ANALYSIS OF WEATHER EVENTS ON U.S RAILROADS.pdf

4A.2 ANALYSIS OF WEATHER EVENTS ON U.S RAILROADS Michael A. Rossetti* Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge, MA 1. BACKGROUND Weather conditions exert a major influence on U.S. railroads. These conditions may affect operating efficiency, physical infrastructure, and the safe passage of freight and people. Railroad companies operate within a variety of meteorological conditions, some of which are particularly problematic for rail transportation. These also have significant seasonal and time-of-day components. Precipitation and fog lead to decreased visibility of signals, flash floods can wash out tracks, and excessive heat can warp tracks. Crosswinds can reduce stability or lead to blow-over of railcars. Snow and ice may cause regional delays or shutdowns. Serious problems can also result from preexisting accumulations of rain, ice and snow not associated with current weather conditions. Over 140,000 miles of railroad track comprise the U.S network. Railroads account for about 28-percent of total ton-miles of U.S. freight shipments, second only to trucking. There are now seven major freight railroads and one intercity passenger railroad. Line-haul railroads primarily transport cargo over a long distance within a rail network. They provide for the intercity movement of trains between the terminals and stations on main and branch lines of a line-haul rail network. Short line railroads transport cargo over a short distance on local rail lines, and are not part of a rail network. Local operations may result in lower overall exposure to adverse weather. Based on data derived from Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) statistics, there were at least 861 railroad incidents associated with existing or pre-existing weather conditions over the period 1995- 2005. Despite the growing availability and sophistication of weather information and introduction of new technologies, adverse we