Volpe Center Crashworthiness Experts On-Call

The Volpe Center's Rail Equipment Crashworthiness Team conducts research to generate technical information that can serve as the basis for Federal regulations, industry standards, and railroad specifications. This information relates to passenger- and freight-equipment crashworthiness and occupant-protection features. The team's activities include investigations of train accidents, development of improved crashworthiness strategies, impact tests of baseline and improved-design equipment, and analyses of car-crush, and train and occupant dynamics.

Beginning in 1999, the team has been on-call to investigate severe passenger train collisions. To date they have investigated 14 accidents. Recent investigations include:

• A Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train near Chatsworth, California—September 12, 2008.
• Two Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line trains in Newton, Massachusetts—May 28, 2008.
• A freight car and an MBTA commuter train in Canton, Massachusetts—March 25, 2008.
• An Amtrak passenger train and a freight train in Chicago, Illinois—November 30, 2007.

An important component of these investigations is to determine the sequence of events leading up to the accident, including reconstruction of train motion and occupant kinematics.

The Volpe Center team is currently working with the Federal Railroad Administration to develop standards for crashworthy light-rail-style equipment for mixed-use service with conventional passenger and freight equipment.

Rail Equipment Crashworthiness team member Mike Carolan at the scene of the September 12, 2008 collision in Chatsworth, California. (Volpe Center photo)