Volpe Center Highlights - January/February 2006
Safety
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Published and Presented
Highway-Rail Grade Crossings—Research and Results (FRA)
Over a 30-year history of grade crossing research, Volpe Center researchers have worked to develop a more precise understanding of risks to highway and rail users at grade crossings and then determine how best to decrease or eliminate various risk elements. Research results are shared in a variety of ways, from conference presentations to transfer of prototype technology to the private sector for full implementation. Examples of recent work for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) are described below.
National Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Training Conference
Several Volpe Center staff members participated and presented papers at the 2005 National Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Training Conference held in Austin, Texas, November 6—9, 2005, where grade crossing safety experts gathered to discuss the latest thinking, innovations, and technologies in grade crossing safety. In addition, Ms. Anya Carroll of the Railroad Systems Division was an active member of the organizing committee for the past year and coordinated the following sessions: Understanding and Developing Guidance on Pedestrian Crossings; Pedestrian Access, Grade Separations and Compliance Issues; and Collision Avoidance Systems. Summaries of Volpe Center presentations are provided below; they describe work sponsored by the FRA Offices of Research & Development, Railroad Development, and Safety.
Rail Trespass-Detection System. Rail trespassing poses a major safety risk to rail passengers and employees as well as to trespassers—yet the temptation for people to cross railroad tracks or bridges remains strong. The Volpe Center developed and evaluated a rail trespass-detection system that was recently transferred to the private sector for full implementation. The video-based system detects trespassers and warns them with a real-time acoustic message and/or dispatches law enforcement. Shown above: top, two teenage trespassers leaving the tracks after receiving a real-time acoustic warning; bottom, a freight train at the same location one minute after the trespassers left.
"Use of New Technologies for Highway-Rail Intersections and Train Control," by Mr. Steven Peck of the Railroad Systems Division, summarized the salient changes that are taking place that affect highway-rail intersections. Such factors as faster trains, increased freight traffic, and more driver distractions necessitate an increased focus on the application of modern technologies and practices designed to address the problems and to improve safety at highway-rail intersections. The presentation described a wide array of technologies, presented some operational examples, and summarized the key areas where the Volpe Center is able to support the FRA.
"Connecticut Four-Quadrant Gate Crossing with Vehicle Detection and In-Cab Signaling," by Mr. Adrian Hellman of the Railroad Systems Division, described the history, purpose, goal, and background of the demonstration project for four-quadrant gate technology along Amtrak's Northeast High-Speed Rail Corridor in Groton, Connecticut. The operational characteristics, system functionality, and collision-avoidance approach of the system were presented as well as a description of Volpe Center's evaluation program. Mr. Hellman concluded that video monitoring is an effective tool, violation rates were reduced significantly, and that an obstruction-detection system was successful.
"PEERS Project: Public Education and Enforcement Research Study," by Ms. Suzanne Sposato of the Railroad Systems Division, described the PEERS project, which entailed researching the effectiveness of methods and technologies designed to reduce the incidents, fatalities, and injuries at highway-rail intersections. Highway-rail intersections at three locations in Illinois were monitored before, during, and after education and enforcement campaigns. The study goals were to provide research data on the effectiveness of education and enforcement measures. This data will be used to support the FRA's future rule-making activities. Preliminary results showed that highway-user behavior became safer as a result of interventions used in the PEERS project.
"State of the Art Technologies for Intrusion/Obstacle Detection," presented by Mr. Marco daSilva of the Advanced Safety and Technology Division and co-authored by Ms. Anya Carroll of the Railroad Systems Division and Mr. William Baron of the Infrastructure Protection and Operations Division, provided an extensive survey of obstacle and intrusion technologies for rail rights-of-way and crossings and recommended potential technology concepts for future field testing.
"Railroad Infrastructure Trespass Detection Research," presented by Mr. Marco daSilva of the Advanced Safety and Technology Division and co-authored by Ms. Anya Carroll of the Railroad Systems Division and Mr. William Baron of the Infrastructure Protection and Operations Division, described a study performed by the Volpe Center to demonstrate a video-based trespass monitoring and deterrent system developed from commercial of-the-shelf technology. The system was successfully transferred to a private company upon completion of the evaluation (see below).
Rail Trespass-Detection System Transferred to Private Sector
Exemplifying its ability to integrate innovative technologies for practical application, the Volpe Center recently transferred an automated trespass-monitoring-and-deterrent system to the CSX Corporation in Albany, New York, for full implementation. This video-based system is capable of detecting intrusions on railroad rights-of-way. Under FRA sponsorship, a Volpe Center team, led by Mr. Marco DaSilva of the Railroad Systems Division, developed the prototype and completed a three-year evaluation of the Trespass Detection System at a CSX railroad bridge in Pittsford, New York, where trespassing is commonplace and fatalities have occurred. The interactive system comprises off-the-shelf technology, including video cameras, motion detectors, infrared illuminators, speakers, and central processing units. Results of the demonstration project indicate that the Trespass Detection System performed successfully and that it can serve as a model security system for railroad infrastructure.
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