRI Study) that examines the opportunities and impacts of adding more frequent and higher speed intercity passenger rail service on two major rail routes, the Inland Route and the Boston-to-Montreal...FRA Approves Passenger Rail Blueprint to Connect Boston and New Haven to Montreal, Add Service for Central Massachusetts
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced a Finding of No Significant Impact on the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative (Initiative). The finding clears the way for states and the federal government to...