Higgphspeed Rail Challenges on The Northeast · PDF fileHiggphspeed Rail Challenges on The Northeast Corridor ... Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME: ... traffic/operating

Highspeed Rail Challenges g p gon 

The Northeast Corridor

Frank VaccaMay 4, 2011

HSR P

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT

HSR Practicum

North American Differences to Consider

•NEC Operating Characteristics•NEC Operating Characteristics

•Regulatory Environment

•Axle Loads/Impact Loads

•Vehicle/Track Interaction Issues (VTI)Vehicle/Track Interaction Issues (VTI)

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 2

Not Too DifferentNot Too Different

•Catenary•Catenary

• Structures I L do Impact Leads

• Signalso Broken Rail Protectiono Positive Train Control

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 3

Northeast CorridorNortheast Corridor

•Mixed Traffic UseMixed Traffic Useo Impact Loadingo Maintenance Window Conflictso Mai te a ce Wi dow Co icts

•Corridor Configurationo Interlocking Spacingo Interlocking Spacingo Number of Wayside TO’s

A f ROW dA•Age of ROW and Assetso Curves/GradesS b d d B ll t C diti

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 4

o Sub‐grade and Ballast Conditions

Freight Trains

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 5

Commuter Trains

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 6

Commuter TrainsHighSpeed & RegionalHighSpeed & Regional

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 7

Regulatoryegu a o y

•Positive Train Control• Positive Train Control

•Roadway Worker Protection

•Track/Structures and Signal Standards

•Crash WorthinessCrash Worthiness

•Rule of Particular Applicability

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 8

Axle Loads•NEC is a Mixed Traffic environment

•Amtrak uses six Wheel Impact Load Detector (WILD) sites to control axle loads and impactsp

• 286,000 pound freight axle loads permitted 

Th t ti l d i t i h h i•The static load environment is much heavier than HSR abroad

•Higher speeds result in shock damage to IJs, joints and other special track work

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 9

Average Vertical LoadsE INEC WILD Sites

60

40

50

                                         34 MPH                                     114 MPH            140 MPH                74 MPH    

30

40

DynamicWheel Load

Statich l d

10

20 Wheel Load

0

Empty Freight Loaded Freight Acela  Acela Comm

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 10

Peak Vertical Loads NEC WILD Sites

140

100

120         34 MPH                     200 MPH           114 MPH            140 MPH            74 MPH

60

80PeakWheel Load

St ti

20

40

StaticWheel Load

0

EmptyFreight

LoadedFreight

Europeanlimit

Acela  Acela Comm

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 11

g g

VTI IssuesVTI Issues

•How Rolling Stock Behaves on a Segment of•How Rolling Stock Behaves on a Segment of Tracko Ride QualityQ yo Wheel & Rail Maintenanceo Truck Hunting

•Defectso Combination of Profile and Alignmento Combination of Profile and Alignmento Short & Long Warps

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 12

Raw Geometry Car Data from VTI blProblem Site

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 13

Filtered Data from VTI Problem SiteHarmonics

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 14

North American Highspeed RailNorth American Highspeed Rail

•Regulatory Environment = Adaptation•Regulatory Environment   Adaptation

• Impact Loads = Greater Maintenance

•VTI Issues = Greater concern for mixed traffic/operating characteristics/passenger ride 

fcomfort

•NEC = Complexity in meeting everyone’s expectations for rail

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 15

Thank You

Engineering THE TRAVEL SOLUTION FOR OUR TIME:  COMMUNITY ~ MOBILITY ~ ENVIRONMENT 16