Intelligent Transportation System/Positive Train Control at Highway-Rail Intersections [Research Results]

Federal Railroad Administration2007PDFBriefUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research and DevelopmentRaslear, ThomasUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research and DevelopmentUnited StatesDedicated short range communicationsGlobal Positioning SystemInfrastructureIntelligent transportation systemsPositive train controlRailroad grade crossingsRailroad safetyRailroad transportationWarning systemsProximity detectorsSafety benefitsVehicle proximity alertRR 07-20Since the mid-1990s, the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has sponsored research, conducted by the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center of the U.S. DOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), aimed at integrating Positive Train Control (PTC) and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies. The objective of this research is to improve safety and efficiency at highway-rail intersections (HRIs) by finding affordable, standardized systems that can be installed at HRIs to provide immediate safety benefits. The immediate goal is to validate, through demonstration projects, the cost-effective safety benefits of promising ITS technologies. By evaluating systems using evolving ITS technologies at HRIs in corridors where PTC will be installed, existing infrastructure may be utilized to minimize demonstration development and cost. Figure 1 shows a typical PTC configuration. This study included (1) an evaluation of vehicle proximity alerting systems (VPAS), (2) two symposia on the implications of ITS for railroads, (3) participation in the development of standards related to infrastructure communications, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard for the Interface Between the Rail Subsystem and the Highway Subsystem at a Highway Rail Intersection (IEEE Std 1570-2002, as shown in Figure 2), and (4) a periodically updated survey and review of relevant projects and promising technologies. The VPAS tests, conducted in 1995\u20131996, were designed to measure the ability of the prototype systems to provide warnings to priority vehicles (i.e., emergency vehicles, school buses, vehicles carrying hazardous materials, and large trucks) from trains approaching and occupying nearby HRIs. The results demonstrated that the VPAS concept is feasible, but all systems tested would require further development [1]. In reviewing the ITS activities, the Volpe Center found that several of the projects provided beneficial safety features. For example, changeable message signs (CMS) were found to be one of the most cost-effective technologies available to provide increased information to motorists. Other promising technologies included dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) and Differential Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) systems, as well as video detection and monitoring.127