Railway Interchange 2019

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FRA Implementation of Nationwide Rail Temperature Predictions (Room 103 A)

24 Sep 19
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Tracks: AREMA Technical Sessions By Date- Maintenance-of-Way, AREMA Technical Sessions By Functional Group- Maintenance-of-Way, Technical Sessions By Day- Tuesday

This presentation describes the FRA implementation of nationwide rail temperature predictions. The FRA developed a user-friendly application accessible from both desktop and mobile platforms. This application allows users real time access to the output of rail temperature prediction model based on detailed weather forecasts. Rail temperatures predicted 36 hours in advance nationwide are provided along with a history of predicted temperatures for the previous 7 days. An archive of rail temperature prediction since 2010 is also maintained. The application also estimates the risk of track buckling based on the predicted rail temperatures and user input estimates of rail neutral temperature and lateral track strength. FRA regional personnel use the application to aid track and heat inspections, derailment investigation and to evaluate execution of CWR policies. The FRA intends to upgrade the application to provide users with calculated rail adjustments values based on rail temperatures and specific track conditions as a resource to improve CWR procedures. *Missed this Session or want to view it again? Stop by the VirtualAREMA kiosk located in the Registration area to purchase this product today!