Public transportation provides opportunities for people to share a common platform or mode of transportation as they move from place to place, often amassing persons in large groups or quantities. Rail transportation in particular has the benefit of accommodating very large numbers of people in one movement, often upwards of 1000 persons. The benefits to society are considerable: shared resources, lower impacts on the environment, and more efficient use of time and energy. The consequence when something goes wrong, however, can also be considerable: mass casualties (fatalities and/or injuries) from a single event, disrupted supply chains, and environmental damages to name a few. Even if persons are not physically harmed, the effects of an incident can be felt by a far greater number of persons. Adequate preparation can play a key role in minimizing the effects of mass casualty events such as railway collisions or derailments. Indeed, lives can be saved or lost depending on the resources, training, and organization that are employed when responding to a mass casualty incident.

Accident investigation reports and related documents provide a wealth of information for rail professionals, even across different modes of transportation. This information can be used to improve operations, maintenance, safety, training, and emergency response. It can also guide the procurement and design of new equipment and infrastructure. At the same time, the historical nature of the information as well as the volume available and variety of sources can be a barrier to effective use. This paper will provide an introduction to some of the sources of transportation accident data and reports, including the variety of topic-specific information and special reports that are available. The discussion will include less-considered sources of accident information including foreign transportation safety boards as well as specialized federal and state agencies. Accidents that were investigated and reported on by more than one organization are also discussed.

Union Pacific Railroad’s Moffat Tunnel Subdivision, west of Denver, Colorado, was significantly impacted by an approximately 500 to 1,000 year storm event that occurred between September 9, 2013 and September 13, 2013. As a result of this historic event, washouts, earth slides, and debris flows severely impacted track infrastructure by eroding track embankments, destabilizing surrounding native slopes, and overwhelming stormwater infrastructure. Emergency response activities performed to restore track operations at Milepost (MP) 25.65 and MP 22.86 required the integration of civil, hydraulic, environmental and geotechnical engineering disciplines into emergency response and construction management efforts. Additionally, support from UPRR’s Real Estate Division was required when addressing private ownership and site access issues. The following text summarizes how coordinated efforts between various groups worked together in a pressure setting to restore rail service. The most significant damage occurred at MP 25.65 in a mountainous slot canyon between two tunnels accessible only by rail and consisted of a washout, approximately 200 feet (61 m) in length with a depth of 100 feet (30 m). MP 22.86 experienced slides on both sides of the track resulting in an unstable and near vertical track embankment which required significant fill and rock armoring. In addition to the embankment failures at MP 22.86, flood flows scoured around the underlying creek culvert, further threatening the geotechnical stability of the track embankment. The storm event highlighted the vulnerability of fill sections, where original construction used trestles. The repair plan engineered for MP 25.65 was developed to restore the lost embankment fill to near pre-flood conditions while limiting environmental impacts in order to minimize regulatory permitting requirements. Fill replacement performed during the initial emergency response was completed within 22 days, notwithstanding site remoteness and difficult access. Repair of the embankment required the placement of approximately 90,000 cubic yards (68,800 cubic meters) of fill and installation of four 48-inch (122-cm) culverts. Repair of embankment sloughing and scour damage at MP 22.86 was accomplished without the need for environmental permits by working from above the ordinary high water mark, using a “one track in – one track out” approach while restoring infrastructure to pre-flood conditions. A new headwall to address flow around the culvert inlet received expedited permit authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by limiting the construction footprint through implementation of best management practices and minimizing placement of fill below the ordinary high water mark. Service interruptions, such as those at MP 22.86 and MP 25.65, require sound engineering practices that can be quickly and efficiently implemented during emergency response situations that often occur in less than ideal working environments. Track outages not only impact the efficiency of a railroad’s operating network, but also impact interstate and global commerce as transportation of goods are hindered. The need to have a team of experienced engineering and construction professionals responding to natural disasters was demonstrated by this storm event.

The recent expansion in the production of shale petroleum crude oil, combined with the lack of new pipeline construction, has placed the railroads at the center stage for safe and efficient transport of very large volumes of this commodity. Petroleum crude oil poses fire risk in the event of train accidents. The consequence modeling based on the US DOT Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) or ALOHA (Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres), a popular atmospheric dispersion model used for evaluating releases of hazardous chemical vapors, may be overly simplistic and limited to estimate the risk of flammable liquid releases. This paper aims to address this gap and develop a simple model to estimate flammable liquid release consequences, focusing on petroleum crude oil. A flow model using the spatial geographic information system (GIS) and the digital elevation model (DEM) is developed. The methodology was illustrated with a case study comparing the results from the model to the area affected from the Lac-Mégantic accident. Although the model does not consider advanced flow types or fire propagation, the results accurately describe the consequences of the accident, demonstrating the potential capability of this methodology to estimate the consequences of a crude oil release.

The purpose of this IEEE and Transit IDEA project was to develop and test a device to give rail transit personnel and train operators advance warning of dangers well in advance of entering the danger zones such as approaching train and other potential dangers such as Fire, Chemical, and Biological Releases. This device can provide a reliable way of giving the track worker; train operator and emergency responders a warning in enough time to avoid potential accidents, injuries, or death. Further this device cuts down on incident response time from the Operational Control Center to Command Center to provide additional security and eliminate lost response time. The information provided in this report will enable other rail rapid transit agencies the ability to consider using such devices to give early warning of approaching trains and other dangers to track workers, track walkers, track inspectors, emergency responders and signal personnel and also to give the train operator early warning of the presence of personnel in the track area as well as other dangers ahead.