2020 TRB Annual Conference

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CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

FRA OFFICE OF RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, and TECHNOLOGY

F E D E R A L R A I L R O A D A D M I N I S T R A T I O N
2020 TRB Annual Conference

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Human Factors

Train Control and Communications

Rolling Stock

Track

RESEARCH SECTIONS
2020 TRB Annual Conference

TRACK

SECTION ONE
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

Melissa Shurland • (202) 493-1316 • 

melissa.shurland@dot.gov

o Support future research on evaluating and improving the 

performance of current and future rail inspection 

technologies for use in detecting rail flaws as well as the 

methods for quantifying them.

o Rail flaw library will serve other researchers, allowing them 

direct access to the realistic rail flaw samples for validating 

their work on rail inspection technologies.

o Optimized ultrasonic parameters and inspection angles will 

improve detection of missed flaws in revenue service.

o Explore innovative advanced NDE technologies capable of 

inspecting the rail base, rail welds, and special trackwork for 

critical internal defects.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: $549,594 (to date)

o Project Duration: July 2016 – July 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

• Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

Rail Flaw Library of Associated Defects (RF-LOAD)

o Continued collecting naturally occurring flaws from revenue 

service operations. These rail flaw samples will be used for 

the training of inspectors using hand-held non-destructive 

evaluation (NDE) instruments, probability of detection 

method development, and initial development of advanced 

inspection technologies.

Phased Array UT Modeling/Simulation for Rail Thermite Welds

o Conducting ultrasonic testing (UT) simulations to better 

understand ultrasonic beam interaction and responses in 

rail welds as well as for different realistic internal rail 

weld defects. 

Flash/Infrared Thermography Approach for Rail Base Defects

o Assessing the feasibility of using this technology at moving 

speed for non-contact in motion rail base inspection. 

Feasibility of Special Trackwork Inspection using NDE Methods

o Assess the feasibility of using advanced NDE methods on the 

frog test samples

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Quantification and Evaluation of Rail Flaw Inspection 

Practices and Technologies
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Total Project duration: 3 years (07/01/2019-06/30/2022)

o Initial phase (07/2019-07/2020 – FUNDED): $138,965 (FRA), 

$50,000 (UCSD equipment cost share)

o Option 1 (07/2020-07/2021 – NOT FUNDED): $144,187 

o Option 2 (07/2021-07/2022 – NOT FUNDED): $213,393

COST & SCHEDULE

o University of California, San Diego (prime contractor) 

o Participating railroads (BNSF committed, UP & NS potential)

PROJECT PARTNERS

H.A. Defect H.A. Defect 

3-D Image Reconstruction from 2D Slices

141RE Section #20 141RE Section #12

Fracture Mechanics model

Applied loads

Crack growth rates

SAFT Rail Flaw Imaging

Rail Remaining Life

o Advanced rail inspection technologies and advanced rail 

flaw modeling are high priorities of FRA’s R&D program.

o The ultimate goal of an effective and safe rail inspection 

program is to enable maintenance decisions based on the 

actual severity of a flaw.

o An ability to (a) quantitatively image an internal flaw and 

(b) determine from the flaw imaging data the remaining 

life of the rail will be an invaluable tool in the hands of 

railroad maintenance personnel. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Project will complete UCSD’s work in ultrasonic imaging 

and add fracture mechanics to close the gap between the 

“diagnosis” and the “prognosis” steps of rail inspection 

and maintenance. 

o UCSD’s SAFT rail flaw imaging prototype will be advanced 

to the stage of field deployment and automatic 

reconstruction of 3D images of the rail’s interior.

o A fracture mechanics model based on Paris’ law will be 

applied and validated to estimate a rail’s remaining life, 

based on initial crack size, crack growth parameters, and 

expected loads.

o Remaining life estimations will be calibrated and validated 

through accelerated fatigue tests at UCSD’s Powell 

Structural Laboratories.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

From Rail Flaw Imaging to Remaining Life Estimation
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

Melissa Shurland • (202) 493-1316 • 

melissa.shurland@dot.gov

o Passive rail inspection technology would enable extremely 

high testing speeds, well beyond the ~ 25 mph maximum 

speed currently allowed by conventional (e.g., RSU-based) rail 

inspection cars.

o Inspecting the rail at regular train speeds would simplify 

scheduling of rail inspections around normal traffic.

o “Smart train” approach: this technology could be used on 

regular trains to enable multiple, redundant inspections of the 

same track, thereby improving the inspection reliability and, 

ultimately, the safety of transportation.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: $424,418

o Period of Performance: February 2018-May 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

• University of California, San Diego – grantee

• ENSCO, Inc. – test support

• Transportation Technology Center, Inc. – test support

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Evaluate a new technique that uses non-contact acoustic 

sensors and special signal processing algorithms to detect 

internal defects in rails by exploiting the acoustic excitations 

naturally induced in the rail by the wheels of a running train.

o Apply special signal processing algorithms to extract a 

“stable” acoustic transfer function between two points of the 

rail despite the “random” acoustic excitation by the rolling 

train wheels. 

o Already performed two field tests at TTC at speeds up to 80 

mph with good feasibility results for the detection of joints, 

welds, and internal flaws.

o Continuing the technology development with additional field 

tests at TTC to be scheduled in the fall 2019/winter2020.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Non-Contact Rail Inspection Prototype

(Passive-Only System for High-Speed Rail Inspection)
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funded: $150,000 

o Additional $300,000 possible for additional phases

o Project Duration: May 2019 – May 2022

COST & SCHEDULE

o University of Texas at Austin – grantee

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc. – test support

PROJECT PARTNERS

o A non-contact rail integrity inspection system to detect rail 

flaws including internal flaws using rail vibrations induced 

by railcar wheels.

o Implementation of new generation a laser Doppler 

vibrometer in order to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio.

o Ability to carry out inspections at operation rail car speeds.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop a non-contact technology for the identification of 

defects in railroad tracks. 

o A laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) is proposed to record 

the dynamic vibrations induced by the wheel-rail contact 

from a moving platform. 

o Advanced modal system identification techniques will be 

evaluated to characterize the vibrations of rails induced by 

a moving railcar.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Rail Defect Detection by Non-Contact Vibration Measurements
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funding: $450,000

o Project Duration: May 2017 – May 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Creare, LLC

o Vermont Rail System

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Broken rails or welds are a common cause of Class I mainline 

derailments. Rails often break under trains but do not cause 

immediate derailment until further damage leads to 

catastrophic failure.

o Current inspection methods are periodic and may miss the 

critical period during which initial damage progresses to 

complete failure.

o Detection of early-stage rail defects from normal service revenue 

trains enables repair before catastrophic failure and derailment.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Demonstrate a second-generation prototype detection system.

o Automated detection of broken rails. 

o Real-time imaging of rail morphology will allow breaks to be 

differentiated from rail joints.

o Novel high-speed detector will enable detection of broken rails 

from trains at normal operational speeds (does not require 

dedicated metrology/inspection).

o Initial field testing on Vermont Rail System track demonstrated 

extremely accurate detection of rail joints from moving platform.

o Preparing to test over additional sections of revenue service track.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

High-Speed Broken Rail Detection
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funded: $123,895

o Additional $160,223 possible for later phases

o Period of Performance: October 2017 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

• Tuskegee University

• Transportation Technology 

Center, Inc.

• EWI

• Nucor Steel

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Improve the quality of railhead defect weld repair.

o Provide a more efficient and consistent field repair method 

for railhead defects.

o Enhance the fatigue damage tolerance of weld repaired rail.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Task 1: Optimization of pre-heating conditions that include 

computational heat transfer analysis on a simulated railhead 

defect (slot) under uniform preheating applied to the web 

and lab experiments to assist with the computational heat 

transfer analysis. 

o Task 2 : Perform multiple (5) head repair welds based on the 

patented technology by Tuskegee University (TU) using an 

AREMA 136 RE rail section length. 

o Task 3: Perform multiple metallurgical lab testing on three 

weld samples provided by TU. These tests will be performed 

by Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI). TU will also 

perform similar tests for comparing results with TTCI.

o Task 4: Perform six slow bend tests similar to AREMA 

requirement for electric-flash butt welding. This will be 

performed by an independent laboratory approved by both 

TU and TTCI.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Pre-Heating Optimization and Field Testing of Railhead 

Defect Repair 
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funding: $225,002

o Project Duration: October 2019 – September 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

• Thornton Tomasetti, Inc.

• Siemens

• Sperry 

• Harvard University

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Current rail NDE technology relies on human interpretation to 

characterize and classify rail head flaws.

o Increased flaw sizing reliability and inspection speed enabled 

by pre-training data-driven models.

o Shifts flaw sizing burden from inspector and on to analysis and 

software development.

o Increased flaw sizing (e.g., % rail head area) reliability will 

decrease chance of derailments.

o Building on the most recent research of the fail integrity and 

fatigue life prediction for modern rails.

o Delayed remedial action plan based on remaining life.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Automated railhead flaw characterization and rail remaining 

life prediction technology.

o Experimental track inspection data from Sperry.

o Machine learning and computer vision data-driven models to 

classify and characterize rail head flaws.

o Rail life remaining and remedial action planning.

o Uncertainty quantification of flaw estimates and remaining 

service life predictions.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Automated Railhead Flaw Characterization and Rail 

Remaining Life Prediction Technology 
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funding: Approx. $630,784

o Project Duration: August 2016 – March 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

• Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Characterization of RNT changes in revenue service track:

• Documenting initial RNT loss after rail installation.

o Evaluation of new methods to monitor curve movement.

o Understand how curves breathe with and without train traffic. 

o Measure rail movement and RNT changes simultaneously in 

curves at the FAST facility. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o RNT Data Mining and Analysis

o Monitoring RNT and Curve Movement under Heavy 

Axle Loads

o Evaluation of Potential Curve Monitoring Technologies

o RNT Workshops:

• Develop a workshop to document the best RNT 

management practices from industry and FRA.

• Workshop to develop more buckling resistant track.

o RNT Test Bed Design:

• This task will develop an RNT and track buckling test 

bed design concept and performance requirements. 

The potential exists for installation of a track segment 

that can have independent rail force loading 

capability while still being part of an operating track, 

such as the High Tonnage Loop at the Transportation 

Technology Center. 

o Track Maintenance Effects on RNT

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Rail Neutral Temperature (RNT) and Longitudinal 

Force Management
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funding: $144,941

o Project Duration: September 2018 – February 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO, Inc.

o Amtrak

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Provide industry with a tool to issue heat slow orders 

in a more effective and targeted way.

o Prevent or minimize consequences of track 

buckling-related derailments by improved heat slow 

order management process and rail stress 

adjustment guidance.

o Establish better awareness of rail temperature for 

track personnel through use of a utility that provides 

information in near-real time.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Expand the functionality of FRA’s existing Rail 

Temperature and Buckling Risk Prediction 

web-mobile application.

o Implement CWR readjustment methodology into 

the application.

o Support training for use of the application, including 

user documentation and training webinars.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Rail Temperature and Buckling Risk Prediction
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funding: $304,983

o Project Duration: September 2018 – February 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Provide industry with a tool for a deterministic 

evaluation of buckling strength and safety.

o Prevent or minimize consequences of track bucklingrelated derailments.

o Establish better awareness of buckling danger for 

track personnel.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Upgrade CWR-SAFE, a computational model for 

track buckling safety analyses, to run on modern 

computer operating systems and mobile platforms.

o Implement improvements to user interface with 

focus on data visualization.

o Promote FRA and industry use of the CWR-SAFE 

application through provision of the utility via 

secure website.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Upgrade of CWR-SAFE Software
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funding: $284,190

o Project Duration: July 2018 – July 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Virginia Tech

o Norfolk Southern

o Tennessee Tech

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Potential to provide reliable, reference-free 

measurements of longitudinal rail stress and neutral 

temperature.

o Better understanding and management of RNT through 

regular measurements.

o Ability to spot-check RNT on any given rail.

o Potential to reduce track buckles and pull-aparts.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop, validate, and implement a novel acoustoelasticbased approach for longitudinal rail stress and neutral 

temperature measurement. 

o The proposed approach has two fundamentally 

distinctive features compared to current ultrasonic 

practices:

1. The utilization of low-frequency flexural waves to 

calculate the state-of-stress, which offers 

enhanced sensitivity and robustness.

2. The utilization of the vertical (normal-to-loading) 

direction as a reference, which further enhances 

the robustness of the technique and allows 

compensating for uncertainties in rail 

characteristics.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Rail Neutral Temperature (RNT) Measurement by Virginia Tech
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funding: $156,152 

o Project Duration: August 2019 – January 2022

COST & SCHEDULE

• University of Pittsburgh – grantee

• Northeastern University - grantee

• Transportation Technology Center, Inc. – test support

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Reliable technology, able to determine axial stress and neutral 

temperature, would reduce drastically the risk of buckling 

during warm days or rail fracture during the cold season.

o The proposed technology is conceived to be minimally 

invasive, cost-effective, and practical. It is minimally invasive 

and practical because it would require only a very few 

measurements to be conducted at any time of the day and at 

any time of the year. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Investigate a new technology able to determine the absolute 

stress of continuous welded rails (CWRs) without disturbing 

the track structure, without prior knowledge of the rail 

neutral temperature (RNT), and with a single measurement.

o Develop new inspection concept based on the non-contact 

detection of rail vibrations using cameras operating at ~1,000 

fps, and on image processing algorithms able to extract 

characteristics such as mode-shapes and frequencies of the 

vibrating rail. These characteristics are then used to infer the 

axial stress using existing models and advanced machine 

learning algorithms. 

o Perform feasibility laboratory tests on a rail segment under 

compressive load.

o Perform the first field test in spring 2020 at the 

Transportation Technology Center High Tonnage Loop.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Image Processing and Machine Learning Algorithms 

to Measure Axial Stress in Rails
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funding: $57,004 (Phase I) 

$142,544 (Phase II – Optional)

Total: $199,548

o Project Duration: June 2019 – July 2020 (Phase I)

COST & SCHEDULE

• University of South Carolina, Columbia

PROJECT PARTNER

• Improve safety through early detection of potential 

rail failure.

• Facilitate effective management of thermal stresses.

• In-situ, non-destructive, reference-free testing; does 

not disrupt service.

• Simple, easy to use, accurate and cost-effective 

technology deployed on a routine basis or on demand.

• Ability to integrate data with information acquired by 

other track-sensing technologies.

RAILROAD IMPACT

A non-contacting vision-based method is proposed to estimate 

the rail neutral temperature and quantify the stress in the rail. 

This study will demonstrate the viability of the proposed 

technique in a laboratory environment. 

Tasks – Phase I:

o 1. Design and Build the Prototype System

o 2. Method Verification

o 3. Method assessment on Physical Track Section in the 

Laboratory

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Longitudinal Stress Measurements in Rail Using a 

Non-Contacting Reference-Free Vision-Based Approach
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funding: $150,009 

o Project Duration: November 2018 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o University of Sheffield, UK

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Extension of rail lifetime.

o Lower track downtime, resulting in less service disruption.

o Simplification and cost reduction of rail NRT maintenance.

o Increase accuracy of rail NRT monitoring.

o Increase railroad safety by reducing the occurrence of 

bucking/pull-apart failures.

o The outcome of this project could be further developed 

into a fast, hand-held device for determining NRT – to be 

used by a non-specialist operator.

o Develop a tool for better condition monitoring and 

pre-emptive maintenance.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Demonstrate a measurement of the induced 

longitudinal stress in continuously welded rail using an 

ultrasonic system.

o Use sensors aligned in multiple planes to return 

measurements without reference to a calibration curve.

o Relate the stress value to neutral rail temperature (NRT).

o Return a measurement for rail longitudinal stress without 

un-pinning rail.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Longitudinal Stress Measurement Using Ultrasound
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funding: $121,608 (Year 1; Year 2 funding pending results)

o Project Duration: September 2019 – September 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

• Analogic Engineering, Inc.

• Dr. Robert Erikson, University of Wyoming College of 

Engineering and Applied Science

• Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI)

PROJECT PARTNER

o Potential to provide reliable, reference-free measurements of 

LRS and RNT.

o Capability to regularly spot-check and monitor trends in RNT.

o Adjust RNT after defect removal, curve realignment, etc.

o Determine when slow orders are necessary and justified.

o Target proactive adjustments of RNT to mitigate risk of winter 

pull-apart and summertime heat buckles.

RAILROAD IMPACT

Develop a portable prototype for measuring rail stress allowing 

rail neutral temperature (RNT) to be estimated within 5° F. The 

completed feasibility study demonstrated a highly linear 

relationship (r2 > 99.9%) between longitudinal rail stress (LRS) 

and acoustic birefringence (AB), as well as a technique for 

overcoming the influence of residual stress and texture.

Year 1 goals of this project are:

• Verify that AB measurements are accurate in field 

conditions.

• Determine factors influencing the AB/stress relationship.

If results justify proceeding, Year 2 goals will be:

• Develop a portable field version of the lab equipment.

• Determine if similar rails (related by weight, 

manufacturer, year batch, etc.) have similar AB/stress 

relationships.

