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General

Statement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx

“A tragic accident occurred tonight. While there is still much we don’t know, we at the U.S. Department of Transportation are deeply saddened by reports of multiple fatalities and injuries. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims' families. We urge the public to allow time for first...

High-Speed Passenger Rail Tie-Ballast Interaction

This Research Results Report presents evidence of poor tie support and increased applied loads that were used to determine the “root cause” of transient and permanent vertical displacements at two Amtrak bridge transitions. These results are from a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) study on...

Application of Alternative Criteria and Procedures to Passenger Railcars

Occupied volume integrity (OVI) refers to a passenger railcar’s ability to preserve space for passengers and crew during an accident. The Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Office of Research and Development (R&D) is sponsoring research investigating OVI. The results of a series of...

WISESight™: A Multispectral Smart Video-Track Intrusion Monitor

International Electronic Machines Corporation (IEM) developed, tested, and validated a unique smart video-based intrusion monitoring system for use at highway-rail grade crossings. The system used both thermal infrared (IR) and visible/near-infrared (NIR) imaging to detect, identify, and...