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Between April 2021 and April 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration sponsored a research team from The Pennsylvania State University to conduct a study on optimizing tamping maintenance. In this report, researchers examine the impact of various tamping parameters on railway ballast...
This research builds upon previous FRA-funded studies using the LRAIL 3D laser triangulation scanning system and Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs) to identify track health attributes. The focus lies on developing technology-agnostic methodologies for processing LRAIL data, catering to...
The objective of this project was to investigate the feasibility of Raman and fluorescence piezo-spectroscopy as a mobile method to measure the absolute stress in rail. This study identified Raman and fluorescence-sensitive oxides on the rail surface that can be used as an in-situ passive sensor...
This document is the final report for Phase I of a two-phase research project, “User-Centered Design for Railroad Automation (UCD-Rail),” to develop and demonstrate an improved interface between human operators and advanced automation in rail systems. Applying user-centered design methodology,...
This report assesses the safety benefits of a real-time railroad crossing information system for emergency responders. The study focuses on reducing first responder delays at rail crossings, which have become increasingly critical due to the rise in average train lengths in the United States....
The Federal Railroad Administration contracted a research team from The University of Texas at Austin in 2023 to develop a framework for evaluating the updated costs and benefits of freight railway electrification considering traditional and modern innovative methods. The team reviewed past and...
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) tasked the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe) to conduct an evaluation of the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) implementation processes, sustainability, and safety outcomes. The research team assessed program...
The main aim of this project was to develop a wheel-rail creep force model that accounts for the effects of third-body layers resulting from the application of a range of top-of-rail (TOR) materials. Initially, researchers carried out experimental assessments of different types of TOR products...