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Safety concerns are a major impetus for advances in railroad technology. This has been the case since the 1970s, when the railroad industry's research program, conducted through the Association of American Railroads, was expanded to develop technology to increase safety. An industry-wide collaborative research effort conducted by the association and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), together with the railroad-supply industry and the government of Canada, laid the groundwork for today's railroad-safety technology by advancing understanding of the scientific and engineering underpinnings of heavy-freight rail operations. This research effort has played a significant role in improving the industry's safety record, reducing the train-accident rate by nearly 60% since 1980. Much of the research that led to today's enhanced railroad safety was conducted at the Transportation Technology Center, located near Pueblo, Colorado. This federally owned, Department of Transportation facility is operated and maintained by the Research and Test Department of the Association of American Railroads under an agreement with the FRA. A unique, world-class intermodal research center, it offers the railroad industry extensive investigative, technology-development, and testing capabilities. This article highlights three of the many research efforts at the Transportation Technology Center: the Heavy Axle Loads Program, the Roller Bearing Defect Detection Program, and the upgrade of a high-speed rail test track.

This article is part of a series of articles in this special issue of TR News on Benefits of Transportation Research--Part 2: The Federal Perspective.

English

p. 7-9

1997-5

TR News

Photos (1)

Benefits; High speed track; Modernization; Railroad crashes; Railroad transportation; Research; Research and educational facilities; Safety; Test tracks; Traffic safety

Highways; Railroads; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities

TRIS, TRB

Jul 11 1997 12:00AM

• COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS BENEFIT STATE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENTS AND PUBLIC TRANSIT AGENCIES: TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
• DEVELOPING AVIATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE FUTURE: FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
• IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY PAVES WAY TO BETTER ROADS AND BRIDGES: FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
• RESEARCH PAYS OFF: MEMORIAL TUNNEL FIRE TEST PROGRAM
• RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, DEMONSTRATION, AND TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT: FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
• SAVING LIVES THROUGH RESEARCH AND TESTING: NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION