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Mitigating Railcar Telescoping Risk: Crashworthiness Standards Overview

Explore the impact of crashworthiness standards on preventing railcar telescoping incidents and protecting passenger survival space. Learn about the 1000-series Metrorail cars' structural vulnerabilities and the importance of setting minimum safety standards. Discover how individual transit operators manage crashworthiness specifications to enhance passenger safety.

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Mitigating Railcar Telescoping Risk: Crashworthiness Standards Overview

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  1. Survival Factors Crashworthiness

  2. Crashworthiness Issues • Carbody telescoping. • Minimum crashworthiness standards for transit railcars.

  3. Vehicle Dynamics • Train 703 - non-revenue - 6 railcars / 1000 series - 3.72 % grade - > 2,200 ft - estimated 36 mph

  4. Vehicle Dynamics • Train 105 - revenue - 6 railcars / 4000 series - train operator and about 70 passengers - stopped / servicing platform - train operator escaped / warned passengers

  5. Vehicle Dynamics • Collision - Train 703 / last railcar - Train 105 / first railcar • longitudinal override about 20 ft • loss of about 34 linear feet of occupant survival space (almost half the length of passenger compartment)

  6. Vehicle Dynamics • Train 703 / last railcar - collision posts survived essentiallyintact - carbody underframe structure adjacent to collision posts failed • Train 105 / first railcar - carbody structure withstood collision

  7. Carbody Telescoping Woodley Park collision – November 2004 / Car 1077 interior

  8. Carbody Telescoping Woodley Park collision – November 2004

  9. Carbody Telescoping

  10. Technical Specs Review • Structural features / collision protection provisions • Carbody design versions: - Rohr 1000 series - Breda 2000, 3000, 4000 - CAF 5000 - ALSTOM 6000

  11. Technical Specs Review • Structural features / collision protection provisions • Carbody design versions: resiliency: - Rohr 1000 series least - Breda 2000, 3000, 4000 higher - CAF 5000 next higher - ALSTOM 6000 highest

  12. Carbody Telescoping • Metrorail has made progress… in the ability of a carbody end-structure to resist catastrophic telescoping. Recommendation R-96-37: Closed - Acceptable Action in May 2002.

  13. 1000 Series / Rohr Railcars • Least relative degree of carbody end-structure resiliency   • About 31 % of fleet  • Targeted retirement in 2012

  14. Conclusion • The failure of the carbody (underframe) end structure of the 1000-series Metrorail cars may make them susceptible to telescoping and potentially subject to a catastrophic compromise of the occupant survival space.

  15. Minimum Crashworthiness Standards for Transit Railcars • FRA: crashworthiness standards for railroad / commuter passenger railcars. • FTA: regulatory authority over transit operations, but no railcar crashworthiness provisions.

  16. Minimum Crashworthiness Standards for Transit Railcars • Individual transit system operators: - prescribe own crashworthiness specifications - use specialized technical contractors • No minimum structural crashworthiness standards for transit railcar equipment

  17. Conclusion • The failure to have minimum crashworthiness standards for preventing telescoping of rail transit cars in collisions places an unnecessary risk on passengers and crew.

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