At the direction of Congress, the Federal Railroad Administration retained the Transportation Research Board (TRB) to examine the effects of operating trains greater than 7,500’ in length. This included aspects of long-train operations such as in-train forces and distributed power operations that affect derailments and communications between locomotives and among crewmembers, crew training, public impacts on highway-rail grade crossings, and on passenger trains. TRB formed a committee in 2022 whose activities included review of pertinent literature, analysis of data, consideration of FRA and TSB safety advisories, hearing presentations by industry and government experts, and academic researchers. In September 2024 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published the committee’s report that included several recommendations to industry and government. Two members of the committee, Paul Vilter and Pete Swan, will present on the activities of the committee, its findings, and its recommendations.
