Railroads

ARA’s world-class research efforts are advancing rail-related technologies and helping define new industry standards. In serving the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, private railroads, and transit authorities, ARA offers the railroad and transit communities a range of technologies and services to address several critical rail-related areas, including:

• Crashworthiness of passenger and freight rail cars
• Computer modeling and simulation of rail car and track interactions that help identify critical scenarios and prevent derailments
• Nondestructive testing to assess structural conditions of rail, tie, and ballast materials
• Geotechnical-related risk assessments
• Human factors modeling of key decision-making activities
• Modeling & simulation of emergency response scenarios for training purposes
• Track condition assessment and asset management systems