Advancing Rail Safety Through Research
Railroads continue to operate in an increasingly demanding environment shaped by higher axle loads, growth in hazardous materials traffic, and shifts in operating practices that may impact safety and reliability. These conditions magnify the consequences of in-service failures of critical components and challenge traditional inspection, operating, and maintenance practices.
At the same time, advances in inspection systems, communications, artificial intelligence and modeling tools offer new ways to mitigate risk. To be effective, however, these technologies must be rigorously evaluated under representative controlled conditions before widespread deployment.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) maintains a multidisciplinary research program that utilizes full-scale testing, simulation and modeling, and targeted field experimentation. A significant portion of this work is conducted at FRA’s Transportation Technology Center (TTC), whose facilities enable investigations that cannot be safely or efficiently performed on revenue railroads.
This article highlights key FRA research initiatives under way at TTC, supported by railroads, suppliers, universities, and other industry partners, and explains how these efforts advance data-driven standards, performance-based regulations, and practical safety improvements.
Track Research
FRA’s track research focuses on reducing derailment risk associated with vehicle-track interaction and degradation or failure of track components. A core element of the program is the evaluation of emerging inspection and monitoring technologies.
One priority area is rail integrity. FRA continues to advance non-destructive evaluation methods to improve the reliability and efficiency of rail flaw detection and characterization. TTC supports this work through the nation’s most extensive library of rail and weld defects, along with the Rail Defect Test Facility, a nearly one-mile test track containing known service-induced and machined defects. These resources allow technology developers to calibrate and validate advanced inspection systems under known conditions.
FRA also focuses on continuously welded rail management. Excessive longitudinal rail forces remain a leading contributor to high-consequence derailments. At TTC, FRA establishes controlled track conditions to support development of longitudinal force measurement tools and rail neutral temperature monitoring technologies. Current research includes refinement of rail break theory, particularly in curves and frozen ballast conditions. Development of improved guidance for low rail temperature differential (ΔT) and small rail gap scenarios will follow in the next phase of this research.
FRA is also improving vehicle-track interaction modeling by developing and validating vehicle model parameters through full-scale vehicle characterization and testing. Assessment of vehicle response under a wide range of controlled conditions for model validation will utilize TTC’s full scale vehicle test fixtures and FRA’s adjustable test track, currently the only U.S. facility capable of introducing isolated and combined geometry deviations. By summer 2026, a curved adjustable track section will complement the existing tangent section. Validated models will support derailment investigations and evaluation of performance-based safety standards.
In parallel, FRA is advancing innovative inspection technologies aimed at assessing track strength, support conditions, and degradation mechanisms. Emphasis is placed on non-contact methods, autonomous operation, integrated systems, and advanced data analysis using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Recent efforts have evaluated vertical track deflection measurement and alternative approaches to estimating vertical track stiffness. TTC’s test tracks provide suppliers and railroads with real-world environments to mature these technologies.
Rolling Stock Research
FRA’s rolling stock research addresses derailment prevention, crashworthiness, and hazards associated with new vehicle technologies. Full-scale testing at TTC plays a vital role.
Tank car research continues to provide the technical foundation for FRA rulemaking and standards development. In coordination with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and industry stakeholders, FRA uses full-scale impact testing to refine tank car design, construction, and use. In January 2026, FRA will conduct testing with a DOT-112 tank car to determine deformation modes and puncture resistance to side impacts.
Passenger equipment research in 2026 will include compression testing of an Arrow III railcar using TTC’s upgraded Squeeze Test Fixture, capable of applying loads up to 2.6 million pounds. Results will inform ongoing improvements to passenger car crashworthiness standards.
FRA is also assessing protective structures for battery energy storage systems introduced into the railroad environment. Testing will characterize potential damage to batteries and associated electrical components resulting from falls, blunt impacts, rollovers, and fire exposure. Custom fixtures developed for this work will remain available for future industry testing.
Condition-based maintenance and vehicle inspection is another priority with several initiatives planned.
Train Control, Communications and Human Factors Research
FRA’s train control and communications research emphasizes technologies that reduce collisions between trains or with highway vehicles. Current initiatives include evaluation of connected vehicle communications to enhance grade crossing safety. Testing at TTC in 2024 and 2025 focused on cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) systems capable of providing warnings to motorists at active and passive crossings. Full-scale testing of technologies supporting next-generation train control is anticipated in 2026.
Human factors research complements these efforts by addressing operational practices and training needs associated with accident risk. A switching and shoving safety study completed in 2025 identified gaps in current industry training and led to creation of a pilot training program developed in cooperation with railroads and labor organizations. Future training at TTC is expected to include realistic yard scenarios that cannot be safely staged in revenue service yards. This training is intended to complement existing railroad training programs.
Facility Enhancements and Partnerships
Advancing rail safety requires sustained collaboration among regulators, railroads, suppliers, and researchers. FRA encourages industry partners to engage with its research program and leverage the unique capabilities of TTC to evaluate new technologies, inform standards, and translate research into practical safety improvements.