• Final assessment of stress and RNT measurement 

accuracy in field conditions (supervised blind test at TTCI)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Enhanced Acoustic Birefringence Method for Measuring 

Longitudinal Rail Stress
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Wilson, Ph.D. • (617) 494-2265 • robert.wilson@dot.gov

o Funding: $250,000

o Project Duration: September 2018 – June 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO Inc.

o Kandrew Consulting, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Task provides for quick response instrumentation, 

test, and analysis support to resolve safety-related 

problems and emergencies, determine causal factors, 

and reduce future problems.

o Supports data gathering for high speed/high cant 

deficiency qualification and revised safety standards 

reflecting sound science and engineering expertise.

o Facilitates ongoing technical evaluation required for 

demonstration and deployment of new technologies 

for improved safety and operational efficiency.

o Training material for CWR management developed in 

2020 will serve as a resource for the rail industry. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Assist FRA Office of Research, Development and 

Technology in conducting tests, detailed analyses and 

technical reviews on behalf of the Office of Railroad 

Safety to ensure the safety of the United States 

railroad network;

o Efforts can include analyses to ensure appropriate and 

justifiable regulations as well as support for efforts 

focused on railway infrastructure, passenger safety 

and freight accident prevention.

o Provide support and training for safety-related issues 

including Continuously Welded Rail maintenance 

practices.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Technical Support for FRA Office of Railroad Safety
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Hugh Thompson • (202) 493-6383 • hugh.thompson@dot.gov

o Funding: $604,433

o Project Duration: August 2018 – Dec 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO, Inc.

o AAR

o BNSF

o University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Better understanding of reduced performance or 

“fouled” ballast under a range of weather conditions, 

and its effect on track performance and safety-critical 

conditions.

o Development of objective criteria for both railroads 

and FRA inspectors to use for identifying and managing 

fouled ballast conditions.

o Production of information for potential data-driven 

recommendations related to enforcement of Track 

Safety Standards §213.103 .

o Improved railroad safety and maintenance operations

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Better define the performance, degradation, variability, 

and safety of “reduced performance” ballast through a 

better understanding of its long-term behavior.

o Collect and analyze pertinent information using track 

inspection vehicles, long-term track instrumentation, 

ground-penetrating radar, and other available data.

o Continue stakeholder support for the operations under 

the fouled ballast waiver and the activities related to 

concurrent, joint Association of American Railroads 

(AAR)-FRA research effort.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Ballast Waiver Support
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Hugh Thompson • (202) 493-6383 • hugh.thompson@dot.gov

o FRA BAA Funding: $322,842 – scheduled for 24 months 

(two phases)

o Granted In-kind support from:

• RTS – 50 “SmartRocks” free of charge and other 

technical support (equivalent cash value of $48,600)

• Amtrak – site access and protection, 

technical support, etc.

o Project Duration: September 2018– August 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

• Penn State

• HyGround

• Amtrak

• Railroad Technology & 

Services (RTS)

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Real-time data collection and integrated analysis systems allow 

railroads to more accurately identify the instantaneous condition 

of their ballast and track bed and proactively assign maintenance 

windows to ensure safe and efficient train operation with the 

least amount of train delay due to maintenance outages.

o Allow railroads to identify an objective threshold by which 

they can establish a window or opportunity for ideal 

track maintenance.

o Technology is “moving platform ready” with iBeacon technology 

because sensor data can not only be sent to the engineers in real 

time but can also be stored and “picked up” by geometry cars 

passing by, with which track engineers will have significant 

higher resolution and real-time images of their track in terms of 

safety and serviceability.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop a platform of hardware and software to: (1) quantify 

in the field ballast failure mechanism and criteria, and (2) offer a 

platform for the future real-time ballast stability evaluation and 

monitoring program. 

o Develop advanced sensors with: (1) onboard programmable 

ballast failure mechanism and criteria algorithm, and (2) advanced 

communication protocols such as iBeacon.

o Install field instrumentation of the advanced sensor networks at 

different locations under different traffic and maintenance 

conditions.

o Initiate the real-time ballast stability evaluation and monitoring 

program based on validated ballast failure mechanism and criteria.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Quantification of Track Instabilities Due to Ballast Movement 

at Special Locations Using Integrated Sensor Networks
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Hugh Thompson • (202) 493-6383 • hugh.thompson@dot.gov

o Funding: $242,453

o Project Duration: August 2018 – June 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO, Inc.

o Broaden the application of innovative technologies to PROJECT PARTNER

detect degraded track conditions.

o Improve the understanding of track behavior through 

characterization of various track components 

and parameters.

o Provide practical uses of technology to improve railroad 

safety and maintenance practices.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Support for the introduction of new track inspection 

approaches and advancement of existing track 

inspection technologies, with a focus on data 

interpretation and analysis

o Research into assessment of FRA’s Vertical Track 

Deflection Measurement System (VTDMS) and 

alternative approaches to directly measure vertical 

defection under given loads.

o Provide engineering and data analysis support for gage 

restraint measurement system, ground-penetrating 

radar, VTDMS, and similar track evaluation technologies.

o Support field activities for FRA track research. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Innovative Track Inspection Technologies
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Hugh Thompson • (202) 493-6383 • hugh.thompson@dot.gov

o Funding: $304,000 

o Project Duration: September 2019 – September 2021

 24-month schedule includes data collection and 

preparation, development of engineering 

relationships, statistical analysis, and 

development of analysis algorithms.

COST & SCHEDULE

• University of Delaware (Railroad Engineering and 

Safety Program)

PROJECT PARTNER

o Track geometry cars are being equipped with additional 

inspection technologies to supplement the basic track 

geometry measurements.

o The ability to use these substructure inspection tools to 

identify potential track geometry defect initiation sites would 

be a valuable tool for railroads.

o Provide additional information on where high-risk track 

geometry defects could develop.

o Improved track safety

o Lower cost of maintenance

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop improved and expanded data analytics-based 

relationships between track substructure inspection 

parameters and track geometry defect occurrence.

o Focus on GPR data but can include M-rail data as available 

from FRA DOTX 218/220 consist.

o Provide for identification of track locations with potential for 

development of track geometry defects that will grow to 

unsafe levels, considering acceptable inspection intervals.

o Develop analysis algorithm(s) to correlate multiple inspection 

parameters with track geometry defects.

o Implement framework on suitable dataset with broad range 

of results.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Relationship between Track Geometry Defects and 

Measured Track Subsurface Conditions
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Hugh Thompson • (202) 493-6383 • hugh.thompson@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19/20 – $330,000

o Project Duration: September 2018 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Vista Clara, Inc. 

o Zetica Ltd. 

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Fouling materials in ballast absorb moisture and can lead to 

failure of the formation and pumping of mud from the 

subgrade. At an advanced stage, this requires expensive 

rehabilitation of the track.

o Saturated fouled material decreases the resistance to shear 

deformation, decreases track support, and affects geometry.

o If fouled materials are allowed to dry, the ballast bed can 

bind, and the resulting lack of elasticity can damage sleepers 

and rolling stock.

o Saturated fouled ballast can significantly reduce 

effectiveness and productivity of ballast cleaning.

o TMMS will provide a direct means of measuring mobile and 

bound water content of the trackbed in areas targeted by 

GPR to have fouled BFIs.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o The proposed Trackbed Moisture Monitoring System 

(TMMS) is based on a novel adaptation and 

implementation of existing nuclear magnetic resonance 

soil moisture measurement technology. 

o The outcome will be a rail-mounted system to measure 

bound and mobile water content to depths of about 20” 

between the rails.

o Measurements will be obtainable in static and slow-speed 

transit modes.

o The TMMS will give railroad inspectors a unique tool to 

remotely measure trackbed water content.

o Results will be directly viewable in the field. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Trackbed Moisture Monitoring System (TMMS) 
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Hugh Thompson • (202) 493-6383 • hugh.thompson@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19/20 – $315,000 

o Project Duration: September 2019 – September 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

• University of Massachusetts (lead)

• Loram/HyGround Geotechnical Services

PROJECT PARTNERS o Improved safety, as 33 percent of all rail accident fatalities are 

the result of substructure failure.

o Ballast fouling was a contributing factor in recent rail accidents 

that resulted in oil fires.

o Probabilistic approach accounts for uncertainty associated 

with determining maintenance needs of ballasted track.

o Model will be able to predict ballast life, potentially reducing 

the need for remediation or catching a problematic section of 

track prior to an immanent need to remediate.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop a probabilistic methodology based on the large 

datasets being collected by the railroads.

o Assess the availability of data collected from regular 

geometry car measurements and develop a means to utilize 

both the large historical data and the most recent data to 

produce an assessment of the need to conduct remedial 

measures (maintenance, repair, replacement).

o Identify section of track on which to apply the proposed 

methodology. This will require the development of a means 

to automatically assign the data and probability distribution 

parameters to each of the track sections in the GIS-based 

system, and to conduct the appropriate analysis.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Probabilistic Approach to Evaluate Ballast Life Using 

Large Datasets
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Hugh Thompson • (202) 493-6383 • hugh.thompson@dot.gov

o Funding: $607,362

o Project Duration: September 2018 – December 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

• Balfour Beatty

• Zetica Rail

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Broaden the application of innovative technologies 

to detect degraded track conditions.

o Improve understanding of track behavior through 

characterization of various track components 

and parameters.

o Provide practical uses of technology to improve 

railroad safety and maintenance practices.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Support introduction of new track inspection approaches and 

advancement of existing track inspection technologies with 

focus on data interpretation and analysis.

o Research into assessment of FRA’s Vertical Track Deflection 

Measurement System (VTDMS) and alternative approaches to 

directly measure vertical defection under given loads.

o Provide engineering and data analysis support for gage 

restraint measurement system, ground-penetrating radar, 

VTDMS, and similar track evaluation technologies.

o Support field activities for FRA track research. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Near-Real-Time Processing of Targeted Ground-Penetrating 

Radar Data for Ballast Condition
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Cameron Stuart • (202) 493-6384 • cameron.stuart@dot.gov

o Funding: $540,000

o Project Duration: March 2016 – March 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Edison Welding Institute

o CSX

o Norfolk Southern

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Automated, improved repair process for austenitic 

manganese steel (AMS) frogs.

o Eliminates errors and inconsistencies in field repairs.

o Controlled process ensures high quality and extended 

life for repaired frogs.

o Automated process allows for off-track rehabilitation, 

thus reducing time on track.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Phase 2 project includes field testing of repaired 

frogs on Class I railroads.

o Development of metal-cored electrode to reduce 

weld slag and eliminate inter-pass cleaning.

o Develop conceptual framework for fully 

automated repair system.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Automated Frog Repair Technology
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Cameron Stuart • (202) 493-6384 • cameron.stuart@dot.gov

o Funding: $650,000 

o Project Duration: Feb 2013 – January 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

o FRA Office of Railroad Safety

o Class I – CN, multiple short line railroads

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Accurate, reference-free bridge displacement 

estimations under revenue traffic.

o Dynamic bridge safety limit thresholds.

o Wireless technology – no fixed installation required.

o Quantitative data for railroad use in prioritization of 

bridge maintenance and replacement.

RAILROAD IMPACT

Phase 2 development effort:

o Field trials of equipment on multiple bridges in 

U.S. Midwest.

o Establish service limit thresholds based on 

measured data.

o Test the reference-free displacement estimation 

algorithms and user interface.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Bridge Condition Assessment Using Smart Sensors
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Cameron Stuart • (202) 493-6384 • cameron.stuart@dot.gov

o Funding: $410,000

o Project Duration: April 2018 – Dec 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Class I railroads: Norfolk Southern, BNSF, CSX, UP, CN

o Suppliers: Pandrol, Vossloh

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Improve system safety and reliability, and reduce life 

cycle infrastructure costs. 

o Improve spike design and system arrangements.

o Reduce risk of derailments due to fastener failures.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Identify and quantify the extent of spike failures in 

the field.

o Collect data on operating conditions, environmental 

characteristics, track construction, maintenance, 

and age.

o Develop and test failure cause hypotheses.

o Make recommendations to eliminate failures.

o Conduct laboratory and field experiments to 

characterize the dynamic load environment in areas 

of spike failures.

o Develop numeric models to describe load conditions 

and predict failures.

o Isolate root cause(s) of spike failures.

o Conduct accelerated testing of new fastener system 

designs at Transportation Test Center.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Investigation of Timber Crosstie Spike Fastener Failures
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Luis Maal • (719) 584-0551 • luis.maal@dot.gov

o Funding: $203,000 (2012 – 2019)

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Enable technical exchanges especially on

high-speed rail infrastructure and equipment

inspection and maintenance.

o Enhance FRA presence at the US–China Transportation

Forum — an effort led by U.S. Department of 

Transportation.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Support FRA effort in arrange and participate of 

the US–China Transportation Forum and its 

associated rail group meetings and 

communications.

o Facilitate technical exchanges with China institutions 

in various areas of FRA interests.

o Organize rail technology and standards exchange

meetings and technical visits.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

US – China Railway Technology Exchange
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jay Baillargeon • (719) 584-7155 • jay.baillargeon@dot.gov

o Funding: $558,950

o Project Duration:

• Phase I: October 2018 – June 2019 

• Phase II: July 2019 – June 2020 

• Phase III: July 2020 – December 2020 

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO, Inc.

o Metro-North Railroad

o This project demonstrates to the railroad industry of PROJECT PARTNERS

the utility of the continual assessment of frequently 

collected track condition data.

o Processes to be developed will provide the basis for 

timely preventive maintenance to address safetyrelated issues long before they become problematic, 

improving safety and reliability for the entire 

network.

o As part of a long-term strategy, this information can 

also be used to identify the cause of deterioration and 

to guide corrective action choices to improve track 

performance and safety.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Autonomous track geometry measurement 

systems (ATGMS) provide for routine, frequent, 

track-related data to allow railroads to better 

monitor track conditions and facilitate predictive 

approaches to preventive maintenance.

o This project leverages large volumes of these 

recursive track geometry measurements to develop 

and implement automated processes for analyzing, 

predicting, and reporting track locations of 

concern, including those with significant rates of 

degradation.

o This project will also focus on the identification of 

root causes of excessive degradation rates to guide 

corrective actions and extend maintenance cycles.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Development of Predictive Analytics Using ATGMS Data
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jay Baillargeon • (719) 584-7155 • jay.baillargeon@dot.gov

o Funding: $399,800

o Project Duration: 

• Phase I: September 2019 – July 2020

• Phase II: July 2020 – March 2021

• Phase III: March 2021 – September 2022 

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO, Inc.

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Develop an approach for standardizing the evaluation PROJECT PARTNERS

of effectiveness of existing and emerging track 

inspection technologies.

o Establish confidence in the effectiveness of new 

inspection technologies, thereby facilitating adoption 

for regular use in safety assurance. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Further develop procedures for quantifying the 

effectiveness of track inspection technology.

o Establish a uniform approach for design and 

execution of performance assessment testing for 

track inspection technologies.

o Investigate sample size requirements, repeatability, 

reproducibility procedures, and acceptance criteria 

as they relate to the evaluation of track inspection 

technology effectiveness.

o Demonstrate the feasibility of the model-assisted 

probability of detection methodology and its 

application in the railroad industry.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Evaluation Procedures for Track Inspection Technologies
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jay Baillargeon • (719) 584-7155 • jay.baillargeon@dot.gov

o Funding: $651,750

o Project Duration: May 2017 – May 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc. 

o Collaborative effort with Association of American Railroads 

o Norfolk Southern Railway

o Union Pacific Railroad

o Canadian National Railway

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Better understanding of the effects of HAL on railway 

infrastructure and root causes of HAL-related problems.

o Mitigate adverse effects of HAL on track degradation and 

improve operational safety.

o Help reliably estimate track component life and reduce 

track-caused accidents.

o Safer and more and reliable infrastructure for heavy-haul 

freight transportation

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Provide an opportunity to evaluate HAL track infrastructure subjected to 

a range of track, operational, and climatic conditions, under which to 

evaluate the performance of:

• New and alternative component designs and materials

• Improved track maintenance procedures

o Optimize the effectiveness of HAL testing by placing experiments in 

track segments with representative HAL operating environments.

o Current studies/experiments include:

• Demonstration of Railhead Repair Weld Technologies:

• Railhead Repair Weld Non-Destructive Technique 

Improvement Using Phased-Array Ultrasonic Testing

• Effects and Characterization of Moisture on Degraded Ballast:

• Effects of Light/Heavy Rain Events on Track Settlement 

Using TTC’s “Rainy Section”

• Support of Vertical Track Deflection Research Efforts:

• Prototype Frog & Weld Repair Performance Evaluations 

• Investigation of Spike-Fastener Breakage under HAL

• Engineered-Polymer Composite Grade Crossing Tie Study

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Heavy-Axle-Load (HAL) Research and In-Track Testing
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jay Baillargeon • (719) 584-7155 • jay.baillargeon@dot.gov

o Funding: $294,000

o Project Duration: January 2017 – October 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

o CSX Transportation

PROJECT PARTNERS

Grinding

Operational

Information

Broken Rail

Prediction

Ballast cleaning

Track Maintenance

Rail defect

Track geometry exception

Service failure

VTI exception

Maximum allowed speed

Number of car passes

Traffic tonnage

Defect Inspection

History

Turnout

Track curvature

Grade

Track Layout Rail

Characteristics

Rail size

Rail quality

Rail age

o Development of an integrated broken-rail derailment 

risk analysis and simulation framework, and, in turn, a 

flexible analytical tool to analyze the risk of broken rails.

o Creation of a new toolbox to aid in understanding the 

change in potential risk in response to changes in track 

condition, operations, maintenance, etc. 

o New knowledge regarding the risk of track failure, 

particularly derailment risk associated with broken rails, 

as well as the potential for safety improvement and 

optimization of inspection/maintenance.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Collect data related to rail defects, broken rails, 

track geometry exceptions, rail and track 

characteristics, maintenance, and operations from 

the partner railroad.

o Develop machine learning models for predicting the 

probability of broken rails by time and location. 

o Estimate derailment consequence (e.g., number of 

cars derailed) using multivariate data analyses.

o Develop a broken rail derailment risk analysis model 

based on various track- and train-related factors. 

o Evaluate segment-specific risk and identify high-risk 

locations on the network. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Simulation-Based, Broken-Rail Derailment Risk Analysis
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jay Baillargeon • (719) 584-7155 • jay.baillargeon@dot.gov

o Funding: $345,651

o Project Duration: August 2018 – August 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

• Civil & Environmental Engineering Department

• Computer Science Department

o CSX Transportation

PROJECT PARTNERS

AI-TrackRisk

Using Predictive Modeling and Machine Learning 

Track and rail 

properties 

Rail defect 

inspection data 

Traffic and 

loading

Maintenance data

Safety data

Other data 

o Provide the industry with an innovative mapbased, decision-making tool to perform track data 

integration, statistical modeling, and risk 

prediction and visualization automatically, enabled 

by AI techniques.

o Acquire new knowledge and tools pertaining to 

how AI can be used to support track data analysis 

and risk management.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Aided Track Risk 

Analysis (AI-TrackRisk) tool, focusing on rail failures at 

this stage.

o AI-TrackRisk is an intelligent computer system that 

can automate track data modeling, predictive 

analytics, and risk analysis and visualization, 

ultimately supporting optimal track inspection and 

maintenance decisions. 

o AI-TrackRisk can be a “brain” of a “virtual risk analyst” 

to automatically turn volumes of railroad big data 

directly into risk predictions and decision making.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Artificial Intelligence-Aided Track Risk Analysis
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jay Baillargeon • (719) 584-7155 • jay.baillargeon@dot.gov

o Funding: $450,200

o Project Duration: April 2017 – October 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Provide support for controlled testing at TTC, including 

opportunities for evaluation in a real-world environment, for 

new and emerging technologies.

o Develop critical prototype hardware/software for advanced 

rail inspection technology.

o Focus on the development and evaluation of advanced 

inspection technologies under revenue-service-like conditions.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Provide multiple university- and third-party-led research 

initiatives with onsite testing services and equipment at the FRA’s 

Transportation Technology Center (TTC) to support technology 

evaluation in a “real-world” setting.

o Recent activities under this task have included:

• Continued support of non-contact acoustic internal rail 

flaw detection research conducted by the University of 

California, San Diego.

• Support of optical and laser-based change detection 

research conducted by the Pavemetrics and the 

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

• In-track evaluation of premium fastening systems aimed 

at mitigating the mechanisms associated with timber tie 

spike fastener failures as part of research conducted by 

the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Field Test Support at Transportation Technology Center
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Hugh Thompson • (202) 493-6383 • hugh.thompson@dot.gov

o Funding: $252,211.32

o Project Duration: September 2019 – September 2020 

• Field Evaluation with FRA Track Inspector: 

Spring 2020

• Final Report: 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Earth Science Systems, LLC

o BNSF

o University of 

Massachusetts at Amherst

o Volpe National 

Transportation 

Systems Center

o FRA Office of Railroad Safety 

(Region 7)

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Provide real-time fouling measurement; no post-processing 

required, which eliminates the need for highly trained 

personnel to interpret the results.

o Plan maintenance based on fouling measurement and 

relationship between ballast condition and ballast 

performance (i.e., strength).

o Provide railroad personnel with an automated solution that 

allows for track to be inspected on their schedule and to 

spot-check problem areas.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Further refine a portable, automated instrument to non-invasively 

determine fouling condition (i.e., “RABIT”, or RAdar Ballast 

Inspection Tool).

o Collect field data on outdoor test track and revenue service track.

o Compare ground-penetrating radar results with geotechnical 

laboratory analysis results to show validity of the technique.

o Investigate relationship between ballast condition and ballast 

performance (i.e., strength).

