This report is the first in a three-part series describing the technical contributions of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Vole Center) to the UIC/WEC (International Union of Railways/World Executive Council) joint research project on Rail Defect Management. Specifically, this report describes engineering analyses that are used to examine the growth of internal rail defects that were tested under laboratory conditions. The second report in this series describes similar engineering analyses that were conducted to examine the growth...

This report is the second in a three-part series describing the technical contributions of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Vole Center) to the UIC/WEC (International Union of Railways/World Executive Council) joint research project on Rail Defect Management. Specifically, this report describes engineering analyses that are used to examine the growth of internal rail defects that were tested under field conditions. The first report in this series describes similar engineering analyses that were conducted to examine the growth of...

This report is the third in a three-part series describing the technical contributions of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) to the UIC/WEC (International Union of Railways/World Executive Council) joint research project on Rail Defect Management. The first two reports presented correlations between engineering calculations and rail defect growth test data generated under laboratory and field test conditions. This report discusses some of the applications of these engineering analyses to rail defect management. These...

U. S. Railroad operations are undergoing rapid changes involving the introduction of new technologies such as positive train control (PTC), energy management systems (EMS), and electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes in the locomotive cab. To help ensure these and other new technologies are optimally designed for safe and efficient use, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is interested in introducing Human Systems Integration (HSI) to the railroad industry. HSI is a systematic, organization-wide approach to implementing new technologies and modernizing existing systems that can...

The U.S. Postal Service proposes to transport bypass and non-priority mail by hovercraft on a permanent, year-round basis from the city of Bethel to nine Alaskan villages along the Kuskokwim, Johnson, and Pikmiktalic Rivers.

Connected Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) safety applications heavily rely on the BSM, which is one of the messages defined in the Society of Automotive standard J2735, Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) Message Set Dictionary, November 2009. The BSM is broadcast from vehicles over the 5.9 GHz DSRC band. Transmission range is on the order of 1,000 meters.

This project addresses the various transportation issues involving Shenandoah National Park, helps to facilitate the participation of Shenandoah National Park in regional traveler-information systems, addresses various access and safety issues at some of Shenandoah's main attractions, and helps to provide a better understanding of the socioeconomic conditions and trends in the Shenandoah Valley region that may potentially influence current and future visitation. Key findings and future directions are summarized below.

A group of existing, proposed, and potential ferry services is the subject of a comprehensive assessment to assist the strategic planning process of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for its future transportation system. The Volpe Center developed a tool for scoring all of the relevant factors for ferry service, including terminal and infrastructure, access, intermodal connectivity, navigational and operational matters, and environmental concerns. In addition, the assessment accounts for the costs of running the ferry services, and the anticipated passenger demand (per the analysis of the...

This plan identifies components of a sustainable and effective alternative transportation system that will provide improved access to, and connections among, the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site units. The goal is to reduce the congestion and pollution resulting from the mass-usage of private vehicles, by replacing them with transit alternatives. In particular, routes are proposed that connect the Vanderbilt Mansion to the Home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as well as the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historical Site. In addition, various transit vehicles are recommended for such...

The Conference Report to accompany the FY 2004 Omnibus Appropriations legislation1 directs the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to report to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations on the performance of the intermodal system with respect to the efficiency of the most congested ports.