1994 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chairman: Joseph M. Sussman, JR East Professor and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge Vice Chairman: Lillian C. Liburdi, Director, Port Department, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York City Executive Director: Thomas B. Deen, Transportation Research Board Brian J. L. Berry, Lloyd Viel Berkner Regental Professor and Chair, Bruton Center for Development Studies, University of Texas at Dallas Dwight M. Bower, Director, Idaho Department of Transportation, Boise John E. Breen, The Nasser I. Al-Rashid Chair in Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin Kirk Brown, Secretary, Illinois Department of Transportation, Springfield David Burwell, President, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Washington, D.C. L. G. (Gary) Byrd, Consultant, Alexandria, Virginia A. Ray Chamberlain, Vice President of Freight Policy, American Trucking Associations, Alexandria, Virginia (Past Chairman, 1993) Ray W. Clough (Nishkian Professor of Structural Engineering Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley), Structures Consultant, Sun.river, Oregon Richard K. Davidson, Chairman and CEO, Union Pacific Railroad, Omaha, Nebraska James C. DeLong, Director of Aviation, Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado De1on Hampton, Chairman and CEO, Delon Hampton & Associates, Chartered, Washington, D.C. Don C. Kelly, Secretary and Commissioner of Highways, Transportation Cabinet, Frankfort, Kentucky Robert Kochanowski, Executive Director, Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Planning Commission, Pittsburgh James L. Lammie, President and CEO, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc., New York City William W. Millar, Executive Director, Port Authority of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Past Chairman, 1992) Charles P. O'Leary, Jr., Commissioner, New Hampshire Department of Transportation, Concord Brig. Geo. Jude W. P. Patin (retired), Secretary, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Baton Rouge Neil Peterson, former Executive Director, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Redondo Beach, California Darrel Reosink, Director, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames James W. van Loben Sels, Director, California Department of Transportation, Sacramento C. Michael Walton, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering and Chairman, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (Past Chairman, 1991) David N. Wormley, Dean of Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park Howard Yerusalim, Secretary of Transportation, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Harrisburg Robert A. Young ID, President, ABF Freight Systems, Inc., Fort Smith, Arkansas Mike Acott, President, National Asphalt Pavement Association, Lanham, Maryland (ex officio) Roy A. Allen, Vice President, Research and Test Department, Association of American Railroads, Washington, D.C. (ex officio) Andrew H. Card, Jr., President and CEO, American Automobile Manufacturers Association, Washington, D.C. (ex officio) Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO, American Trucking Associations, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia (ex officio) Francis B. Francois, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C. (ex officio) Jack R. Gilstrap, Executive Vice President, American Public Transit Association, Washington, D.C. (ex officio) Ana S. Gutierrez, Acting Administrator, Research and Special Programs Administration, U.S. Deparonent of Transportation (ex officio) Christopher Hart, Acting Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio) Vice Adm. Albert J. Herberger, Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio) David R. Hinson, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio) Gordon J. Linton, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio) Jolene M. Molitoris, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio) Rodney E. Slater, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio) Lt. Gen. Arthur E. Williams, Chief of Engineers and Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C. (ex officio) CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 2 Railroad Freight Transportation Research Needs Proceedings of a Conference Bethesda, Maryland July 12-14, 1993 Sponsored by Transportation Research Board American Association of Railroads Federal Railroad Administration TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS WASHINGTON, D.C. 1994 Conference Proceedings 2 Transportation Research Board publications are available by ordering individual publications directly from the ISSN 1073-1652 TRB Business Office or by annual subscription through organizational or individual affiliation with TRB. Affili­ ISBN 0-309-05503-2 ates and library subscribers are eligible for substantial discounts. For further information or to obtain a catalog of TRB publications in print, write to Transportation Research Board, Business Office, National Research Coun­ Subscriber Category cil, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20418 (telephone 202-334-3214). VII rail - Printed in the United States of America NOTICE: The conference that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the Na­ tional Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to the procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of the members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Acad­ emy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. Th,, viPws ""I"'"""cl "'" those of the authors ancl clo not necessMily reflect the views of the committee, the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the sponsors of the conference. This conference was sponsored by the Transportation Research Board, the Association of American Rail­ roads, and the Federal Railroad Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Steering Committee for a Conference on Railroad Research Needs Chair: David N. Wormley, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park L. Stanley Crane, Consolidated Rail Corporation (retired), Gladwyne, Pennsylvania David J. DeBoer, Greenbrier Intermodal Corporation, Walnut Creek, California Steven R. Ditmeyer, MK Rail Corporation, Boise, Idaho Robert E. Gallamore, Union Pacific Railroad, Omaha, Nebraska E. Thomas Harley, LTK Engineering Services, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania John E. Jones, Jr., Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee Paul E. Nowicki, The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company, Schaumburg, Illinois Michael D. Roney, CP Rail System, Montreal, Canada E. Donald Sussman, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts Joseph M. Sussman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge Henry B. Wyche, Jr., Norfolk Southern Corporation, Roanoke, Virginia Liaison Representatives Robert L. Krick, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation James R. Lundgren, Association of American Railroads, Washington, D.C. Transportation Resean:h Board Staff Robert E. Spicher, Director, Technical Activities Elaine King, Rail Transport Specialist Nancy P. Humphrey, Senior Program Officer, Studies and Information Services Nancy A. Ackerman, Director, Reports and Editorial Services Luanne Crayton, Associate Editor Preface ore than 18 years has passed since the Transportation Research Board (TRB) undertook the first comprehensive examination of railroad research needs under M the joint ponsorship of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The 1975 conference report helped guide railroad research for more than a decade. In 1992 AAR and FRA asked TRB to organize a new assessment of railroad freight transportation research requirements and conduct a national conference to help guide railroad research into the 21st century. The primary objective of this Conference on Railroad Freight Transportation Research Needs was to identify research needs, opportunities, and priorities­ for both the public and private sectors-during the next 10 to 15 years. The primary focus was research needs related to the nation's freight rail network. However, passenger rail issues were included insofar as they involved common use with freight rail service or were applicable to both freight and passenger rail service. Many factors have changed since the previous TRB assessment of railroad research needs. Congressional action in 1976 and 1980 ended much of the economic regulation under which the railroad industry had operated for almost a century. Deregulation created a new, more competitive environment in which railroads have powerful incentives to increase efficiency and trim costs. Moreover, deregulation reduced federal involvement in railroad operations and related research, shifting responsibilities for research and its funding more heavily onto the private sector. In sum, the passage of time since the last assessment of railroad