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Advanced Development and Field Verification of the RABIT
Cameron Stuart • (202) 493-6384 • cameron.stuart@dot.gov

FRA PROJECT MANAGERS: Jay Baillargeon • (719) 584-7155 • jay.baillargeon@dot.gov

o Funding: $150,000

o Project Duration: July 2019 – July 2020 

COST & SCHEDULE

• ENSCO, Inc.

• FRA Office of Railroad Safety (ATIP)

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Further development of automated vision-based inspection 

technologies that can isolate areas of the track structure with 

potentially unsafe conditions.

o Improve track inspection quality and efficiency, allowing for safetycritical maintenance to be conducted in a more timely manner.

o Introduction of automated image analytics to traditional tools used 

to identify defect conditions by FRA’s ATIP vehicles and expansion 

of the off-track inspection toolset for safer inspections.

o Higher level of understanding of track conditions that result in a 

geometry or other defect condition by adding context and 

automated analyses to two-dimensional data products.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Identify, develop, and integrate new information products from 

the data collected by the DOTX-220 Track Component Imaging 

System (TCIS) and Joint Bar Inspection System (JBIS) in support the 

FRA Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP) safety mission 

and the Office of Research, Development, and Technology (RD&T) 

research objectives.

o Analyze TCIS and JBIS data outputs within the context of ATIP and 

RD&T mission profiles to create a plan for data product 

development that prioritizes each possible product relative to 

development effort and impact on FRA’s safety assurance mission. 

o Develop as many useful data products as possible within the 

constraints of the task. The goal is to produce data products early 

and often to encourage stakeholder feedback throughout the 

development phase.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Data Products for FRA’s ATIP Imaging Systems
Cameron Stuart • (202) 493-6384 • cameron.stuart@dot.gov

FRA PROJECT MANAGERS: Jay Baillargeon • (719) 584-7155 • jay.baillargeon@dot.gov

o Funding: $345,651

o Project Duration: August 2018 – August 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Pavemetrics Systems, Inc.

o ENSCO, Inc.

o Harris Geospatial 

Solutions, Inc.

o Noble Drone Services, LLC

o Amtrak

o Further development of automated vision- and laser-based PROJECT PARTNERS

inspection technologies that can automatically isolate areas 

of the track structure that have changed since the 

previous inspection.

o Investigation into and implementation of deep learning and 

artificial intelligence techniques that can accurately process 

associated data and report on areas of relevant change to 

railroad decision makers.

o Development of technologies that will supplement 

traditional walking or hi-rail track inspection activities for 

safety assurance.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Leverage commercial hardware and software to create an 

automated change detection system applicable to the railroad 

track environment, capable of evaluating images against a 

baseline for relevant changes in the track structure 

automatically.

o Develop the technological framework for advancing change 

detection technology to a practical application for track 

safety assurance inspections.

o Explore alternative data collection methods for change 

detection, including unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

o Results will be compiled and presented in reports and 

presentations to industry at large.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Automated Change Detection Technology for 

Track Inspection
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: $280,231

o Project Duration: September 20, 2019 to September 19, 2020 

COST & SCHEDULE

o Virginia Tech

o Amtrak

o Standard Steel

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Understanding the complex mechanics and dynamics that 

occur at the WRI is critical for improving railway operational 

safety and efficiency.

o Introducing a new level of accuracy for measuring a multitude 

of contact parameters critical in WRI modeling and technology 

advancement for both passenger and freight trains, far beyond 

the means currently available to FRA and rail industry.

o Scientifically evaluating parameters and conditions that affect 

wheel-rail wear, but cannot be evaluated accurately in the field 

due to naturally-varied conditions.

o Providing guidelines that can assist FRA in further improving 

U.S. railroads' safety.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Provide an experimental evaluation of numerical models widely 

used by the rail industry, such as CONTACT, for predicting 

derailment.

o Evaluate the effect of rolling stock operating conditions such as large 

angle-of-attack (AoA) and rail cant angle on contact dynamics and 

lateral-to- vertical force ratio, as a derailment indicator.

o Determine the effect of wheel surface finish and third-body layers 

occurring naturally or added to the track on longitudinal and lateral 

traction at the wheel/rail interface (WRI).

o Provide guidelines for corrective actions regarding wheel resurfacing, operating newly-machined wheels, and possibly 

condemning of hollow-worn wheels, to assist FRA and the U.S. rail 

industry with safer operation of rolling stock.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Experimental Evaluation of Wheel/Rail Contact, Third-Body 

Layer, and Surface Finish on Risk of Derailment
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: $225,000

o Project Duration: March 2017 –December 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o VORtech BV

PROJECT PARTNER

o Our simulation technology will improve 

computer simulation:

• Influence falling friction on flange climb derailment.

• Influence the friction modifiers on curving behavior, 

traction control, and energy efficiency.

• The loads exerted on the track, in a wide range 

of circumstances.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Improve the friction modeling approach in the extended 

CONTACT model.

o Validate the model against available measurements.

o Improve physics-based modeling.

o Integrate the model in the main vehicle-track interaction 

(VTI) simulation packages.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Advanced Modeling of Wheel/Rail Friction Phenomena
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19 – $346,874

o Project Duration: September 2016 – September 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc. 

PROJECT PARTNER

o Conducting on-track testing for empty and loaded conditions 

of a DOT-117 tank allows for the assessment of vehicle 

dynamic behavior and provides critical data for developing 

the pendulum and fixed-mass NUCARS® tank car model 

designed to account for fluid-sloshing.

o The use of crude oil and water as lading for the loaded 

condition duplicates the typical revenue service condition.

o The tank car model can be reliably deployed to enhance 

applicable track geometry limits for safer tank car 

performance.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Phase II & III focus, as tasked by FRA, consists of evaluating 

tank car dynamic performance and improving the tank car 

model developed under Phase I of the project. To that 

end, FRA procured tank car DOT-117A100W1 for vehicle 

characterization and on-track tests.

o Conduct full-scale tank car tests on TTC test tracks, 

including the High Tonnage Loop, Precision Test Track, 

Wheel/Rail Mechanism loop, and Railroad Test Track. For 

the loaded condition, crude oil and water are to be used as 

lading. Data acquired from the various tests is utilized for 

developing a tank car pendulum and fixed-mass model 

designed to account for fluid-sloshing effects.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Track Geometry and Vehicle Performance 
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: $314,512

o Project Duration: September 2018 – December 2021

• Literature review and interim report: March 2019

• Automated characterization: October 2019

• Manual characterization: April 2020

• Final Report: September 2020

• Conference paper and presentation: 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o ENSCO, Inc.

o Amtrak

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Recommendations on best practices for track geometry 

measurement will be provided.

o Characterization results can be used to develop new 

analytical and empirical track geometry inputs for use in rail 

vehicle simulations and tests.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Conduct a review of modern literature covering 

measurement and characterization of track geometry:

• Measurement methods

• Processing procedures and settings

• Characterization and analysis methods

o Using state-of-the-art methodology, analyze track geometry 

data collected by FRA and Amtrak track geometry cars.

o Characterize the amplitude and wavelength content of the 

current track geometry environment of the U.S. rail system 

under various operational conditions, including:

• Track Classes 1-8

• Tangent vs. curved track

• Traffic type (freight vs. passenger)

• Crosstie type

o Examine the correlations between track geometry variables 

(gage, crosslevel, alignment, profile).

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Characterization of Track Geometry for Various 

Operational Conditions
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o FRA funding: $2,474,422 (2013~2021); AAR SRI funding: 

$4,449,459 (2011~2019); TTCI IR&D funding for RCFS design 

and construction: $3,2888,000 (2012~2015)

o Seasonal effect RCF tests completed in 2019.

o Lubrication testing and force measurement improvement will 

be continued in 2020.

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Association of American Railroads

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Results will lead to reduction of RCF through optimization of 

wheel and rail materials, profiles, and maintenance procedures. 

o High-speed passenger train operations on rails with RCF may lead 

to derailment. 

o RCF may contribute to shattered and vertical split rims; it may 

also mask deeper seated cracks in rail from ultrasonic detection. 

o Implementation of results will lead to lowered stresses and crack 

growth in rail.

o Measured W/R contact creep characteristic may provide valuable 

information for maintenance strategy and safety regulations.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o The RCFS has been installed in the Rail Dynamics Laboratory

at FRA’s Transportation Technology Center in

Pueblo, Colorado.

o This facility is capable of testing full scale, standard-gauge 

freight and passenger wheelsets and rails under current and 

anticipated load conditions with precisely controlled variables. 

o Testing at varying traction forces under 36-ton axle load 

reveals plastic flow dominant, combination of RCF and wear 

and wear dominant damage modes. 

o RCF and wear performance of different class wheels and rails 

are investigated.

o Wheel/rail contact forces, creep force – creepage

characteristic measurement

o Lubrication and rail grinding effect on RCF

o Wheel/rail contact model validation and tribology study

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Steering Traction on Wheel and Rail Damage – Full Scale 

Testing with RCF Simulator (RCFS)
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: $1,340,914

o Project Duration: September 2018 – March 2020

• Conceptual design and 30% design plans

• Geotechnical investigation of the site

• 60% and 90% design and final construction bid 

document preparation

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o David Evans and Associates, Inc.

o Track geometry testing is a critical function for safety PROJECT PARTNERS

and operations of railroads, especially for high-speed 

passenger trains. 

o For high-speed passenger rail, the track anomaly test 

section will provide a unique testing platform where 

vehicle-track interaction modeling simulations can 

be validated and existing and new technologies can 

be tested.

o This track section can be used to validate a track 

geometry measurement system, especially for highspeed track inspection.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Track geometry measurement validation and vehicle-track 

interaction testing are critical functions for safety and 

operations of railroads, especially for high-speed 

passenger trains.

o This project will design a curved test track section on the 

high-speed test track at FRA’s Transportation Technology 

Center (TTC), where geometric track anomalies can be 

installed and adjusted.

o A curved test track section will supplement the existing 

tangent high-speed adjustable perturbation slab track test 

section previously built at TTC.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Adjustable Precision Curved Track Anomaly Test Section
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: $351,000

o Project Duration: September 2018 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Studies in this area lead directly to reduced 

derailment risk, track degradation, vehicle wear or 

damage, lading damage and passenger discomfort.

o Research here considers performance-based track 

geometry tolerances and vehicle design parameters 

that ensure safety and maximize effective and 

efficient use of maintenance resources.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Assist FRA Office of Research, Development, and 

Technology in modeling, simulation, test, data collection, 

and analyses of vehicle-track interaction related issues.

o Efforts include evaluating current track geometry 

standards and exploring influence of track geometry 

characteristics and speeds on vehicle dynamic forces.

o Current activities focused on characterizing current 

condition of the nation’s rail network for use in assessing 

derailment risks.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Vehicle-Track Interaction Testing, Modeling and Analyses
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: $480,248

o Project Duration: September 2018 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO, Inc.

o Volpe National Transportation Center

PROJECT PARTNERS

o System will establish conditions of test track that 

will be used to verify the accuracy of track 

geometry measurement systems.

o Once the condition of the test track is precisely 

determined using this system, the track can be 

used as a benchmark for use in validating a wide 

range of measurement systems and dynamic 

modeling exercises.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o FRA has constructed a 500’ tangent test track with 

adjustable fasteners to allow the introduction of known 

geometry deviations for evaluation of TGMS systems 

and their accuracy.

o Efforts under this task will focus on developing a 

measurement device that can be used to measure the 

actual track geometry installed on the concrete slabs 

accurately and quickly identified as ground truth.

o These highly accurate measurements will be the 

baseline with which TGMS accuracy is compared. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Ground-Truth Measurement of Track Geometry
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: $1,225,151

o Project Duration: May 2015 – December 2018

o Phase 1 and 2 testing completed in 2016, with test report 

delivered to FRA September 2017 

o Report on improvements to HS-APS December 2018 including:

• Track stiffness and damping characterization tests

• Additional wayside strain gages & instrumentation shed

• Improved lateral alignment and permanent benchmarks

• Cost estimate for design and construction of curved HS-APS in 

50-minute high-speed curve at TTC

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc. 

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o ENSCO, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Consistent method for evaluating and benchmarking 

TGMS cars

o Reduce TGMS measurement error.

o Verify accuracy and repeatability, including effects of 

measurement speed and repeated/multiple deviations.

o Identify potential issues for measurement/analysis of 

certain types of track geometry (TG) perturbations.

o Increased confidence in TG data and exception reports

o Improved TG data for input to vehicle-track dynamic 

interaction computer simulation models

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop procedures for testing and evaluating Track Geometry 

Measurement Systems (TGMS) under controlled conditions to 

verify accuracy and repeatability.

o Develop known vertical and lateral track perturbations on TTC’s 

High-Speed Adjustable Perturbation Slab (HS-APS) track including 

“blind tests.”

o Test DOTX 216 at speeds 15 to 105 mph in 2015 and 2016:

• Combinations of perturbation vertical and lateral wavelengths 

and amplitudes

o FRA and Volpe Center: Develop procedures and analyze 

test data.

o TTCI: Assist with developing/reviewing procedures, install, 

measure perturbations; provide wayside measurements, 

operations support, and improvements to HS-APS based on 

testing experience.

o ENSCO: Test planning, operate DOTX 216, and collect TGMS data.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Track Geometry Measurement System (TGMS) Evaluations
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: $90,000 annually

o Project Duration: 2017 – 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o National Research Council, Government of Canada

PROJECT PARTNER

o Safety: Understanding rail subsurface RCF damage as 

a function of track curvature and million gross ton 

accumulation will allow railroads to more safely 

manage RCF.

o Economic competitiveness: Accurate mapping of RCF 

is useful to railways for making grinding and rail 

replacement decisions and to RCF modelling experts 

for predicting rail life under variable conditions.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Measuring RCF severity on rail to improve railroad 

safety and reliability. 

o Over the last year, 15 rail samples were analyzed 

metallurgically to determine the extent of RCF and its 

correlation with visible surface damage. 

o Relationships are being developed between surface damage 

appearance and subsurface crack propagation angles and 

depths using eddy current measurement techniques. 

o These same relationships can be applied to surface 

photographs being collected by imaging systems. 

o All inspection results are being placed in an “RCF Matrix” for 

public use, while many different combinations of steel type, 

curvature, and tonnage have yet to be analyzed.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) Qualification
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding:

• Phase I – Procure the test machine: $500,000

• Phase II – Perform testing to characterize springs: 

$200,000

o Project Duration: 2014 – 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Zwick

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Provide best practices on how to measure 

spring properties.

o Provide information on how to model springs 

in multibody simulation program.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Procure a multiaxial test machine to test suspension springs 

under various loading conditions.

o First phase is to procure the test machine.

o Measure the axial, shear, and torsional stiffness of the spring.

o Study the best practice for modeling suspension springs in 

the trucks.

o Investigate the need for modifications in the methods that the 

springs are modeled in multibody simulation programs.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Coil Spring Characterization and Modeling
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: $400,000

o Project Duration: June 2018 – May 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNER

o Help provide an infrastructure that supports a variety of 

vehicles for speeds up to 220 mph.

o Address derailment safety concerns and support 

industry’s needs in terms of identifying safe track 

geometry limits and procedures used for assessing the 

performance of new rail vehicles from a derailment 

safety standpoint.

o Work with industry to develop a tank car model suitable 

for examining the response of tank cars to track 

geometry deviations with the inclusion of sloshing effects 

to examine effects of combined track geometry deviation 

on vehicle performance.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop validated computer models of freight and 

passenger rail vehicles to study dynamic response for speeds 

up to 220 mph.

o Currently working on developing validated tank car 

computer model including the effects of liquid slosh on 

vehicle dynamics on Track Classes 1 through 5.

o Perform parametric studies using computer modeling to 

study the relationship between vehicle performance, track 

geometry, and derailment safety.

o Use model results to identify safe operating speeds, 

maximum allowable track geometry deviations, and other 

operating conditions needed to minimize the risk of 

derailment.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Influence of Track Irregularities on Derailment Safety
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: $400,000

o Project Duration: June 2018 – May 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNER

o Review of qualification testing results identifies 

potential safety concerns which can be addressed 

before revenue service.

o Simulations included in qualification process provide a 

standardized procedure for vehicle manufacturers to 

examine the dynamics of a new design intended for 

the North American railroad operating environment.

o Derailment investigation can identify root causes of 

accident and potentially prevent future accidents.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Review test plans submitted for qualification testing and prerevenue service acceptance testing.

o Develop and update new procedures for assessing safety of 

rail vehicles, including existing designs imported to North 

America, prior to usage in revenue service and taking 

advantage of state-of-the-art computer modeling and testing.

o Analyze data collected during physical testing as well as data 

from simulations from vehicle qualification process.

o Assist in derailment investigations. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Support of FRA Office of Railroad Safety
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19 $75,000 FRA, $75,000 Transport 

Canada and NRC

o Project Duration: September 2019 – September 2020

• April 2020 Annual ICRI Workshop

• July 2020 one day Workshop

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transport Canada

o NRC Canada

o 27 suppliers, 24 universities

PROJECT PARTNERS o RCF and wear cost the rail industry billions of dollars each year 

as result of associated rail and wheel replacement, 

derailments, work stoppage, inspection, and maintenance. 

o This ICRI exists to identify and solve wheel/rail problems and 

advance technology developments that will improve the safety 

and maintenance of railways. 

o The ICRI model is an efficient and economical way of 

undertaking research by pooling resources, leveraging work 

already underway, accessing test equipment, and sharing field 

results promptly. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o The ICRI was formed to undertake joint research on wear and 

fatigue of rails and wheels. Teams are collaborating on topics 

such as Friction Modelling, VTI Economics, Quantify Surface 

Fatigue, and Modeling Surface Damage initiatives. The most 

recent initiative is risk modeling to complement the 

economics modeling activity. 

o The ICRI organizes an annual international workshop at 

which these and other topics are reviewed and revised. A 

publicly accessible web site (icri-rcf.org) makes all meetings 

and research available. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

International Collaborative Research Initiative (ICRI) /

Wear, Fatigue Rails and Wheels
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Tajaddini • (202) 493-6483 • ali.tajaddini@dot.gov

o Phase I: $110,000 (2017-2018) Stochastic modeling and 

simulations to quantify loading environment.

o Phase II: $40,000 (2019-2020) sensitivity analysis

o Phase II: (2020-2021) Complete Phase I, II, and write final report.

