Benchmarks for rail vehicle dynamics simulation

This presentation was made at the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Vehicle Track Interaction (VTI) Modelling Best Practices Workshop, held in Cambridge, Massachusetts on the 30th June and 1st July 2015. The presentation summarises existing benchmarks relating to rail vehicle dynamics simulation, and presents opportunities for future exercises

CRS Insight

This report discusses the withdrawing of a proposed rule by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that would have required long-haul truck drivers and railroad engineers to be screened for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The risks of OSA, current regulations and safety requirements, and recent accidents involving drivers with OSA are also discussed

Railroad safety program, volume 1

Since 1981, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has annually prepared a National Inspection Plan (NIP) whose purpose is to summarize regional efforts to improve railroad transportation safety. The research concluded on the following tasks including the problems, conclusions and recommendations associated with these tasks is summarized: (1) the preparation of the 1983 NIP, with recommended procedures for improving future NIPs; (2) the development of an outline for the 1984 NIP, including a methodology for the allocation of inspection resources and other specialized regional activities; (3) the management and development of the 1984 NIP; and (4) the development of an instruction manual to be used in the preparation of future NIPs

Railroad Quiet Zones

Speaker(s): Mary Cripe, P.E., City of Goshen Engineering Department Glen Campbell, P.E., Patrick Engineering Track: Multi-Modal Transportation Submission ID #: 119 Presentation Duration: 50 Minutes Presentation Title: Railroad Quiet Zones Abstract: In 2005, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) provided communities with the opportunity to reduce locomotive horn noise without compromising public safety. The proposed Marion Branch Quiet Zone, located in Goshen, Indiana, will not only improve public safety, it will also enhance the quality of life and raise home values for adjacent residents. This intricate process involves creative problem-solving and knowledge of the multiple parties involved. It will take a coordinated effort by the FRA, Norfolk Southern, and City for the quiet zone to be approved. Lessons that other communities can learn from this effort are 1) for a quiet zone to be considered feasible, political will supporting the project must exist and 2) involve FRA and the affected railroads as early in the process as possible

Railroad Safety--Responses to Posthearing Questions

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This letter responds to a Congressional request that we provide responses to questions related to our recent testimony before Congress on reauthorizing federal rail safety programs. Our testimony discussed how the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) (1) focuses its efforts on the highest priority risks related to train accidents in planning its oversight, (2) identifies safety problems on railroad systems in carrying out its oversight, and (3) assesses the impact of its oversight efforts on safety. This testimony was based on our recent report on these topics.

Iowa Railroad Ties, Fall 2007

Quarterly newsletter of the Iowa Department of Transportation's Office of Rail Transportation

Office Safety Checker for Moving Block Train Control Systems

DTFR53-11-D-00008LAs part of a project sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Transportation Technology Center, Inc., (TTCI), developed and analyzed a concept for the Office Safety Checker (OSC) component of the Moving Block Office (MBO), a segment of a moving block train control system concept. The OSC component performs a safety validation of MBO safety-critical functions and certain Positive Train Control Back Office Server (PTC-BOS) safety-critical functions. It also leverages on the Quasi-Moving Block (QMB) Operational Concept and the Overlay Positive Train Control (O-PTC) concepts