Rail passenger equipment accidents and the evaluation of crashworthiness strategies

The US Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Office of Research and Development has been conducting research into rail equipment crashworthiness. The approach taken in conducting this research has been to review relevant accidents, to identify options for design modifications to improve occupant survivability and to apply analytic tools and testing techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of these strategies. Accidents have been grouped into three categories: train-to-train collisions, collisions with objects, such as grade crossing collisions, and derailments and other single-train events. In order to determine the potential effectiveness of improved crashworthiness equipment, computer models have been used to simulate the behaviour of conventional and modified equipment in scenarios based on accidents.