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transport Canada

o NRC Canada

o CSX, LORAM, Rohmann

PROJECT PARTNERS

o RCF and wear cost the rail industry billions of dollars 

each year as result of associated rail and wheel 

replacement, derailments, inspection, maintenance, 

and lost capacity. 

o Credible models of fatigue and wear will support 

predictive maintenance effort and justification 

(economic and safety) for new technology 

adaptations and process improvement

o This project complements other ICRI efforts related 

to quantifying surface damage and risk.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o The first phase of the project is to conduct rail/vehicle 

simulations to quantify a loading environment for damage 

modelling. The goal is to develop and validate predictive 

algorithms for rail damage. Detailed predictions of a loading 

environment have been developed and are being related to 

rail damage experienced in the field. 

o Using operating and geometry data obtained from a North 

American Class I railroad and with the support of several 

railroad suppliers, stochastic modelling and simulation of the 

loading environment over several curves and tangent track 

have been completed. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Vehicle/Track Interaction, RCF, and Wear
2020 TRB Annual Conference

ROLLING 

STOCK

SECTION TWO
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Melissa Shurland • (202) 493-1316 • melissa.shurland@dot.gov

o Funding: $468,000

o Project Duration: September 2017 – January 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Development of performance-based scenariosintended

to be used to evaluate the puncture resistance of modern

fuel tank designs, such as those on DMU locomotives.

o Evaluation of the crashworthiness of passenger fuel

tank designs.

o Evaluation of performance under dynamic loading

conditions, and recommendationsfor improved fuel tank

protection strategies.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop the test method.

o Design and construct the test fixture.

o Prepare and test two diesel multiple unit (DMU) fuel tanks.

o Analyze and provide the data for model validation.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Raking Impact Testing of Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) Fuel Tanks
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Melissa Shurland • (202) 493-1316 • melissa.shurland@dot.gov

o Funding: 263,000

o Project Duration: July 2017 – December 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

o Peak traction, auxiliary, and HEP needs are/can be PROJECT PARTNER

separated in time (temporal separation of power peaks), 

such that peak needs are unlikely to be simultaneous. 

o HEP needs can be temporarily minimized at times of peak 

traction need through an automatic (or controlled) 

load-shedding process.

o Improved energy efficiency on commuter locomotives.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Hotel power for passenger comfort on running 

commuter/passenger trains is provided from the head 

end power (HEP) system that is located on the operating 

locomotive. The overall traction power of the locomotive 

is de-rated about 10 percent when coupled to a HEP 

system; therefore, a 4,000 HP locomotive is able to supply 

about 3,600 HP for tractive effort, a reduction in the 

amount of energy available for achieving higher speeds. 

o This phase work focuses on:

• Thermal model validation and economic 

model update. 

• Hardware and software architectural layout for 

the load-shedding implementation.

• Communication and control hardware and 

software development.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Load Shedding – Phase III, Concept Development, and Prototype 
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Melissa Shurland • (202) 493-1316 • melissa.shurland@dot.gov

o Funding: $300,000

o Project Duration: September 2018 – February 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Ricardo, Inc.

o California High-Speed Rail Authority

o Amtrak

o WSP Rail Vehicles Division

PROJECT PARTNERS o Provide tool that allows U.S. rail industry to compare global 

rules on a common reference. 

o Understand the costs associated with compliance.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop an analytical tool to allow global noise standards 

and regulations to be compared on a common basis. 

o Will be applied to the rules and metrics identified in the 

recently completed FRA study of high-speed rail noise. 

o Assess the cost of compliance for the three categories of 

noise emission reduction procedures (rolling stock, path 

to receiver, at receiver).

o Rank costs as $/dB(A) reduction and $/dB(A) per 

impacted resident. 

o Allow the various procedures to be cost ranked 

individually or as a combination to achieve an overall 

noise emission reduction.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Cost of Compliance for High-Speed Rail Noise
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Melissa Shurland • (202) 493-1316 • melissa.shurland@dot.gov

Melissa Shurland • (202) 493-1316 • 

melissa.shurland@dot.gov

o Increased railroad operating safety due to inherently more 

reliable and effective braking.

o An alternative to overlay ECP.

o Increased line-haul speeds due to reduced terminal and 

in-service train delays.

o Improved safety for both crew and public due to better 

performing equipment.

o Increased utility of cars equipped with ECP compared to 

stand-alone ECP system.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: $348,000

o Project Duration: March 2017 – March 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) brake 

technology benefits can only be realized when the entire 

train consist is equipped with the technology. 

o This project will develop pneumatic emulation technology 

to overcome the need for the entire train consist to be 

ECP-equipped.

o Current focus: 

• Upgrading and enhancement of ECP emulation 

technology as alternative to overlay ECP

• Field demonstration of the selected emulator 

technology for interoperability per the industry 

standard S-4200 requirements.

PROJECT PARTNER

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Electronically Controlled Pneumatic Brake Device with 

Pneumatic Emulation – Field Demo

• Sharma & Associates, Inc.
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Melissa Shurland • (202) 493-1316 • melissa.shurland@dot.gov

o Funding: $500,000

o Project Duration: September 2018 – December 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o Jensen Hughes

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Provide validated computer models to predict fullydeveloped railcar fire heat release rate to support fire 

hazard assessments and smoke control design.

o Determine reduced-scale railcar fire test to quantify 

fully-developed fire heat release rate for cost-effective 

testing of railcar designs.

o Recommend a reduced-scale floor assembly for fire 

resistance testing to save cost on compliance testing.

o Demonstrate use of computer models for predicting 

railcar floor assembly thermal and structural response to 

support design.

o Evaluate the historic impact of fire smoke toxicity on 

passenger injuries/deaths to assess problem.

o Provide a consolidated database of material smoke 

toxicity for use in assessing and developing material 

smoke toxicity requirements. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Evaluate and develop alternative fire performance criteria 

for passenger railcars. 

o Develop models and scaling laws to reduce test article size 

for quantifying fully-developed rail car fire heat release rate.

o Conduct testing and modeling to demonstrate reduced-scale 

floor assembly fire resistance compliance testing.

o Perform literature review to quantify smoke toxicity 

contribution to passenger injuries/deaths and create 

material toxicity database.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Fire Safety Research
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Melissa Shurland • (202) 493-1316 • melissa.shurland@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19 – $125,000

o Project Duration: September 2018– August 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNER

o Understand the evacuation of passenger from rail 

car in various accident scenarios and fire simulations.

o Interface with National Fire Protection Associations 

130 Committee in development and maintenance of 

industry standards.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Interface with industry through the National Fire Protection 

Association 130 Committee to revise and update standards.

o Compare egress modeling software, the application to 

passenger railcars, and the capability to predict fire growth.

o Evaluate evacuation concepts, strategies, and techniques for 

applicability to U.S. rail passenger cars.

o Investigate fire suppression technologies for effectiveness in 

passenger rail environment.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness Research Support 
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Melissa Shurland • (202) 493-1316 • melissa.shurland@dot.gov

o Funding: $1,350,000

o Project Duration: May 2013 – April 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Sandia National Laboratories

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Improve the state-of-the-art knowledge on safety and 

efficiency of alternative fuels such as hydrogen and fuel cell 

systems for rail applications.

o Collaborate with railroad industry in development of 

specifications for next generation of natural gas fuel tender.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop crashworthiness standardsfor alternative fuel

tender cars (liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural 

gas (CNG), hydrogen, etc.)

o Evaluate structural performance, puncture resistance, 

and fitting integrity with simplified analyses of natural

gas fuel tenders.

o Evaluate safe speeds in accident scenarios.

o Impact testing of M-1004 LNG tender car

o Evaluate the merit of utilizing hydrogen fuel cell in railroad 

application

o Assess safety requirements for hydrogen fuel tender cars.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Evaluation of the Safety and Efficiency Alternative Fuel 

for Locomotives
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Melissa Shurland • (202) 493-1316 • melissa.shurland@dot.gov

o Funding: $210,000

o Project Duration: April 2017 - April 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Oregon State University

o Volpe National Transportation System Center

o Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 

(PRIIA) 305 Next Generation Equipment Committee 

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Inclusion of enhanced accessibility requirements on PRIIA 

bi-level equipment.

o Enhanced train travel for all passengers with improved 

communication during normal and emergency operations.

o Establishment of U.S. Access Board’s Rail Vehicle Access 

Advisory Committee to develop guidance for new regulations 

to improve accessibility on passenger rail vehicles.

o Study of occupant protection for passengers who remain 

seated in wheeled mobility devices.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop recommendationsfor improved accessibility on 

passengerrail equipment:

• Larger accessible space to accommodate

powered wheeled mobility devices.

• Improvedmaneuverability in accessible restroom.

• Automatic controlsin accessible restrooms.

• Dual-mode passenger information system to ensure 

communication with passengers who are deaf or 

have hearing loss.

o Investigate Rail Vehicle Access Advisory Committee 

recommendations for feasibility and cost, as measured by 

revenue seat loss.

o Investigate containment issues accommodating two or more 

wheeled mobility devices on passenger rail car.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Universal and Inclusive Accessibility for Next Generation of 

Passenger Rail Equipment
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19 – $144,299

o Project Duration: July 2014 – July 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Improve safety of train operations by minimizing human

interaction with cars and car devices.

o Improve reliability of newly developed devicesthrough

testing in revenue service environment.

o Increase train capacity and reduce costs by decreasing the 

time needed during stops due to functionality of devices.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Facilitate the development of an advanced devices train and

test bed (ADT&TB) in order to test advanced devices;

either developed or under developmentfor functionality

and ergonomics.

o Advanced devices include remote controlled electrically

driven hand brake (EDHB), tri-couplers (air, electrical, and

mechanical coupling systems), remote controlled angle cocks,

and remote controlled cut-levers.

o Conduct evaluations and demonstrations of advanced devices

and the advanced device wireless network.

o Advanced devices can be operated either on the side of the car 

or remotely from within the locomotive via a wireless 

connection.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Advanced Devices Train and Test Bed
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Typical current freight car truck wedge design provides adequate 

warp restraint in the empty car and quasi-static loaded car condition, 

but sometimes falls short in dynamic loaded car conditions, such as 

loaded hunting. 

o Improved freight truck using methods such as warp restraint will improve 

high speed stability (hunting stability) and curving performance. 

o Improve freight truck can help reduce component fatigue failures that 

can result in safety issues such as dragging or loose equipment.

o Improved truck performance can also help address other issues such as 

centerplate liner damage and asymmetric wheel wear.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: FY19 – $240,360 (Phase I, proposed)

o Project Duration: Phase I is one year, start date to 

be determined.

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Phase I:

• Task 1: Perform a literature search to identify relevant 

information already in the public domain. 

• Task 2: Use vehicle dynamics modeling to identify 

improvements, especially stiffness characteristics, 

required to achieve improved hunting and curving 

performance in three-piece trucks.

o Phase II:

• Task 1: Use modeling results and on-track testing to 

identify the load environment of components designed to 

improve truck performance. 

• Task 2: Suggest methodologies to eliminate or mitigate 

the risks of fatigue failures.

o Phase III:

• Perform lab/on-track fatigue testing to demonstrate the 

feasibility of improved performance truck.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Improved Freight Car Truck Performance and Safety
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

TEDS facilitates identification and quantification of safety risk in train 

operations affected by :

o Equipment

o Train makeup, including free slack between couplers

o Train handling

o Track conditions, including presence of lubricators

o Operating practices

o Environmental conditions

o Certain types of malfunctioning equipment, such as locomotive 

power drop

o Derailment/incidence investigations

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: FY20 – $150,000

o Project Duration: September 2015 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc. (SA)

PROJECT PARTNER

o Train Energy and Dynamics Simulator (TEDS) is a 

computer program developed by FRA for conducting 

longitudinal train dynamics simulations. 

o May be used to assist development of guidelines and 

recommendations to improve train operating safety.

o Capable of simulating train handling, train makeup, headend and distributed power, and ECP and automatic brake 

applications for speed control, stopping distances, and 

emergency stops.

o Published validation detail can be found in FRA report 

DOT/FRA/ORD-15/01.

o Used successfully for several simulations to assist the FRA 

Office of Railroad Safety in various investigations.

o Available for public use under a service agreement with 

FRA and Sharma & Associates, Inc. (SA).

o Apply TEDS to support FRA studies requiring train 

operations alternatives. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Train Energy and Dynamics Simulator 
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: FY20 – $192,000

o Project Duration: July 2017 – June 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc. (SA)

PROJECT PARTNER

o Improved train makeup.

o Improved motive power assignment.

o Reduced incidents/derailments.

o Improved operational safety.

o Reduced risk exposure to public.

RAILROAD IMPACT

With the railroad industry’s increase of the length 

and weight of trains operated over the rail network, 

accepted practices for both train makeup and train 

handling developed in the past may not be appropriate 

for very long trains (such as 200 car trains), possibly

leading to excessive coupler forces and derailments. 

The effort seeks to address the following:

o How does the increase in air brake signal propagation 

time impact application and release, and how does the 

air brake system leakage on such long trains affect the 

brake pipe pressure on cars near the tail end of train?

o What train handling and train strategies may help 

reduce adverse effects of train length on 

operational safety? 

o Are there potential crew attention issues during 

potentially lengthy terminal tests and train dispatch 

inspections (are they likely to have fatigue/attention 

issues towards the tail end of a long train)?

o How are the potentially high buff and draft forces 

under undulating territories likely to pose challenges to 

the engineer in handling a 200 car train or longer?

o How do the increased buff and draft forces impact 

individual car dynamic behavior and safety during 

curve negotiation?

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Risk Reduction for Very Long Trains 
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: FY20 – $150,000

o Project Duration: August 2017 – July 2022

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc. (SA)

PROJECT PARTNER

o Automate detection of hot and cold wheels.

o Preventive maintenance of fleet’s air brake systems

o Improve train braking performance.

o Improve operational safety.

o Reduce risk exposure to public from air brake 

related incidences.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Identify brake systems that are not functioning properly 

by detecting wheels that are inappropriately hot or cold. 

o Assess the implementation of wheel temperature 

detector (WTD) technology and its effectiveness in 

improving the safety of train operations and detection of 

air brake system defects on moving trains.

o Develop database for maintaining the pilot study data 

supplied by the railroad for the WTD system and the car 

maintenance. 

o Develop methodology for data analysis to support the 

Test Committee.

o Conduct data analysis to support the evaluation of the 

performance of the pilot study as it relates to meeting the 

success criteria established for the pilot study, including 

WTD alerts and associated repair records.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Wheel Temperature Detector Waiver Support
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19 – $149,000

o Project Duration: September 2018 – September 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc. (SA)

PROJECT PARTNER

o Improve traffic congestion analysis.

o Objective evaluation of operating with 

new technologies. 

o Capabilities to analyze the network related 

parameters of operating trains under PTC systems. 

o Quantify network benefits due to new technologies.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop a methodology to quantify network level

benefits for train operations resulting from the 

implementation of new technologies. 

o Use network simulations software OpenTrack® 

for various network operational characteristics as follows:

• Different types of corridors: single track, double 

track, and multiple track corridors.

• Types of traffic: dedicated vs. shared-use corridors.

• New technology implementation.

• 1,800 miles of main tracks have been developed 

with 216 daily trains operating along different 

sections of the network, with variety of signaling 

and braking characteristics.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Effects of Technology Implementations on Network Operations
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: Phase III – $250,000

o Project Duration: September 2017 – December 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO, Inc.

o AAR 

o Wheel Suppliers

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Increase understanding of current wheel failure 

mechanisms and facilitate mitigation.

o Reduce derailments causing severe equipment and 

track damage.

o Reduce public safety risks and costs associated 

with such incidents.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o The objective of this effort is the reduction of wheel 

failures, including vertical split rims and shattered rims, 

through collaboration with industry.

o An industry-wide stakeholder working group (SWG) focuses 

on evaluating current failure modes and characteristics as 

well as future steps to minimize contributions to failures. 

o SWG develops research strategies, including analysis of 

historical data, testing failed wheels, and modeling studies 

to mitigate failures and reduce risks to achieve overall 

safety improvement. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Wheel Failure Research Program
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: $279,350 

o Project Duration: August 2017 – November 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Nippon Steel Technology Co., Ltd. 

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Reduce occurrence of high-impact wheels, thus 

improving safety and reducing the effects of highimpact forces on degradation of roller bearings, rail, 

and track structure.

o High-impact wheels are often a result of wheel RCF, 

in which cracks initiate at or near the tread surface 

of the wheel and propagate until pieces of the 

wheel tread surface break out. 

o Yield strength and residual stress are both 

important factors in a wheel’s ability to resist 

damage from RCF. Both of these properties can be 

affected by changes in temperature. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Use a twin-disc roller test machine to study the 

effects of contact pressure, slip ratio, lubrication, and 

temperature on the development of rolling contact 

fatigue (RCF) cracks and wear of railway wheels. 

o Induction heating coil will control the temperature of 

the “wheel” disc up to approximately 1,000° F. 

o Investigate how temperature at the wheel-rail 

interface can affect wheel surface performance. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Effects of Temperature on Wheel Spalling
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: $343,820 approved for Phases 1 & 2

o Project Duration: September 2018 – July 2021

• Phase 1 – semi-static testing completed

• Phase 2 – in-motion testing started September 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Vibroacoustic Concepts, LLC

PROJECT PARTNER

o Railcars must currently be removed from service to 

detect axle defects. 

o Automated axle inspection on moving trains can 

lead to improved capacity and efficiency for the 

railroads while simultaneously improving safety.

o Automated cracked axle detection will reduce 

in-service defects and proactively improve safety.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o RAWCAD is a four-phase project aimed at developing 

and demonstrating a wayside automated cracked axle 

detection system for moving trains.

o RAWCAD makes use of the fact that axles are 

periodically loaded due to rotation. 

o As a cracked axle rotates through one revolution, 

fatigue cracks open and close, causing cracked axles to 

display a continual resonance shift.

o This project seeks to develop novel methods for 

measuring and identifying the vibration response on 

moving axles.

o The first phase will confirm the effect on a static axle.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Resonant Acoustic Wayside Cracked Axle Detection
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: $458,000

o Project Duration: September 2018 – October 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Improve safety by investigating the properties of grease 

degradation from bearings at the end of service life, 

focusing on defect-related lubrication degradation.

o Reduce accidents by proposing methods to diagnose 

bearing defects through grease analysis.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o This research will investigate the properties of grease 

degradation related to bearing performance – across 

all bearing types and grease types over the life-cycle 

of in-service bearings. 

o This research will also determine the best location in 

the bearing to sample bearing grease, as determined 

by the worst grease condition.

o Finally, this research will also demonstrate if it is 

possible to identify the grease metrics associated with 

bearing failure modes based on grease sampling and 

state-of-the-art statistical methods. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Diagnosis & Detection of Bearing Grease Degradation & Defects
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: $400,000

o Project Duration: September 2018 – October 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o The primary objective of this research is to improve safety 

and reduce accidents from bearing defects, which will be 

done in two parts:

• Research methods of water ingress causing bearing 

degradation.

• Recommend solutions to prevent water ingress.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o This research will test the ability of the current baseline 

bearing rubbing lip seals versus the frictionless seals to 

prevent water ingress over the life of the bearing. 

o This project will also determine if water ingress will occur in 

revenue service bearing seals through environmental 

fluctuations.

o Finally, recommendations will be made to correctly identify 

fretting corrosion, as differentiated from water damage, and 

mitigate it in revenue service.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Technologies and Testing to Prevent Water Ingress to 

Railroad Bearings
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: FY 20 – $89,850

o Project Duration: September 2018 – September 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

o Metro-North Railroad

o Long Island Rail Road 

o New York & Atlantic Railway

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Improve the process for demonstrating and 

implementing new technology.

o Establish a standard process for wayside technology 

pilot demonstrations.

o Wayside technology systems will reduce the number of 

incidents and accidents through proactive maintenance, 

driven by monitored performance of rolling stock 

equipment and components.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Partner with Metro-North Railroad (MNR), Long Island 

Rail Road (LIRR), and New York Atlantic Railway (NYA) to 

assist with pilot demonstrations of new wayside 

technology systems to detect defects and precursors to 

safety critical defects in railroad rolling stock. 

o Document new installation at MNR, LIRR and NYA.

o Detection threshold analysis to help the railroads 

establish detection thresholds for Inspection, Alarm and 

Emergency level actions balanced against the shop 

capacity and commuter service demands for coaches. 

o Identify Best Practices for Implementation and revise the 

Implementation Guide (FRA Report – An 

Implementation Guide for Wayside Detector Systems, 

May 2019). 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Wayside Advanced Technology Systems
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Electrical power available on freight cars would increase safety, 

security, and efficiency in freight railroad operations. It would 

allow for the implementation of safety and efficiency 

improvement devices, including remote-controlled actuators and 

passive sensors for use with car switching mechanisms and 

intrusion detection, and many other opportunities.

o The EPSS DC access/battery charger development allows future 

developers of safety, security, and efficiency improvement 

devices a 24 VDC interface with which to connect.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: Phase II – $299,000 

o Project Duration: September 2016 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc. 

