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Volpe Experts Participate at the 2005 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.

A summary of Volpe Center participation is given here, and more information can be obtained by contacting individual authors. The work described was sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Offices of Research & Development, Railroad Development and Safety.

• "Use of New Technologies for Highway-Rail Intersections and Train Control" by Mr. Steven Peck of the Railroad Systems Division

  In this presentation Mr. Peck summarized the salient changes that are taking place that affect highway rail intersections. These include faster trains, increased freight traffic and more driver distractions. These factors 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 Federal Railroad Administration.

• "Connecticut Four-Quadrant Gate Crossing with Vehicle Detection and In-Cab Signaling" by Mr. Adrian Hellman of the Railroad Systems Division

  The presentation described the history, purpose, goals 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

  The presentation described the PEERS project conducted for the Federal Railroad Administration. The project 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.

  This presentation 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. Various technologies are described and categorized. Many of these technologies have existed for some time, but there are new system design approaches that may offer new solutions and result in improved safety, security, and mobility.

• "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.

  This presentation described a study performed by the Volpe Center to demonstrate a video-based trespass monitoring and deterrent system developed from commercial of-the-shelf (COTS) technology. A surveillance system was installed at the CSX railroad bridge in Pittsford, New York. This system was evaluated by the Volpe Center and the results were shown to be very favorable and to provide significant safety benefits. The system was successfully transferred to a private company upon completion of the evaluation.

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 System.

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Research and Innovative Technology Administration