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Abstract
Safe and efficient movement of goods and people is the primary objective of the railroads that make up the US rail transportation system. Continued technological advances and opportunities for their adoption abound, and many are being implemented by today’s railroads. Despite these advancements, derailment rates have generally remained constant in recent years. What do railroads, regulators, and investigators need to do in the age of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) to bring derailment rates under 1.0/million train miles?
In Part 1 of Mr. Wolf’s Hay Seminar on 9 April 2021 (available to view here), a case was made for the need to lower the derailment rate in North America. Overarching strategic initiatives for the rail industry were developed and presented. Also, the downstream effects of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) on rail operations were discussed.
In Part 2 of Mr. Wolf’s presentation, he will go into detail and list 12 tactical initiatives/objectives for achieving a reduction in the derailment rate. These initiatives will cover corporate responsibility, track maintenance issues, vehicle issues, a new approach to understanding human failure, and how “big data” can be leveraged to assist in the quest to reduce train derailments.
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