PROJECT PARTNER

o An electrical power supply system (EPSS) takes electrical power 

from locomotives and distributes it along adjoining freight cars 

in a train.

o Successful initial test of the prototype EPSS system at the 

Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado, 

included one locomotive and two freight cars that utilized 

advanced devices including electrically driven handbrakes.

o Design, prototype, and test an EPSS DC access/battery charger. 

The interface/charger is powered by the EPSS AC power line 

and provides a standard 24 volts DC interface to safety and 

security devices where desired.

o Completed a full-scale field test of the EPSS on a one 

locomotive and eight-car freight train. The system 

worked without any issues and the power line losses 

were insignificant.

o 50-car simulator in-lab EPSS test rack: Built and currently in 

use for test hardening of the EPSS design and collection of 

performance data for EPSS model calibration for use in 

extrapolating to much longer trains.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Test Rack Hardening of Electrical Power Supply System 

for Freight Cars
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: FY20 – $98,900

o Project Duration: July 2017 – June 2021

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Improved train control and operational strategy 

analysis methods.

o Evaluate effects of shorter stopping distance to reduce 

over-speed and collision incidents. 

o Improved network capacity through increased train 

speeds & train performance.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Recently issued regulations on tank cars have required the 

implementation of ECP brakes on tank cars carrying hazardous, 

flammable materials. This project focuses on a roadmap for 

ECP implementation. 

• Develop a “mini-network” with representative 

characteristics of the North American rail system, 

including various types of traffic, tracks, signaling 

systems, and train configurations similar to the real 

practices in the North America’s network.

• Develop network simulation scenarios based on adjusting 

train braking algorithms with certain daily traffic volume 

out of the entire network. 

• Conduct a comprehensive analysis of the simulated 

results in terms of network capacity parameters such as 

train delay, dwell time, train conflicts, train speed, 

network velocity, track occupancy level, number of meetpass and stops, safety, and accident mitigation.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) Brakes 

Implementation and Pilot Demo
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Reduce risk of operator injuries and the need to go 

in-between/climb railcars.

o Reduce the potential for runaway trains by allowing more 

straightforward and effective hand brake application 

and release.

o Reduce damage to hand brakes due to controlled application 

and release forces.

o Mitigate slid flat and out-of-round damage to wheels.

o Mitigate damage to lading, track, vehicles, and bridges due to 

damaged wheels.

o Reduce railroad operating costs.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: Phase IV – $348,000 

o Project Duration: April 2014 – November 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o An electrically driven hand brake (EDHB) is a remotely controlled, 

electrically driven, set and release, vertical wheel hand brake that 

keeps all normal manual AAR Group N and related Groups’ specified 

functions and requirements. Subsequent to successful prototype 

development, this work has included:

• Development of a draft performance specification template 

for AAR review and successful prototype testing and 

validation have been accomplished.

• Long term field exposure testing on three prototype EDHBs 

installed on freight cars at the Facility for Accelerated 

Service Testing (FAST) at TTC is completed.

• Optimized the controller/motor interface design and 

efficiency and implemented an improved means for 

feedback of chain load for communications and control of 

application and release functions.

o Completed testing of initial wireless control system prototype.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Optimization of Electrically Driven (Set and Release) 

Hand Brake (EDHB)
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Monique Stewart • (202) 493-6358 • monique.stewart@dot.gov

o Funding: FY20 – $99,000

o Project Duration: Sept. 2019 – June 2023

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Improve freight railroad operations safety and security.

o Power, communications and controls platform will make it 

easier for adoption of various safety and security 

monitoring device applications.

o Written and adopted standards and recommended 

practices, by AAR, will open the door for safety and security 

device implementation that will be allowed for interchange.

RAILROAD IMPACT

Develop and integrate a modern, powered, communications 

and control eco-system for freight vehicles.

• Research available communication and control 

platforms that might be applicable for railroad use.

• Design and build a three car test rack for studying 

the selected prototype ecosystem platform; will 

utilize the EPSS test rack shown here as much as 

possible to minimize build costs.

• Utilize the test rack for in-lab testing/development.

• With FRA, initiate the development and acceptance 

of AAR interchange specifications/standards for an 

electrical power supply, electrical hand brake, and 

the subject eco-system platform.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Advanced Technology Integration – Ecosystem Platform
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Tarek Omar • (202) 493-6189 • tarek.omar@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19 – $224,804

o Project Duration: September 2018-March 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Improved methodology and analysis for wheel fatigue 

life evaluation 

o Reduced risk to public attributed to wheel failure by 

use of reliable analysis tools for predicting failure 

mechanisms.

o Improved railroad operational safety against wheel 

failure- related derailments

RAILROAD IMPACT

Railway vehicles, using steel wheels rolling on steel rails, 

constitute the most fuel-efficient transportation system for 

moving large volumes of goods over long distances. Over time, 

the tonnage carried per wheel has progressively increased, thus 

subjecting the wheel-rail contact area to higher and higher 

stresses. These higher stresses have accelerated the problem of 

rolling contact fatigue (RCF). 

o Conduct literature review to document damage 

resistance models of freight wheels, contact stress 

environment and residual stresses analysis for 

manufacturing processes to validate against any 

published data. 

o Identify contact load environment based on field tests 

and revenue service grouped by degree of curvature. 

o Develop wheel and rail contact model using boundary 

element method (CONTACT©) and embed preliminary 

transient thermal FEA model simulating tread braking.

o Investigate new shakedown and ratcheting areas for a 

framework for a wheel life model. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Framework for the Development of a Wheel Life Model
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Tarek Omar • (202) 493-6189 • tarek.omar@dot.gov

o Funding: $265,000

o Project Duration: July 2019 – July 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Association of American Railroads HeadlightAuxiliary Light Standard Technical Advisory Group 

o ENSCO, Inc.

o ESi

o Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Phase III and IV LED testing will provide the Association of 

American Railroads (AAR) Headlight-Auxiliary Light Standard 

Technical Advisory Group with a better understanding of the 

real-world performance of LED headlamps.

o This task is intended to help AAR to update the locomotive 

headlight standards and recommended practices.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o The railroad industry is beginning to introduce LED lighting for 

locomotive headlights.

o This project is intended to set test procedures for evaluation of 

new locomotive LED headlights and auxiliary lights.

o Light fixture samples that satisfied requirements set forth in 

Phase I and II LED sample testing will be further evaluated.

o The focus of Phase III testing is a subjective evaluation of LED 

headlamp performance under dynamic field testing conditions.

o Phase IV environmental testing will evaluate the performance 

of LED headlamps in the presence of freezing rain and ice 

accumulation.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Compliance Testing for Locomotive LED Sample Fixtures 

Phase III and IV 
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Tarek Omar • (202) 493-6189 • tarek.omar@dot.gov

o Funding: $150,000

o Project Duration: December 2018 – May 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o KEA Technologies, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Responding crews are not armed with the prerequisite 

knowledge to help them in rescue operations and in 

avoiding potential hazards. 

o The primary goal of this program is to bring a clear understanding 

of rescue and extrication practices of train crews involved in 

highway-rail grade crossing collisions, derailments, or other 

railroad emergencies, providing responders with unique 

information. 

o The information provided in the video will supplement emergency 

response training with railroad related information required to 

help responders perform their duties accurately and efficiently. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o There is a gap in trainings pertaining to rescue operations 

centered on locomotives. 

o FRA acknowledged this gap and sponsored the previous 

Locomotive Emergency Response Training (LERT).

o FRA received multiple requests to create a module with a 

focus on extrication procedures.

o FRA envisions this training program to follow a similar scope 

as developed in the LERT and the ongoing development of a 

Rail Safety Training Course for Law Enforcement video. 

o The primary goal of this program is to bring a clear 

understanding of rescue and extrication practices of train 

crews involved in highway-rail grade crossing collisions, 

derailments, or other railroad emergencies.

o Training will be delivered in video format viewed via 

the internet. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Emergency Responders: Extrication Video
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Tarek Omar • (202) 493-6189 • tarek.omar@dot.gov

o Funding: $150,000

o Project Duration: April 2019 – March 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Advanced 

Telecommunications Engineering Laboratory

• Contact: Dr. Hamid Sharif (hsharif@unl.edu) 

402-554-3628

PROJECT PARTNER

o This project investigates an in-depth analysis of DTL in 

utilizing wireless technology.

o A wireless digital train line (WiDTL) can provide a flexible, 

high-performance, highly expandable, low-maintenance 

system for control and comm.

o WiDTL can provide rail operators tightly integrated train 

control functionality, fault alerting, system operations, etc.

o WiDTL can provide passenger services such as interactive 

infotainment systems, onboard wifi, on-demand services.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Current analog train line system is outdated, error prone, 

and at the limit of its capabilities.

o Wireless technologies can contribute to enhancement of 

digital train line (DTL) in providing high performance 

communications in support of passenger services and 

control and communications of train management 

elements, and needs to be explored. 

o We will investigate the current state of train line system, 

assist involved organizations with development of DTL, 

and explore wireless extension to DTL.

o Work closely with the Next Generation Equipment 

Committee, Association of American Railroads, American 

Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, 

Amtrak, et al.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Wireless Digital Train Line for Passenger Trains (Phase II)
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Tarek Omar • (202) 493-6189 • tarek.omar@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19 – $400,000

o Project Duration: August 2019 – March 2023

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Research Board 

PROJECT PARTNER

o Capture the unexpected concepts that challenge 

conventional thinking. 

o Explore promising but unproven concepts with the 

potential to advance Railroad safety and performance.

o Support Universities‘ research centers and small 

companies to improve their railroad research 

capabilities and expertise.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o IDEA programs differ from traditional research programs 

in that they are initiated by researchers, inventors, 

universities, or companies, both within and outside the 

usual transportation research community, rather than by 

a request for proposals. 

o Each year, three proposals are funded for up to 

$100,000 each.

o The National Academy of Sciences carries out the Rail 

Safety IDEA program through the Transportation 

Research Board.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Rail Safety Innovations Deserving Exploratory 

Analysis (IDEA) Program
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francisco González • (202) 493-6076 • francisco.gonzalez@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19 – $100,000

o Project Duration: October 2018 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Tank car industry and stakeholders

o NDE equipment OEMs

o Provides inspection reliability – a key consideration in PROJECT PARTNERS

the safety and operations of tank cars.

o Increases safety through technological development.

o Addresses industry needs in the areas of maintenance, 

inspection, and damage tolerance.

o Quantification of the NDE methods through POD 

metrics provides direction and insight into the current 

capabilities of the industry when using the allowed 

NDE methods.

o Provides for operator and procedure qualifications.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Disseminate prior NDE probability of detection (POD) 

results/findings with the tank car industry 

and stakeholders.

o Conduct a feasibility study to identify the 

capabilities/limitations of new and advanced NDE 

methods for tank car inspections.

o Investigate the effects of corrosion on railroad tank car 

structures, and the potential use of state-of-the-art 

NDE methodologies for remaining tank car shell 

thickness measurement.

o Gather information on the newer types of tank cars and 

the common failure modes and determine if newer 

weld test panels are needed for future POD studies.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) of Railroad Tank Cars
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francisco González • (202) 493-6076 • francisco.gonzalez@dot.gov

o Funding: $2,522,063

o Project Duration: July 2015 – July 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Tank car donors:

• Trinity Rail

• Shell

• Axial

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Development of performance-based testing 

requirements.

o Development of methods to evaluate the 

crashworthiness and structural integrity of different 

tank car designs.

o Evaluation of crashworthiness performance of tank cars 

used in the transportation of hazardous materials. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Continuation of FRA and industry tank car impact 

research programs.

o Develop and improve test methods.

o Provide data for improving modeling methods.

o Design and construct test fixtures. 

o Prepare and test various tank car designs:

1. DOT 105A-500W – April 27, 2016

2. DOT 117J-100W – September 28, 2016

3. DOT 105 – July 26, 2017

4. DOT 105 – August 1, 2018

5. DOT 111 – October 30, 2018

6. 2019: Car and date TBD, possibly a 

cryogenic tank car.

o Analyze and provide the data for validation of 

finite element models.

o Reports on test and model results.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Tank Car Impact Tests
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francisco González • (202) 493-6076 • francisco.gonzalez@dot.gov

o Funding: $441,000

o Project Duration: August 22, 2017 – August 21, 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Will allow use of LNG as a locomotive fuel. 

o Potential fuel cost savings.

o Potential clean fuel technology.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Provide data to help evaluate the survivability of the 

valve functions to cut off supply and shut off any 

liquefied natural gas (LNG) or gas flow under certain 

grade crossing accident conditions.

o Will be performed according to the proposed draft 

Association of American Railroads (AAR) standard: AAR 

Natural Gas Fuel Tender Specifications, M-1004.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Structural Crashworthiness of Tender for Liquefied Natural Gas
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francisco González • (202) 493-6076 • francisco.gonzalez@dot.gov

o Funding: $310,000

o Project Duration: September 2018 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO Inc.

o Union Tank Car

o Amsted Rail

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Create better understanding of the operational 

environment and root cause of fractures on tank cars.

o Develop speed and mass combination curves to 

mitigate tank car stub sill failures.

o Conduct over the road brake testing to target a variety 

of issues being faced by the industry.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o FRA has shown that high magnitude coupling forces that occur 

in yard operations have the potential to exceed yield limits of 

mild steel. 

o FRA, Union Tank Car, and Amsted Rail recently completed a 

comprehensive test program to characterize tank car load 

environments at Amsted Rail’s test facility in Camp Hill, PA. 

o This task is focused on comprehensive analysis of the 

collected impact test data to arrive at limiting conditions for 

coupling speed and impacting mass. 

o Additional testing will focus on brake system performance in 

revenue service operations.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Tank Car Research
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francisco González • (202) 493-6076 • francisco.gonzalez@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19 – $150,000

o Project Duration: August 2018 – April 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc. 

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Previous industry- and FRA-sponsored research has 

revealed a wide range of material properties found 

in tank car fleet.

o Additional data has become available since that 

previous research was conducted.

o Understanding the range of material behaviors in 

tank car fleet needed to determine “baseline” tank 

car fleet structural performance.

o Developing computational models of these 

materials supports parametric studies of 

material variations. 

o Understanding the effects of fabrication techniques 

on mechanical properties in “as-built” cars can 

identify potential benefits to tank car performance.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Conduct engineering analyses and develop computational

tools to evaluate structural performance of railroad tank

cars under normal operating conditions.

o Conduct material testing to determine mechanical

properties and fracture behavior of tank car steels.

o Conduct study on fabrication techniques 

affecting material properties.

o Develop computational models of tank car steels.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Structural Behavior under Operating Conditions
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francisco González • (202) 493-6076 • francisco.gonzalez@dot.gov

o Funding: FY19 – $150,000

o Project Duration: August 2018 – April 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc. 

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Development of performance-based

evaluation requirements.

o Development of methodsto evaluate and 

compare the crashworthiness and structural

integrity of differenttank car designs.

o Evaluation of crashworthiness performance of tank cars

used in the transportation of hazardous materials.

o Development of objective methods for demonstrating 

validation of computational models.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Evaluate puncture resistance of various tank car designs 

(e.g., DOT-105, DOT-111, DOT-117, etc.) in standardized 

shell impact scenario.

o Examine effects of parameters such as support conditions, 

impactor size, etc. on shell puncture.

o Develop computational models of tank car designs under 

impact conditions.

o Compare test data with model results to validate models. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Structural Behavior under Accident Conditions
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francisco González • (202) 493-6076 • francisco.gonzalez@dot.gov

o Funding: FY20 – TBD

o Project Duration: 2016 – 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

o Tank car manufacturers

o Railroads (CSX,UP, BNF,CP,NS)

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Improve overallsafety of tank car operations by

mitigating the release of hazardous material in tank car 

rollover derailments.

o Help develop performance information that can be used 

by the industry for standards development.

o Develop recommendationsfor future design and

testing of fittingsfor industry use.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Evaluate the performance of top fittings protection 

used on current design tank cars, particularly those used 

in unit trains carrying flammable materials, under

rollover conditions.

o Conducted through a series of analytical simulations and 

full scale rollover tests.

o Designs considered include:

• CPC-1232 style designs

• Innovative, industry-proposed options

o Calibrate analytical modelsto test results.

o Develop criteria and protocolsfor future industry research.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Improving Safety of Tank Car Fittings in Hazmat Service
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francisco González • (202) 493-6076 • francisco.gonzalez@dot.gov

o Funding: FY20 – TBD

o Project Duration: 2018 – 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

o Transport Canada

o Underwriters Laboratories

o BAM

o TransQuip

o Fort Vale

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Helps the industry better understand the risks 

associated with hazardous materials transportation, as 

PRV performance under derailment fire conditions is 

critical to safety.

o Quantification of PRV performance will help industry 

with designs and standards of PRDs that are 

appropriate for flammable liquid service.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Tank cars are required to have a pressure relief valve (PRV) to 

protect the tank car under derailment fire conditions. 

o However, the performance of PRVs under fire conditions has 

not previously been evaluated/confirmed.

o The intent of this project is to document, by scale testing under 

nominal fire conditions, PRV performance with respect to 

opening pressure, reclosing, and evacuating the tank.

o Initial tests planned with water as lading; subsequent tests 

conducted with flammable lading.

o Results will be used to validate detailed analytical models 

being developed by agencies like Transport Canada.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Performance of Pressure Relief Valve Under Fire Conditions
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francisco González • (202) 493-6076 • francisco.gonzalez@dot.gov

o Funding: 

• FY19 – Phase II: $230,000

• FY18 – Phase II: $400,000

• FY17 – Phase I: $300,000

o Project Duration: September 2017 – September 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Southwest Research Institute

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

o FECR

o Friedman Research Corporation

o Transport Canada

o PHMSA

o Taylor-Wharton (formerly CVA)

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Evaluate the survivability of the portable tank in 

fire conditions.

o Evaluate the performance of the pressure relief device.

o Obtain important data for future design improvements.

o Improvements to crashworthiness of tender.

RAILROAD IMPACT

PHASE I:

o Conducted a full-scale fire test on a UN-T75 portable tank (see 

photograph to the right).

o Obtain experimental data.

o Provide a realistic fire exposure of the UN-T75 tank on a flatcar, 

simulating a fire exposure in an accident conditions.

o Conduct a computer simulation of the experiment data.

o Use nitrogen as a commodity and a diesel fire.

