(The Federal Railroad Adminstration issued the following news release on July 5.)
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced the award of a safety research grant to the University of California at San Diego to develop new technology that helps detect rail defects.
The university will receive a $237,794 grant to research technology that will use ultrasonic waves and a pulsed laser to inspect the entire rail from top to bottom. Through this evaluation, the technology will be able to identify certain types of defects often missed by current inspection methods. Once the prototype is developed, the technology will be installed on FRA’s newest track research vehicle, the T-18, which was recently added to the agency’s fleet of automated track inspection vehicles.
“Better inspections equal fewer train wrecks,” said FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. “Improved track safety means increased safety for communities where railroads operate.”
The agency’s new National Rail Safety Action Plan calls for better rail inspection procedures as part of an aggressive effort to improve safety throughout the railroad industry. Track-caused accidents are the second leading cause of all train accidents. While the rail industry experienced a reduction in the overall number of track-caused accidents in recent years, the continued growth of rail traffic and heavier freight car loads increases stress on the rails.
FRA also has studies underway to determine the effect of fatigue on different types of rail steels and how cracks develop and spread within rail; to review railroad crosstie construction design to ensure the rails stay in place and remain properly aligned; and to develop technologies to warn train crews of broken rails that lie ahead.