Rail Equipment Crashworthiness: Publications and Papers
View a list of Volpe's Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division's publications and papers on the topic of rail equipment crashworthiness.
Railroads
New Infographic Shows How Volpe Impacts Rail Safety
Nearly every 180 minutes someone in America is hit by a train. In the early 1970s, it was every 40 minutes. Check out our new infographic on Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention. This easy-to-read data visualization shows how Volpe, in support of the Federal Railroad...
Railroad Trespassing is Risky Business
Some people do dangerous things at railroad crossings. Marco daSilva, a systems safety program manager at Volpe, described how recent work, in support of the Federal Railroad Administration, has captured images of a car whose driver had run the safety gates and stopped only inches from a passing...
Breaking Down Barriers on the Rails: Safety-Culture Initiative Improves Safety
Program evaluators have reported that the Federal Railroad Administration's Clear Signal for Action (CSA)—a safety-culture initiative sponsored by FRA's Office of Research and Development—could significantly transform the railroad industry's safety culture when widely adopted.
Improving Transit Performance with Automated Data Collection Systems
Nigel Wilson relies on the London Underground Oyster card, but not for his daily commute. Wilson uses data from transit fare cards to research and improve transit services in London.
NTSB Calls On Volpe Engineering Psychologist for Expert Testimony
The National Transportation Safety Board recently called on Volpe engineering psychologist Dr. Jordan Multer to serve on an expert panel during an investigative hearing into a fatal train accident that took three lives and caused an estimated $14.79 million in damages.
Cracked Up—Broken Rails Are Serious Business
Nearly all cracks in rails are hidden—so says Dr. David Jeong, senior mechanical engineer at Volpe, The National Transportation Systems Center. Jeong and his colleagues, in support of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), have been examining the mechanics of metal fatigue and crack growth...
Volpe Collaborates with Japanese Scientist on Rail Electromagnetic Emissions and Human Exposure
Dr. Aviva Brecher shares an interest in rail electromagnetic emissions and the impact of exposure on safety and health with Dr. Masateru Ikehata, a senior researcher with Japan's Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI). Electric rail, like most electrical equipment that we are all...
Rail Trespass Prevention Research Will Save Lives
More than 500 people die each year while trespassing on rail lines. One particular stretch of rail in West Palm Beach, Florida that has had a high incidence of trespass-related deaths over two decades, is currently the subject of a Federal Railroad Administration and local community-...
U.S. DOT SBIR Program Calls for Innovative Research Proposals
The U.S. DOT's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program seeks innovative research proposals from small businesses to address specific research challenges facing the modal administrations. The SBIR Program Office at Volpe, The National Transportation Systems Center, has...