PHASE II:

o Repeat Phase I test with LNG in test tank, instead of 

liquid nitrogen.

o Make improvements to internal instrumentation, 

including several floating temperature measurements 

(see schematic to the right), which will be used for future 

computer model validation.

o Phase II test scheduled for fall 2020.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Fire Performance of a UN-T75 Portable Tank
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jeff Gordon • (617) 494-2303 • jeffrey.gordon@dot.gov

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNER

o Current longitudinal loading requirement for passenger cars 

requires the structure to sustain an 800,000 lb. load along the 

line of draft with no permanent deformation.

o New passenger equipment rule contains alternative OVI 

requirements which move the evaluation load from the line of 

draft to the collision load path.

o Similar to OVI, side strength plays a role in accident survivability.

o Modeling performed to assess structural performance under a 

variety of loading conditions and the tendency for rollover when 

vehicles are subjected to side impacts.

o Development of techniques for demonstrating compliance 

with the requirements and conducting assessments of the 

results of those analyses assist FRA in ensuring that passenger 

vehicles achieve sufficient occupied volume strength.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: $50,000

o Project Duration: August 2018 – April 2020

• Paper and presentation at The American Society of 

Mechanical Engineers International Mechanical 

Engineering Congress & Exposition, 

November 2018

• Results of parametric study, December 2019

• Comprehensive report on side structure integrity, 

December 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Develop design strategies for improving the 

structural crashworthiness of passenger rail cars relative 

to existing designs.

o Develop specifications and regulations and support 

various waiver requests and evaluations of compliance 

with FRA regulations.

o Previous work focused on occupied volume integrity 

(OVI), or the ability of a passenger rail car to support a 

large longitudinal load without compromising the space 

occupied by passengers and crew.

o Current focus on side structure integrity criteria. Side 

strength requirements for various passenger equipment 

designs are being investigated in response to a National 

Transportation Safety Board recommendation to FRA.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Passenger Equipment Structural Crashworthiness
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jeff Gordon • (617) 494-2303 • jeffrey.gordon@dot.gov

o Protection Engineering Consultants

o Arup

o Southwest Research Institute

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Damage mitigation concept that modifies existing anchor bolt base 

connection designs would be both effective in enhancing passenger 

safety and likely attractive to passenger railroads.

o Commercialization planning will also involve the development 

of a preliminary connection design package, including 

drawings/sketches, material specifications, and recommended 

design guidance.

o Design package will serve to facilitate discussions with industry on 

market delivery/integration and practical use on projects.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: $284,541

o Project Duration: July 2018 – January 2020

• Development of experimental test plan, completed

• experimental characterization of breakaway 

mechanism, completed.

• Proof-of-concept pendulum impact testing, completed 

• numerical analysis of OLE support structure, October 2019

• Commercialization planning, throughout project

• Final report to be issued in 2020.

COST & SCHEDULE

o Passenger fatalities and injuries can occur during derailments 

due to interaction with wayside structures, such as catenary 

poles, bridge abutments, and discontinuities in third rail.

o Apply design considerations for roadside (highway) 

structures to railroad wayside structures to reduce stiffness 

and strength, incorporate energy absorbing mechanisms, and 

allow failure to occur in a controlled and predictable manner.

o Develop a proof-of-concept breakaway base connection 

design to reduce the hazards presented by catenary poles to 

demonstrate design practicality through experimental testing 

and additional high-fidelity numerical modeling.

o Experimental test program will involve static friction tests, 

static lateral load tests, and dynamic impact tests.

o Roadmap for market delivery will also be identified through 

the development of a robust commercialization strategy.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Resilient Wayside Structures and Passenger Car Survivability
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jeff Gordon • (617) 494-2303 • jeffrey.gordon@dot.gov

o Volpe National Transportation 

Systems Center

o TIAX

o Transportation Technology

Center, Inc.

o CANARAIL

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Locomotives, because of their great longitudinal strength and

stiffness, are particularly susceptible to override when they collide

with another vehicle, and the consequences can be catastrophic.

o Research has shown that conventional anti-climbing structures 

can deform on impact and form a ramp, increasing the likelihood

of override.

o Such behavior was exhibited in a 23-mph collision that occurred in 

Red Oak, Iowa, on April 17, 2011 (see photo above).

o Research has also shown that the addition of modeststructural 

featuresto the forward end of a locomotive can greatly reduce the 

propensity for override.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: FY19 – $1,000,000

o Project Duration: August 2018 – December 2020

• FRA report on conventional coupling tests, September 2019

• Presentation on V2V test #1 results, February 2019

• Joint Rail Conference paper on coupling tests evaluation and 

V2V test #1 plans, April 2019

• FRA report on F40 locomotive retrofit, September 2019

• FRA report on the conventional and CEM coupling tests, 

September 2019

• Joint Rail Conference paper on V2V test #1 results, April 2020

• Presentation on V2V test #2 results, Spring 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Demonstrate effectiveness of crashworthy components in 

preventing override in collisions involving locomotives.

o Evaluate performance of the combination of a push-back 

coupler and deformable anti-climber under full-scale dynamic 

impact scenarios.

o Design crashworthy components as a retrofit to existing locomotives.

o Perform individual component testing to demonstrate 

performance and develop technical information to inform 

finite element modeling.

o Perform routine coupling tests to develop range of expected impact 

forces and to demonstrate designed behavior.

o Plan for full-scale vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) impact tests in January 

2019 and beyond to assess the performance of the retrofit 

components in a moderate-speed collision for a range of 

impacted equipment.

o Activities to also include a full-scale train-to-train impact test, as 

well as development of locomotive crashworthiness standards.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Locomotive Structural Crashworthiness
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jeff Gordon • (617) 494-2303 • jeffrey.gordon@dot.gov

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Rail Safety and Standards Board (UK)

o Transportation Research Laboratory (UK)

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Impacts with fixed workstation tables can cause significant 

abdominal injuries to passengers.

o UK and U.S. have safety standards for workstation tables that 

involve use of ATDs capable of assessing abdominal injuries.

o In partnership with UK researchers, costs to improve the fidelity of 

the H3RS ATD can be shared.

o A globally acceptable test device which would present an 

opportunity to exploit advances in ATD instrumentation since the 

H3RS ATD was first developed in 2002.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: $375,000

o Project Duration: August 2018 – April 2020

• Facilitate revisions to APTA Workstation Table Standard, early 2019.

• Prepare proposal for revised APTA Seat Standard, December 2018.

• Two papers presented at the ASME IMECE on validated 

mathematical dynamic modeling (MADYMO) model of H3RS ATD 

and workstation tables, November 2018.

• Presentations to industry working group on analyses to evaluate 

the crash pulse developed over a range of collisions speeds, 

late 2019.

COST & SCHEDULE

o Research to inform development and revision of American Public 

Transportation Association (APTA) safety standards to address the 

crashworthiness of passenger seats and workstation tables in 

passenger rail cars.

o Preferred option (Option A) in the table safety standard requires 

dynamic sled testing with an advanced anthropomorphic test devices 

(ATDs) to evaluate abdominal injuries.

o The H3RS ATD was developed in the UK specifically to assess 

abdominal injuries due to impacts with tables in trains.

o Conduct research, development, and testing to improve the 

biofidelity, reliability, and repeatability of the performance of the 

H3RS ATD.

o Additional activities include further development of a simulation 

model representative of the H3RS ATD and a study to 

identify additional table force-crush behavior and geometry prone to 

cause occupant injury.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Interior Occupant Protection
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jeff Gordon • (617) 494-2303 • jeffrey.gordon@dot.gov

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Owners/operators of equipment involved in 

investigated accidents

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Derive passenger equipment safety research program areas 

from information gleaned from real-world conditions.

o Identify deficiencies related to equipment performance and 

operating practices, and inform changes to regulations and 

industry standards.

o Tune program direction based on the findings of the field 

investigations to ensure maximum application and 

effectiveness of research results.

o Funding: $200,000 RAILROAD IMPACT

o Project Duration: August 2018 – April 2020

• Accident investigations have been performed for: Lake 

City, SC, in August 2000; Nodaway, IA, in March 2001; 

Crescent City, FL, in April 2002; Placentia, CA, in April 

2002; Kensington, MD, in July 2002; Flora, MS, in April 

2004; Glendale, CA, in January 2005; Chicago, IL, in 

September 2005; Chicago, IL, in November 2007; 

Chatsworth, CA, in 2008; Red Oak, IA, in April 2011; 

Lovelock, NV, in 2011; Goodwell, OK, in June 2012; 

Bridgeport, CT, in May 2013; Spuyten Duyvil, NY, in 

December 2013; Philadelphia, PA, in 2015; Hoboken, 

NJ, in September, 2016; Dupont, WA, in December 

2017; Cayce, SC, in February, 2018.

COST & SCHEDULE

o Activities include documenting the damage to the equipment 

(both interior and exterior), reconstructing the sequence of 

events, and identifying causal mechanisms for injury and fatality.

o Findings serve to assess the current performance of rail 

equipment, interiors, emergency egress/access, fuel tank 

integrity, and other safety features.

o Produce technical presentation of the field investigation from the 

preliminary findings.

o Issue report or paper describing the findings from the field 

investigations and the accident reconstruction.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Field Investigations
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jeff Gordon • (617) 494-2303 • jeffrey.gordon@dot.gov

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Sharma & Associates, Inc. 

PROJECT PARTNERS

o At least 25 fatalities attributed to glazing malfunction in the last 

44 years.

o Subsequent to the commuter train derailment in Spuyten

Duyvil, New York, on December 1, 2013, the National 

Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a recommendation 

for more effective passenger containment by glazing systems 

in derailments. 

o NTSB re-iterated its recommendation after the derailment in 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 12, 2015.

o Currently, no FRA regulations exist related to passenger 

containment by glazing systems.

o Outcomes of this research include strategies for improving the 

survivability of glazing in rollover accidents to improve 

occupant containment.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: FY19 – $176,966

o Project Duration: August 2018 – July 2020

• Present research findings to APTA or RSAC to 

facilitate rule-making, April 2020.

• Issue report describing project and results .

COST & SCHEDULE

o Develop engineering strategies for improved occupant 

containment by glazing systems, while meeting all other 

existing safety, service, and manufacturing requirements.

o Glazing system functions as windows and expected to be 

impact resistant, provide emergency egress, provide 

emergency access, be fire resistant, and provide 

occupant containment.

o Develop detailed plans for drafting, analyzing, and testing 

engineering strategies for glazing systems. 

o Define all safety and operational requirements placed on 

glazing systems; assess the performance of current 

glazing systems in meeting those requirements; develop 

modifications for improving occupant containment; and 

conduct analysis and testing to compare the performance 

of conventional and modified glazing systems. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Passenger Equipment Glazing Integrity
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jeff Gordon • (617) 494-2303 • jeffrey.gordon@dot.gov

o Arup

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc. 

o Birmingham University (UK)

o Central Japan Railway Company

o Central South University of China

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Implement safe high-speed rail services, preventing injuries 

to railway track workers and the traveling public, and reduce 

damage to equipment, cargo, and structures in close 

proximity to high-speed railway tracks.

o Probability is very high that the rail industry will adopt the 

Aerodynamic Assessment and Mitigation Design Guidance 

Manual for High-Speed Trains, based on the importance of 

safety, future reduction of facilities’ modifications costs, and 

development of appropriate operational procedures.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: FY19 – $73,400

o Project Duration: June 2017 – November 2019

• Publish report describing project and results.

COST & SCHEDULE

o Proposed work follows on FRA’s publication of the Arup team’s 

Phase 1 report, “High-Speed Rail Aerodynamic Assessment and 

Mitigation Report,” in December 2015.

o Previous work defined numerous national and international 

criteria, guidelines, studies, practices, and mitigation measures 

for components of the aerodynamic effects of high-speed rail 

relative to passed trains, track work personnel, waiting 

platform passengers, adjacent structures, and equipment. 

o Information was limited in scope and/or not readily 

transferrable to the development of a design guidance manual 

that would be flexible to accommodate varying train types and 

operational conditions, and, could be used specifically by the 

North American railway industry.

o Need exists to bring the results of these studies together so 

issues can be evaluated and mitigated relative to the 

aerodynamic effects with the potential to cause harm to 

passengers, track workers, equipment, and adjacent structures. 

o Manual will encompass both the open and tunnel 

environments for high-speed rail.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Aerodynamic Assessment and Design Guidance Manual for 

High-Speed Rail (HSR)
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jeff Gordon • (617) 494-2303 • jeffrey.gordon@dot.gov

o Sharma & Associates, Inc. 

PROJECT PARTNER

o Will have no impact on locomotive functionality, bring legacy 

locomotives into compliance with crashworthiness 

requirements, and minimize the injury and fatality risk to 

crew in a collision.

o Secondary Impact Protection System (SIPS) will be shown to 

limit forces and accelerations imparted to cab occupants due 

to secondary impacts to industry-acceptable levels in the 

event of a moderate to severe collision scenario.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: FY19 – $378,000

o Project Duration: August 2013 – May 2020

• Issue report on collision post-tests, 2020.

• Issue report on SIPS tests with improved 

airbag, 2020.

COST & SCHEDULE

o Modern locomotives are built to crashworthiness standards 

defined in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 

229, and Association of American Railroads S-580 standards.

o Locomotives manufactured before 1990, specifically the 

narrow-nose locomotives, were not designed to 

crashworthiness standards and lack crew protection in case of 

train collisions. 

o Collision post-design alternatives compliant with current 

standards and amenable to a retrofit with no impact on 

locomotive functionality will be developed and tested in the 

next phase of work.

o Locomotives compliant with existing standards can preserve 

the space occupied by an engineer in the leading cab in a 

train collision up to moderate speeds, but do not provide 

protection against injuries resulting from secondary impacts 

resulting from abrupt locomotive deceleration.

o Novel combination airbag/knee bolster arrangement can be 

adapted to existing engineer desk geometry will be tested as 

part of this program to mitigate secondary impacts.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Improving Survivability for Locomotive Crews
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jeff Gordon • (617) 494-2303 • jeffrey.gordon@dot.gov

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Passenger equipment manufacturers, operators, suppliers, 

and consultants

PROJECT PARTNERS

o FRA support for rail equipment standards development since the 

advancement of Amtrak’s technical specification for the Acela in 

1993, which evolved into FRA’s Tier II equipment standards, the 

first national standards requiring crash energy management.

o Publication of first rule addressing crashworthiness and other 

features of Tier III passenger equipment on November 21, 2018. 

o Additional standards supported include the Passenger Equipment 

Safety Standards, Locomotive Crashworthiness Standards, and 

Cab Car End Frame Standards.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: $350,000

o Project Duration: August 2018 – April 2020

• Presentations and briefings for the National 

Transportation Safety Board, American Public 

Transportation Association, and the Railroad 

Safety Advisory Committee (and its task forces) 

as requested/needed, TBD.

• Reviews of technical documentation submitted 

by railroads to demonstrate compliance with 

FRA regulations as requested, TBD.

COST & SCHEDULE

o Support development and revision of regulations and safety 

standards for: 

• High-speed passenger trains.

• Conventionalspeed passenger trains.

• High-speed passenger trains used in mixed service.

o Activities include:

• Definition of accidentscenarios of concern and

assessment of likelihood and lossfrom accidents.

• Identification of technologiesfor improved occupied

volume protection, injury prevention, fuel containment,

and glazing impact resistance.

• Application of information derived to support policy

decisions, regulations, and standards development, and

verification of required performance.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Regulatory Development, Waiver Support, and 

Technology Transfer
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jeff Gordon • (617) 494-2303 • jeffrey.gordon@dot.gov

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Existing regulations and industry standards include limited 

requirements for coupler performance and generally address the 

strength of a coupler arrangement in terms its ability to sustain a 

prescribed vertical upward and downward load on the coupler 

(without failure) and its carrier (without permanent deformation). 

o This work will develop information regarding the torsional 

strength characteristics of common coupler arrangements which 

can be considered for adoption in the relevant industry standards 

to potentially provide improved rollover resistance.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: FY19 – $349,345

o Project Duration: September 2019 – May 2020

• Intermediate reports to be delivered on accident 

investigations, finite element analysis and 

preliminary test plan.

• Publish final report documenting all activities, 2020.

COST & SCHEDULE

o Rollover in severe passenger train accidents and derailments 

can cause a harsh environment for train occupants to survive 

as well as damage to the rail equipment. 

o Couplers play a key role in the inter-car rollover behavior 

in derailments.

o The coupled connection between the rolling and adjacent 

car(s) can prevent the rolling car from overturning 

completely. During these incidents, a torsional load is 

supported by the coupler and its structural attachments to 

the carbody.

o This research will provide engineering analysis, test fixture 

design and fabrication, and destructive testing to evaluate the 

torsional strength and critical failure locations of couplers 

typically used on passenger railcars in the U.S.

o Finite element analysis will be performed to determine the 

critical structural locations in a coupler/coupler carrier-to 

draft sill mechanism. 

o Results will be used to inform the design of the test fixture 

and tests will be performed to measure the applied torque at 

which couplers fail and determine modes of failure. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Coupler Torsional Strength Research
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jeff Gordon • (617) 494-2303 • jeffrey.gordon@dot.gov

o Sharma & Associates, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o The application of the results derived from the SRM will enable 

FRA to focus R&D efforts (and limited available resources) on 

topics which cause the greatest amount of harm (fatalities, 

injuries property damage) in the railroad industry.

o This should result in R&D research products which are of the 

greatest benefit to the railroad industry in improving safety 

performance.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Funding: FY19 – $75,356

o Project Duration: September 2019 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o FRA’s Office of Research, Development, and Technology 

(RD&T) manages a large portfolio of research projects 

consisting primarily of projects chosen, scoped, and focused 

on improving railroad safety. Rational project selection 

strategies are of great value in maximizing the effectiveness 

of the RD&T program.

o FRA RD&T has developed a means of assessing safety risk 

broadly across the railroad industry which is reflected in its 

Safety Risk Model (SRM), similar to that which has been 

created and implemented by the Railway Safety Standards 

Board (RSSB) in the UK. 

o The SRM provides a means for quantitative risk-ranking to 

facilitate project selection. Knowledge of the characteristics 

of the distribution of risk will allow FRA to make strategic 

project investments for maximum safety benefit and allow 

for future assessments of risk reduction resulting from 

implementation of the products of the R&D efforts. 

o Future updates to the model will include means to assess risk 

based on regional population density (rural, urban, 

superurban) to derive “state level” safety risks for the 

purpose of guiding safety inspections.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Extended Development of FRA Safety Risk Model
2020 TRB Annual Conference

TRAIN CONTROL & 

COMMUNICATIONS

SECTION THREE
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jared Withers • (202) 493-6362 • jared.withers@dot.gov

o Funding: $400,013

o Project Duration: September 2017 – September 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Improve operational efficiency and network capacity by 

safely reducing train headways.

o Improve safety by preventing train collisions under 

restricted speed operation.

o Test and evaluate remote sensing suite that will influence 

the feasibility of automated train operation in the future.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop a concept of operations (CONOPS), with industry 

input and review, describing the technical approach for 

implementing quasi-moving block train control.

o Identify new functions, key design details, interfaces, and 

issues requiring resolution.

o Analyze communication, hardware, and software needs and 

identify potential technology gaps.

o Develop safety analysis and draft implementation plan.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Quasi-Moving Block Train Control
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jared Withers • (202) 493-6362 • jared.withers@dot.gov

o Funding: $1,105,414

o Project Duration: September 2015 – December 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Improve operational efficiencies and network capacity.

o Improve safety by reducing human error.

o Test and evaluate remote sensing suite that will influence 

the feasibility of automated train operation in the future.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop a concept of operations (CONOPS), with industry 

input and review, describing the technical approach for 

implementing automated train operations (ATO).

o Research, develop, and evaluate sensor platforms and 

technologies for support of ATO.

o Develop and analyze safety cases for ATO.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Automated Train Operation
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jared Withers • (202) 493-6362 • jared.withers@dot.gov

o Funding: $853,156

o Project Duration: September 2015 – March 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

