We conducted statistical analyses and used modeling techniques to develop derailment probabilities for freight trains and freight cars operating on North American railroads. Knowing the expected frequency of derailment and the conditional probabilities of derailment for individual cars enables estimation of the derailment risk as it is affected by train length, operating speed, and positioning ...

The regulation of telecommunications, railroads, and other network industries has been based on mandatory unbundling and facilities sharing – entrants have the option to lease part or all of incumbents’ facilities if and when they desire, at rates determined by regulators. This flexibility is of great value to entrants, but because investments are largely irreversible, it is costly to supply by...

Heavy industrialization has resulted in the contamination of soil by metals from anthropogenic sources in Anniston, Alabama. This situation calls for increased public awareness of the soil contamination issue and better knowledge of the main factors contributing to the potential sources contaminating residential soil. The purpose of this spatial epidemiology research is to describe the effects ...

This paper reports the progress as well as the improvement in the methods being used in the development of drainage maps of fine detail from aerial photographs of the several counties of Indiana. This drainage mapping, which is about 25 percent complete, is a part of the current highway research program at Purdue University; it is conducted by the State Highway Commission of Indiana and the Joi...

After two major storms, the Swedish Transport Administration was granted permission in 2008 to expand the railroad corridor from 10 to 20 m from the rail banks, and to clear the forest edges in the expanded area. In order to evaluate the possibilities for managers to promote and control the species composition of the woody regrowth so that a forest edge with a graded profile develops over time,...

The Transportation Research Forum, founded in 1958, is an independent, nonprofit organization of transportation professionals who conduct, use, and benefit from research. Its purpose is to provide an impartial meeting ground for carriers, shippers, government officials, consultants, university researchers, suppliers, and others seeking exchange of information and ideas related to both passenger...