R R

o Battelle

o Honda R&D America

o CTC, Inc.

o Transportation Technology 

Research Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Mitigation of many grade crossing accidents.

o Rail side integration with connected and automated vehicle 

systems being deployed by the automotive industry.

o Test platform for evaluating the effectiveness of connected 

vehicle safety systems for grade crossing scenarios.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop a connected vehicles reference application for invehicle driver warning of immanent violation of a grade 

crossing protection system.

o Suitable for retrofitting existing infrastructure.

o Evaluate the technical feasibility of implementing the 

proposed system.

o Provide recommendations and data for future analyses.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Rail Crossing Violation Warning
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Jared Withers • (202) 493-6362 • jared.withers@dot.gov

o Funding: $946,641 (total project cost)

o Project Duration: September 2015 – January 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

• Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Supports implementation of PTC and other 

safety-related systems that depend on accurate, 

up-to-date track information.

o Supports automation of track database auditing for enhanced 

safety and efficiency.

o Supports development of a system to scan for PTC-critical 

track assets and detect and report discrepancies from the 

reference database.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Facilitate and document a railroad consensus for the 

functionality and requirements for a system to support PTC 

track map auditing.

o Develop system specification documentation based on 

stakeholder engagement and railroad need.

o Survey/evaluate technologies and concepts that could meet 

the documented requirements.

o Identify any significant gaps between requirements and 

available technology.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Positive Train Control (PTC) Critical Asset Track Data 

Auditing System
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $399,840

o Project Duration: October 2019 – October 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

o Vanderbilt University

o Michigan Technological University

o New York Air Brake

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Facilitate driver advisory systems that allow for minimum 

train headways without repeated PTC enforcement brake 

applications and associated incident risks from in-train forces.

o Support fuel-efficient operations of train fleets at minimum 

headways to increase line capacity.

o Thorough understanding of the implications of operating train 

fleets under moving blocks to support investments in 

advanced PTC systems.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Investigate control algorithms developed to support 

connected highway vehicle platooning.

o Simulate fleets and understand how closely following trains 

respond to different throttle and brake control algorithms 

under moving blocks.

o Develop improved train control algorithms that allow railway 

operators to optimally balance fuel efficiency and train 

headway when fleeting trains.

o Show potential of train-to-train communication in efficiently 

fleeting trains with moving blocks.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Leveraging Connected Highway Vehicle Platooning Technology 

to Improve the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Train Fleeting
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $400,550

o Project Duration: February 2017 – May 2020 

COST & SCHEDULE

o Rutgers, The State 

University of New Jersey

o HNTB

o Amtrak 

PROJECT PARTNERS

Bumping

posts Platform

ZONE 1 Out of ACSES territory ACSES territory

(Full supervision)

Transponders

ZONE 2 ACSES stop enforcement

T1

T1

T2

T2 Platform

Platform

Platform

T2

T2

T2

T2

T2

T2 T1

T1

T1

T1

T1

T1

Transponders Transponders

T0 Platform

T1 T2

T1 T2

T0

o Evaluation of the safety, cost, and operational implications of 

PTC enforcement to prevent end-of-track collisions in 

passenger terminals. 

o High-level operational concept for modifying positive train 

control systems to function below restricted speeds.

o Field testing to verify the technical feasibility of PTC 

enforcement under restricted speeds. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Evaluation safety of PTC-preventable accidents below 

restricted speeds, particularly end-of-track collisions in 

passenger terminals.

o Develop concept of operations (ConOps) for PTC 

enforcement to prevent end-of-track collisions. 

o Estimate the cost-effectiveness and operational impact of 

PTC enforcement on terminating tracks in terminals.

o Develop field testing to verify and validate the research 

concept and method.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Restricted Speed Enforcement for Positive Train 

Control (PTC) Systems
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $196,357 (overall award)

o Project Duration: October 2018 – December 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o City of North Tonawanda, New York

o City of Worcester, Massachusetts

o Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Florida

o Town of Brighton, New York

o Document the effectiveness of the presence of law PROJECT PARTNERS enforcement officers in reducing railway trespassing.

o Provide further information and education to trespassers.

o Supported analysis for potential legislative processes

o Increase public safety.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o The objective of this program is to evaluate the effectiveness 

of funding local law enforcement activities intended to 

reduce trespassing on the rail right-of-way.

o The funded agencies will perform rail trespassing 

enforcement related activities and report those activities and 

associated benefits to FRA. 

o The research team will evaluate the effectiveness of 

dedicated funding in reducing rail trespassing incidents and 

risk factors based on the data obtained from the activities 

performed in this grant program.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Pilot Grant Program — Law Enforcement Strategies for 

Reducing Trespassing
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $299,804

o Project Duration: October 2018 – April 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o ENSCO, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNER

o Consistent verification to what is currently reported to the 

National Grade Crossing Inventory database.

o Provide a new tool for the public to further analyze and 

study the crossing profiles.

o Improve efficiency in documenting the state of a grade 

crossing profile.

o Increase public safety.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Enhance FRA’s National Grade Crossing Inventory 

database by including LiDAR point clouds of humped 

crossings that have a history of accidents. 

o Study the feasibility of implementing a portable LiDAR 

system (e.g., UAV) for grade crossing scanning.

o Develop and test a quasi real-time alerting system if a 

humped crossing is detected and not reported as such.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Enhanced Humped Crossing Database Using LiDAR
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $799,713

o Project Duration: September 2017 – November 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

o George Mason University 

o HNTB

o Industry partners (e.g., Conrail, Belt Railway of Chicago, 

Amtrak, PATH, CSX) 

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Description of selected connected railroad technologies 

and use cases

o Assessment of cybersecurity risk profiles (scenario and 

hazard source, vulnerability, capability of attack, impact of 

an attack)

o Implementation issues of cybersecurity risk management 

and research needs.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Develop a cybersecurity risk management framework 

specific to railroads. 

o Focus on understanding communications-related 

cybersecurity risks for connected railroad technologies. 

o Implement the risk methodology for selected use cases, 

such as advanced train control systems and remote control 

of movable bridges. 

o Provide recommendations and identify future research 

needs for mitigating railroad cybersecurity risks. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Cybersecurity Risk Management for Connected Railroads 
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $150,000

o Project Duration: January 2018 – December 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Brunswick, Maine, Police Department

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Reduce trespass frequency on the Brunswick, Maine, 

corridor, through detection and education of trespassers 

on the ROW.

o Demonstrate potential benefits, including documenting 

best practices and lessons learned, of implementation and 

evaluation of drone technology to detect trespassers on 

railroad property. Application could be nationwide.

o An aerial mobile camera will increase coverage and safety 

along the entire ROW.

o Reduce trespass deaths; there were 509 ROW trespass 

fatalities and 508 injuries in 2017.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Test the effectiveness of drone technology to detect 

trespassers on railroad property.

o A mobile camera will be deployed on a remote-controlled 

aerial vehicle (drone) by the police and provide coverage 

over a significant amount of right-of-way (ROW) when in 

use. It will be used to identify and track trespassers in 

ROW areas that are difficult to access by the police, and be 

an integral part of the police department’s trespass and 

suicide prevention efforts.

o Once properly trained, officers will fly over rail property 

using both standard HD cameras and FLIR cameras to 

detect trespassers. Officers will then provide education to 

trespassers on rail safety.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Trespass Detection and Warning – Drone System
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $250,000

o Project Duration: March 2016 – June 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o City of Orlando, Florida

o SunRail

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Develop, implement, and evaluate techniques or 

technologies that reduce violations of grade crossing traffic 

control devices that may lead to incidents and casualties.

o Provide driver education on safety at grade crossings.

o Provide best practices for successful implementation of 

grade crossing photo enforcement systems.

o Supported analysis for rulemaking and legislative processes.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Study the effectiveness of photo enforcement technologies to 

detect and enforce highway-rail grade crossing violations. 

o Collaborate with the City of Orlando, FL on its red light running 

program by implementing cameras at a grade crossing. 

o City funded the installation of cameras at one grade crossing 

on East Princeton Street and provided grade crossing safety 

education materials to violating drivers.

o Signage installed by the City on June 23, 2016. Photo 

enforcement system operational in August 2016.

o Research team collected and analyzed vehicle data before and 

after the cameras were installed. 

o Short-term results under internal review.

o Long-term (2 years after installation) evaluation underway

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Photo Enforcement-Based Education at Crossings
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $50,000

o Project Duration: May 2017 – September 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o New Jersey DOT

o New Jersey Transit

o Borough of Ramsey, New Jersey

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Demonstrate and evaluate new technologies and strategies 

that increase pedestrian safety at grade crossings; there 

were 172 pedestrian incidents at grade crossings in 2017 

(about 9 percent of the total crossing incidents).

o Partnerships with State DOTs and railroads.

o Information exchange with rail safety partners on cuttingedge technologies and/or strategies.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o To evaluate a specific type of pedestrian gate 

enhancement, commonly known as gate skirts, designed to 

prevent pedestrians from violating the grade crossing while 

the grade crossing protection systems are activated. 

o Current research in Ramsey, New Jersey, (grade crossing at 

East Main Street) builds on the lessons learned from 

previous research on gate skirt prototypes in Matawan, 

New Jersey, and New Britain, Connecticut. 

o Gate skirts installed at Ramsey crossing on 

September 5, 2017. 

o Before/after data collected and analyzed and results 

under internal review.

o Pedestrian channelization to be installed and 

evaluated in 2019.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Gate Skirts Research
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $165,000

o Project Duration: October 2016 – March 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o City of Orlando, Florida

o SunRail

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Develop strategies to reduce the number of vehicles that 

mistakenly enter the ROW, thus reducing the possibility of 

an incident with a train (such as the one on February 14, 

2015, in Oxnard, California, where a vehicle was struck by 

a Metrolink train, resulting in 1 fatality and 27 injuries).

o Develop low-cost solutions to increase safety at crossings.

o Information exchange on cutting edge technologies 

and/or strategies.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Study to evaluate the effectiveness of engineering treatments 

to deter vehicles from turning onto the rail ROW. 

o Partnered with SunRail and the City of Orlando to develop 

vehicle ROW incursion prevention engineering treatments, 

identify suitable grade crossings for implementation, collect 

before and after data, and evaluate the results.

o Treatments installed at two crossings in the City in December 

2016: West Washington Street and West Jefferson Street.

o Treatments consist of the extension of pavement markings 

through the crossing and addition of reflective markers and 

flexible delineators on both sides and in-between the tracks.

o Results of year-over-year comparison published in August 2018.

o Additional data being collected for 2-year comparison.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Vehicle Railroad Right-of-Way (ROW) Incursion Prevention
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $150,000

o Project Duration: March 2017 – June 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o MBTA

o Town of Belmont, Massachusetts

o Provide effectiveness estimates for different engineering PROJECT PARTNERS

treatments to deter drivers from stopping on the tracks.

o Provide additional warning opportunity where signs may 

be obstructed or vehicle operator is distracted.

o Contribute to reduction of casualties at highway-rail 

grade crossings.

o Potential to save multiple lives/injuries per incident and 

$5M+/yr. in accident-related costs per incident.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o To develop, install, and evaluate low-cost treatments to increase driver 

awareness of the tracks at crossings. 

o The Massachusetts Bay Transportation authority (MBTA) indicated 

interest in collaborating on developing a system to warn drivers of the 

dangers of stopping on the tracks and identified a crossing on Brighton 

Street in Belmont, Massachusetts, for the study. 

o A video data collection system was installed at the crossing 

on March 9, 2017. 

o Town of Belmont installed pavement markings on November 12, 2017.

o Before/after data was analyzed to determine potential benefit 

of markings.

o Research team obtained LED-enhanced R8-8 signage and scheduled to 

install in spring 2019.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Vehicle Blocked Crossing Research
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $300,000

o Project Duration: October 2014 – September 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Arkansas and Missouri Railroad

o Florida Department of Transportation

o SunRail

o CTC, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNERS o Develop low-cost solutions to increase safety 

around rail ROW.

o Reduce the number of pedestrians who trespass 

onto rail ROW.

o Information exchange on cutting-edge 

technologies and/or strategies.

o Leveraged through a public-private partnership.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o To review, select, and evaluate emerging technologies and 

strategies for railroad ROW trespass applications, specifically 

anti-trespass guards and landscaping rock treatments. 

o New technologies or approaches to mitigate the trespass 

problems will be investigated for possible demonstration at 

trespass-prone locations.

o Anti-trespass guard panels installed in June 2015 on ROW 

adjacent to the West Dickson Street crossing in 

Fayetteville, Arkansas.

o Before/after data collected and analyzed, with final results 

currently under internal review.

o Rock treatments currently being investigated.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Rail Right-of-Way (ROW) Trespass Mitigation Treatments
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $185,000

o Project Duration: June 2017 – June 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Town of Bedford, New York

o Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Metro-North Railroad

PROJECT PARTNERS o Develop techniques or technologies that reduce 

instances of vehicles queuing over and stopping on rail 

tracks, which may lead to incidents and casualties 

(such as the 2015 crash in Valhalla, New York, that 

killed 6 and injured 15).

o Facilitate implementation and evaluation of innovative 

safety technologies.

o Information exchange on cutting-edge technologies 

and/or strategies for grade crossing safety.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Evaluate the effectiveness of flashing LED-enhanced 

“Do Not Stop on Tracks” (R8-8) signs on reducing traffic 

queuing at highway-rail grade crossings.

o Perform tradeoff analysis of applicable sensor 

technologies for stopped vehicle detection.

o Perform a before/after analysis of LED R8-8 sign 

triggered by laser-based queue detection system.

o Location: Katonah, New York, on Metro-North 

Commuter Railroad, Harlem Line (Jay Street crossing).

o System installed in October 2018.

o Evaluation currently underway.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

LED-Enhanced “Do Not Stop On Tracks” Sign Research
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $150,000

o Project Duration: June 2018 – November 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNER

o Identify possible trends in vehicle driver behavior at 

and approaching grade crossings.

o Identify potential driver education/awareness 

strategies regarding presence and use of ENS signs.

o Provide guidance on most effective location and 

orientation of ENS signs.

o Supported analysis for potential legislative processes

RAILROAD IMPACT

o To learn more about drivers’ awareness and 

understanding of the Emergency Notification System 

(ENS) signs posted at highway-rail grade crossings. 

o Shed light on how drivers react when crossing 

infrastructure that appears to be malfunctioning or when 

they get stuck on the crossing. 

o Focus on whether drivers look for or attempt to make 

use of the information on the ENS sign.

o This experiment will be conducted in the Volpe 

driving simulator. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Emergency Notification System Sign Study
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $160,000

o Project Duration: March 2019 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

PROJECT PARTNERS o Commercial vehicle driver safety at grade crossings.

o Each year, about 14 percent of grade crossing 

accidents involve a tractor-trailer, and a substantial 

number of those are a result of the vehicle getting 

stuck on the tracks due to the low ground clearance 

across the crossing (a humped crossing).

o Accurate measurements of grade crossing profiles 

would aid in the identification and remediation of 

humped crossings.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o The objective of this project is to investigate potential use of 

drone technology to quickly create accurate 3D profiles of 

humped grade crossings (using LiDAR, photogrammetry, and 

other methods). 

o Includes measuring crossings that have previously been 

modeled using other proven but less portable methods 

(including the rail geometry car system) and comparing 

strengths and weaknesses.

o Project includes comparison to existing FRA LiDAR crossing 

profile data, development of grade crossing inventory 

procedures for collected data, and exploration of data 

processing software options.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

UAS Technology Exploratory Study
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $150,000

o Project Duration: August 2019 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o County and local governments

o Railroads

o State DOTs

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Provides FRA partners with information on the latest 

trespass prevention strategies.

o Fosters an exchange of information on trespassing 

mitigation between all stakeholders.

o Provides railroads and industry stakeholders with a 

concise message of FRA’s strategic plan.

o Facilitates development of site-specific strategies for 

trespass mitigation at the top 10 counties with the 

most trespass casualties nationwide, thereby 

improving rail safety.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o To plan, coordinate, and execute a series of trespasser 

prevention summits with representatives from each of the 

top 10 counties for trespasser casualties, engaging with local 

community leaders, law enforcement, railroads, and the 

public. It will involve supporting coordination, facilitation, 

and documentation of the summits. 

o These summits are one of the action items listed in 

FRA’s National Strategy for Trespass Prevention on 

Railroad Property.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Rail Trespass Prevention Summits
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $80,000

o Project Duration: March 2019 – December 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Rutgers University

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Improved research support by providing widespread 

access to various information sources.

o Information exchange on cutting edge technologies 

and/or strategies

o Reduce the number of pedestrians that trespass onto 

railroad ROW.

o Increase public safety.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o This research aims to study the effectiveness of using 

publicly available cameras to detect rail ROW trespassing. 

Many real-time, publicly available video feeds with views of 

the rail ROW currently exist. One such feed is from a 

camera in Ashland, VA. 

o The use of Artificial Intelligence for automating detection 

from camera feeds will also be explored in this project.

o Data from these cameras may provide additional insights 

into trespass activities at those locations.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Trespass Detection from Available Sources
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $130,000

o Project Duration: March 2019 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNER

• Information exchange with State DOTs and railroads on 

cutting-edge methodologies for trespass prevention.

• Provide tools for stakeholders to assess trespass risk 

and implement mitigation strategies.

• Increase public safety. 

• Reduce trespass deaths. (There were 536 ROW 

trespass fatalities and 482 injuries in 2018.)

RAILROAD IMPACT

• This project builds on the trespass risk methodology 

developed in the West Palm Beach trespass study and other 

recent industry models to develop a method to assess the 

trespass risk on rail ROWs using currently available data. 

• Data sources such as accident/incident data, suicides, 

trespass observations, locomotive video data, debris strikes, 

and others will be considered.

• More than 500 trespass fatalities and nearly as many injuries 

occur each year on the nation’s rail network. FRA, railroads, 

and State and local agencies use all available data to identify 

areas of greatest risk and implement mitigation strategies. 

However, no standard methodology exists to estimate 

trespass risk.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Trespass Risk Methodology
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $90,000

o Project Duration: March 2019 – December 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNER

o Identify possible trends in pedestrian safety around 

rail ROWs.

o Supported analysis for rulemaking and legislative processes.

o Increase public safety.

o Reduce trespass deaths (there were 536 ROW trespass 

fatalities and 482 injuries in 2018).

RAILROAD IMPACT

o This project will analyze rail trespass incident data to 

determine the effects of implementation of Quiet Zones 

(QZs) on trespass incidents, and include pedestrian 

incidents at crossings as well. 

o Localities desiring to establish a QZ are first required to 

mitigate the increased risk at grade crossings caused by the 

absence of a horn. This is typically done through additional 

safety improvements such as gates with channelization or 

medians, four-quadrant gates, one-way streets, and 

crossing closures. However, no trespass mitigation 

requirements are included. 

o It is uncertain how well these improvements work in place 

of the train horn for both pedestrian safety at crossings and 

trespassing on a rail ROW.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Trespass Risk in Quiet Zones
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $100,000

o Project Duration: November 2019 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNER

o Develop techniques or technologies for automated trespass 

detection and disseminate to rail stakeholders to increase 

safety around rail rights-of-way (ROW).

o Reduce the number of pedestrians that trespass onto 

railroad ROW.

o Increase public safety.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o This project will continue the work on Artificial Intelligence 

(AI) algorithms for different trespass and crossing scenarios 

started under the Anti-Trespass Treatments project 

(subtask 2.4). 

o This work will also include continued collaboration with 

Rutgers on its AI detection system and support installation 

and evaluation at the E. Main St crossing in Ramsey, NJ.

o Collaboration with Michigan Tech on their AI algorithms 

will also be explored.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Artificial Intelligence for Trespassing
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $50,000

o Project Duration: November 2019 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Florida Department of Transportation

o Demonstrate potential benefits, including documenting best PROJECT PARTNERS

practices and lessons learned, of implementation and 

evaluation of drone technology to detect trespassers on 

railroad property. Application could be nationwide.

o Partnerships with State DOTs and railroads.

o Information exchange with rail safety partners on cutting 

edge technologies and /or strategies.

o Increase public safety.

o Supported analysis for potential legislative processes.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o The objective of this project is to evaluate the 

implementation of drone and other technologies for rail 

right-of-way (ROW) trespassing by the Florida Department 

of Transportation (FL DOT).

o Under an FRA Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety 

Improvements (CRISI) grant, FL DOT launched a pilot 

program using drone technology, closed-circuit television 

with remote monitoring and geographic information 

system spatial analysis to aid partnerships among local law 

enforcement agencies to combat trespassing in Volusia, 

Seminole, Orange, and Osceola counties.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

ROW Trespass CRISI Grant Evaluation
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Phase 1 – April 2019 – October 2019: $103,808

o Phase 2 – October 2019 – June 2020: $199,857

COST & SCHEDULE

o Michigan Technological University

o Lake State Rail Company

o Michigan Department of Transportation

PROJECT PARTNERS o Multi-source remote sensing removes the need for manual 

inspection of railroad property.

o AI-based detection will enable automatic notification of 

trespassers in real time. 

o Improved, automated detection has the potential to 

improve safety outcomes while reducing cost. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o This project investigates the effectiveness of Artificial 

Intelligence (AI) technology for the problem of intruder 

detection in rail properties. 

o A comprehensive literature review highlighting past and 

current advancements in AI algorithms and their 

applicability to railway sensing will be compiled.

o In conjunction with feedback from rail industry 

representatives, ground-based and unmanned aerial 

vehicle (UAV)-based systems equipped with AI algorithms 

will then be developed for the purpose of automatically 

detecting trespassers.

o The prototype system will be tested at locations made 

available by industry partners.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Railroad Artificial Intelligence Intruder Learning System (RAIILS)
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Francesco Bedini Jacobini • (202) 493-0800 • francesco.bedini@dot.gov

o Funding: $210,000

o Project Duration: November 2016 – March 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNER

o Information exchange with State DOTs and railroads on 

cutting-edge technologies and/or strategies for grade 

crossing safety and trespass prevention.

o Quick response capability in support of FRA Office of 

Research, Development & Technology.

o Support FRA RD&T on studies requiring immediate action 

not covered in any existing task.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Participate in professional activities within the scope 

of research topic that are not specifically funded 

under another task (e.g., TRB AHB60 Committee, 

technical papers).

o Exchange information on cutting-edge technologies 

and/or strategies for grade crossing safety and 

trespass prevention (including outreach to FRA grade 

crossing managers).

o Provide reports on a periodic basis to define and track 

key activities in support of the research program.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Grade Crossing and Trespass Research Program Support
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Rick Orcutt • (719) 584-0507 • richard.orcutt@dot.gov

o Funding: $886,000 

o Project Duration: March 2017 – March 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Association of American Railroads 

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc. 

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Support implementation of PTC systems that 

depend on accurate configuration information 

between railroads.

o Support automation of PTC Compatibility Database. 

o Improve operational safety and network capacity 

by reducing the manpower and time to verify 

inter-railroad operations.

o Migration support for new/updated software and 

hardware releases.

o Support multiple and unique PTC applications 

and installations.

o Expandable to support future upgrades / 

versions of PTC. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Organize industry stakeholder advisory group.

o Develop operational concepts/system description 

documentation. 

o Develop requirements for the PTC Interoperable 

Lifecycle Management System. 

o Research existing commercially available tools options.

o Support the Interoperable Train Control (ITC) Change 

and Configuration Management Team. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Positive Train Control (PTC) Interoperability
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Rick Orcutt • (719) 584-0507 • richard.orcutt@dot.gov

o Funding: $1,489,300

o Project Duration: August 2016 – May 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Association of American Railroads

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

o Railinc Corp.

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Provide real-time alerts/alarms, health and status 

information, diagnostics support, and key 

performance indicators for (PTC) help desks, railroad 

signal and locomotive troubleshooters, network 

operation centers, dispatchers, urban area 

coordinators, PTC220 LLC, and PTC maintainers. 

o Deploy an industry standard technological platform 

for railroads to exchange data. 

o Provide ongoing message statistics and frequency of 

instances where locomotives are unable to obtain a 

communication timeslot (or are delayed in doing so).

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Collaborate with Technical Advisory Group made up of 

members from FRA, AAR and TTCI.

o Determine data collection needs, analytic methods, 

and feasibility of monitoring and analysis of the 

integrated network (MAIN). 

o Develop analytic tools to quickly identify and alert 

users of problems; provide key information for 

diagnosing problems; and automatically diagnose 

problems when possible. 

o Automate communications and file transfers between 

railroads for analysis and recovery of Positive Train 

Control (PTC) enforcements.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Monitoring and Analysis of the Integrated Network
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Rick Orcutt • (719) 584-0507 • richard.orcutt@dot.gov

o Funding: $3,200,400 (project cost)

o Project Duration: September 2012 – December 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Association of American Railroads

o Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

PROJECT PARTNERS

ITCM RF Basestation

EIC PRT Application on 

Roadway Worker Terminal Cellular Basestation

Locomotive Onboard

PTC Back Office System

o PTC enforcement of EIC instructions, thereby 

protection is maintained.

o Mitigates EIC working outside of maintenance-ofway protected time.

o Prevents instructions to the locomotive by third 

party (spoofing) through the EICPRT interface.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Transmitted electronically from an EIC 

Terminal through the back office server to the 

onboard computer.

o Allows an employee in charge (EIC) to grant 

permissions for train crews to enter a work zone.

o Provides enforcement of Positive Train Control 

(PTC) instructions (i.e., speed limits).

o Use of the EIC terminal application for electronic 

control of working limits does not supersede the 

maintenance-of-way operating rules or required 

verbal communication.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Employee in Charge Portable Remote Terminal (EICPRT)
2020 TRB Annual Conference

FACTORS

HUMAN

SECTION FOUR
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Mike Jones • (202) 493-6106 • michael.e.jones@dot.gov

o STUDY COMPLETED

o Funding:

• Phase I — System Design: $156,000

 System will be implemented into the Volpe CTIL 

train simulator; Initial data collection. 

• Phase II — Development: $161,000

 Machine vision and machine learning algorithm 

development 

 Software prototype with datasets delivered. 

• Phase III — Maturation and Refinement: $120,000

o Project Duration: April 2018 – April 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Aurora Flight Sciences

o MIT Human Systems Laboratory

PROJECT PARTNERS

o A real-time, automated second set of eyes will be 

developed to compensate for loss of situational 

awareness in the train cab.

o Improved crew situational awareness 

o A novel framework will be developed for a machine 

vision/machine learning system that goes beyond human 

capability for real-time railway signal and sign detection, 

and obstacle detection in day/night conditions. 

o Path toward standards for system design and human 

factors will be developed and presented. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Via machine-learning, machine vision technologies 

develop an in-situ perception system for locomotives that 

detects and interprets the state of railway signals and 

signs and detects objects on the track. Specific examples 

include rail grade crossings and speed restrictions. 

o Leverage extensive rail human factors expertise with MIT 

Man Vehicle Laboratory.

o Show feasibility and proof-of-concept in the Volpe Center 

Cab Technology Integration Laboratory using realistic test 

cases such as adverse weather or recreated accidents.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

External Perception for Locomotives (ExPL)
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Mike Jones • (202) 493-6106 • michael.e.jones@dot.gov

o Funding:

• General Electric: 20% cost share

• Year 1 — Phase 1: $489,304

• Year 2 — Phase 2: $500,908

o Project Duration: October 2018 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o GE Global Research

o MIT Human Systems Laboratory

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Foundational research for future operational concepts

o Understand impact of advanced automation with less 

experienced crew on train safety and system 

performance.

o Improve rail safety by identifying critical deviations 

through real-time mismatch between operator behavior 

and modeled intent.

o Enable new automation system and 

adaptive display.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Explore the performance impact of new user interface for 

manual operating mode which directs automated systems 

to carry out sequences of tasks and incorporates a higher 

orders of operator interactions (mission/speed input vs. 

notch input to locomotive). 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Design of a Robust Locomotive Operating Mode
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Rachel Grice • (202) 493-8005 • rachel.grice@dot.gov

o FRA: $300,000 (total request amount)

o Total Project Value: $300,000

o Duration: 1 year

o Contract start: September 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Center for Advanced Transportation Technology 

Laboratory, University of Maryland

o Partnering passenger railroads

PROJECT PARTNERS

o While the current FRA Office of Railroad Safety database 

contains a multitude of relevant data for measuring the 

safety, efficiency, and reliability of the U.S. rail system, 

there are few tools available to the greater rail analysis 

community to convert this data into actionable 

information. There are even fewer tools available to assist 

analysts in communicating their findings to a broad 

audience that ranges from technical experts to the 

general public. This project seeks to meet this critical need 

to promote the use of the FRA’s rich data to improve 

railway safety.

RAILROAD IMPACT

The end product of this project will produce a RISE prototype 

that streamlines the process of querying, analyzing, and 

visualizing rail data.

The development of the RISE platform will be guided by the 

following tasks:

1. Project Foundation: Establishing working group and 

engaging stakeholders to guide the development of RISE

2. Data Protection: Developing framework to ensure 

sensitive data is secure.

3. RISE Prototype Demo and Evaluation: Evaluate the use of 

RISE on real-world case studies recommended by 

stakeholders.

4. RISE Results and Feasibility: Documenting the outputs of 

the RISE prototype and assess the feasibility to support rail 

safety analysis.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Rail Information Sharing Environment (RISE)
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Mike Jones • (202) 493-6106 • michael.e.jones@dot.gov

o Funding:

• Year 1 — Phase 1: $500,000

• Year 2 — Phase 2: $500,000

• Optional Phase — Actual locomotive testing

o Project Duration: September 2018 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o MIT Human Systems Laboratory

o General Electric Global Research

PROJECT PARTNERS

o HUD supports enhanced situation awareness and 

detection of critical external events.

o HUD enables smooth transitions between automated and 

manual control of the locomotive.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Design, develop, and evaluate prototype head-up 

display (HUD).

o Conduct quantitative evaluation of HUD design with 

human-in-the-loop experiments in CTIL.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

MIT Augmented Reality Head-Up Display (HUD)
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Mike Jones • (202) 493-6106 • michael.e.jones@dot.gov

o Funding: $397,276

o Project Duration: September 2018 – December 2019

COST & SCHEDULE

o Tier 1 Performance Solutions LLC

PROJECT PARTNER

o Identify factors that contribute to error in the locomotive 

cab with automated system use. 

o Reduce error potential by up to an order of magnitude 

through HAI design and training recommendations. 

o Improve the safety of rail operations by reducing risk of 

human error. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Human-in-the-loop research investigating humanautomation interaction (HAI) with Positive Train Control 

(PTC) and trip optimizer (TO).

o Compare crew performance in low- and high-workload 

automated scenarios with crew performance in low- and 

high-workload manual scenarios. 

o Investigate the potential for automation set-up errors, 

complacency errors, and mode errors.

o Investigate effects of distraction and workload on 

error potential.

o Identify design and training recommendations to improve 

HAI and reduce error likelihood.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Human Error Potential in Human-Automation Interaction
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Rachel Grice • (202) 493-8005 • rachel.grice@dot.gov

o Funding: Project Lifecycle ~ $600,000 (including project 

evaluation effort)

o Project Duration: April 2015 – March 2020 (IAA expiration)

o Continued efforts to increase awareness and use and add 

features/content, pending sponsor approval and website 

availability (currently offline).

COST & SCHEDULE

o U.S. DOT Volpe Center

o Harvard Medical School, 

Division of Sleep Medicine

o Brotherhood of Locomotive 

Engineers and Trainmen 

o Rail carriers

o SMART Transportation 

Division 

o Association of American 

Railroads 

o American Short Line and 

Regional Railroad Association 

PROJECT PARTNERS

o Fatigue in the transportation industry has been a top priority of 

the National Transportation Safety Board starting in 1990. The 

Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 includes a requirement for 

carrier fatigue education and training. 

o The website can help carriers in their efforts to meet this 

upcoming requirement.

o This educational website, intended for railroaders, focuses on the 

causes of sleepiness and key mitigation strategies under an 

operator’s control that can help reduce sleepiness and fatiguerelated incidents.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o 2012: The Volpe Center (in conjunction with Harvard Medical School) 

launched an interactive, multimedia educational website approved by 

stakeholders and tailored toward providing railroaders and their 

support networks:

• Scientifically valid information about the importance of sleep

• An anonymous self-assessment sleep disorders screening tool

• Proven, practical tips and strategies for improving sleep health.

o 2016: Redesigned and reorganized site with additional railroader/ 

stakeholder feedback and new content to address balancing work/

life challenges.

o Since the redesign, project focus is (1) industry outreach and promotion 

to increase target audience awareness and use, and (2) adding 

features/content based on stakeholder and railroader feedback 

(e.g., Shareable Resources tab).

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Railroaders’ Guide to Healthy Sleep Website 

www.RailroaderSleep.gov
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Mike Jones • (202) 493-6106 • michael.e.jones@dot.gov

o Totals by Funding Source and % of Project:

o FRA (total request amount): $515,916 – 93%

o MTU (cost share): $40,964 – 7%

o Total Project Value: $556,880

o Contract Start: April 2019

• Phase 1: 16 months $248,221

• Phase 2: 12 months

• Phase 3: 12 months 

COST & SCHEDULE

o Michigan Technological University and Virginia Tech

PROJECT PARTNERS

o This research can provide critical information to developers 

interested in incorporating rail crossings (and IVAAs) in their 

applications. It can provide a data-based approach to design 

optimized, in-vehicle auditory alerts for rail crossings and 

help with standardizing the warnings across platforms. More 

specifically, the project outcomes can provide design 

guidelines that consider different road conditions, auditory 

parameters, driver characteristics, distractions, and actual 

implementation directions. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Development and testing of in-vehicle auditory alerts for grade 

crossing proximity

o Technology assessment of vehicle auditory displays

o Use of driving simulators and research

o Phase 1: Literature review, audio design, and driving simulator 

research

o Phase 2 Driving simulator research at multiple sites

o Phase 3: On-road pilot research

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Effects of In-Vehicle Auditory Alerts on Driver Behaviors at 

Rail Grade Crossings
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Rachel Grice • (202) 493-8005 • rachel.grice@dot.gov

o Total Project Value: $180,000

o Contract started in July 2018

o Contract funded in 3 phases:

• Phase 1: 12 months 

• Phase 2: 8 months

• Phase 3: 10 months 

COST & SCHEDULE

o Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

o Identify existing gaps in research related to fatigue in the PROJECT PARTNER

railroad industry.

o Gain a better understanding of the contributors to fatigue in 

safety-critical rail workers.

o Assess the impact of commute times on fatigue and safety in 

the railroad industry.

o Study will assess the issue of commute times and determine 

if further investigation is necessary.

o Study will provide recommendations on best practices for 

combating fatigue in the railroad industry.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Commute times currently not recognized or acknowledged as a 

contributing factor to fatigue by the FRA.

o Extent to which commute times impact fatigue and safety of 

locomotive engineers and conductors is unknown.

o Study will use a two-phase approach: 

• Phase I – Planning and development

• Phase II – Execution of survey and focus groups

o Surveys and focus groups will identify and assess various 

aspects of fatigue and the impact these have on safety.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Impact of Commute Times on the Fatigue and Safety 

of Locomotive Engineers and Conductors
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Starr Kidda, Ph.D. • (202) 493-1300 • starr.kidda@dot.gov

o Funding: $1.05 million

o Project Duration: October 2018 – September 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

o Variousrailroad carriers

o Various universities

o Reduction in the number ofsuicide casualtiesthat occur on PROJECT PARTNERS

the railroad rights-of-way (ROW).

o Reduction in service disruption and employee time off due

to suicide incidents

o Better understanding of potential countermeasures

and improved understanding of feasibility of

implementing countermeasuresto mitigate suicides.

o Improvementin the quality of data being collected on

suicide and trespass casualties by railroad carriers.

o Involvement of other groups who may be able to share

countermeasure costs.

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Work with railroad carriers to implement pilot tests of various

countermeasures to understand which countermeasures could .

o Mitigate suicides on the rights-of-way (ROW).

o Develop rail-specific guidelines for reporting suicides on ROWs.

o Track suicide and trespassrates and identify potentialregions of

concern (e.g., hotspots) using Geographic Information Systems

(GIS) mapping.

o Continue to gather information about the prevalence of suicides 

on ROWs, as well as demographic characteristics of individuals

involved and characteristics of time and location that may impact

countermeasure development.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Suicide Countermeasures
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Starr Kidda, Ph.D. • (202) 493-1300 • starr.kidda@dot.gov

o Funding:

FY19: September 2019 – December 2020 

• $2.4 million grant to SLSI

• $100,000 to Volpe for project evaluation

FY20: September 2020 – December 2021

• $3 million in continued funding 

COST & SCHEDULE

o SLSI

o University of Connecticut 

o Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

PROJECT PARTNERS

o SLSI was formed to improve safety practices and to provide 

safety training for Class II and Class III freight railroads to build 

a stronger, sustainable safety culture. 

o The SLSI:

• Conducts safety culture assessments and provides 

recommendations on how to improve safety culture

• Provides training and education about safety culture 

• Serves as a research center that compiles and 

disseminates information on safety needs and trends

• Communicates to stakeholders about safety culture 

improvement efforts

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Partner with SLSI to help short line and regional railroads 

enhance and improve safety practices, and to increase their 

commitment to safety.

o Work with SLSI to develop and test safety culture assessment 

tools and provide ongoing program improvements.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI)
FRA PROJECT MANAGER: Michele Geary • (202) 493-6129 • michele.geary@dot.gov

o Funding: $249,170 

o Project Duration: October 2018 – January 2020

COST & SCHEDULE

o N-Squared Media Solutions, LLC

o Enlighteneering, Inc. 

PROJECT PARTNERS o Increase awareness of the target audience of 16- to 34-year 

old social media audience. 

o Communicate the dangers and consequences of unsafe 

behaviors on railroad property. 

o Evaluate the effectiveness of leveraging social media 

channels to communicate safety messages. 

RAILROAD IMPACT

o Trespassing on the nation’s railroad rights-of-way is the leading 

cause of rail-related fatalities, accounting for 62 percent of all 

U.S. rail-related deaths in FY 2018. An average of 448 

trespassers died each year between FY 2009 and FY 2018, 

excluding suicides. Trespassing fatalities have increased 21 

percent over the last 5 years – from 470 in 2014 to 570 in 2018.

o Develop an animated video campaign on social media channels 

that communicates the dangers and consequences of unsafe 

behaviors on railroad property.

o Evaluate the effectiveness of leveraging social media to a target 

audience of 16- to 34-year olds. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

FRA Social Media Animation Campaign
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