Freight and passenger rail is a critical component of our nation’s transportation system. Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI) Multimodal Freight Transportation Programs Group remains active in exploring the future of rail through a variety of research activities.

1. http://tti.tamu.edu
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Saving Lives, Time and Resources
http://tti.tamu.edu/group/rail
> Variable message signs > Traffic actuated controllers > Traffic signals > Flashing traffic signals > Lane use control signals > Road markings > Rumble strips > Warrants (Traffic control devices) > Gro
penetrating radar > Weigh in motion > Loop detectors > Video imaging detectors > Vehicle detectors > Information display systems > Advanced traveler information systems > Lettering > Sign shee
> Messages (Communications) > Warning signals > Intelligent transportation systems > Advanced public transportation systems > Advanced traffic management systems > Advanced traveler informa
systems > > http://tti.tamu.edu > Intelligent transportation systems programs >>> Environment > Runoff > Scour > Air travel and airports> Environmental policy > Environmental impact analys
> Breakaway supports > Posts > Sign supports > Underground structures > Embankments > Bridges > Bridge approaches > Bridge railings > Transportation corridors > Streambeds > Pipelin
Street lighting > Freeways > Highways > Arterial highways > Rural highways > Driveways > Two lane highways > Frontage roads > Highway corridors > Low volume roads > Highway curv
Barriers (Roads) 8 > Guardrails > Medians > Median barriers > Signalized intersections > Dilemma zone > Interchanges > http://tti.tamu.edu > Diamond interchanges > Ramps (Interchan
> On ramps > High occupancy toll lanes > Managed lanes > Turning lanes > Pavements > Bituminous overlays > Base course (Pavements) > Roadside > Roadside structures > Mailbox
> School buses > Crashworthiness > Light emitting diodes > Portable equipment > Construction equipment > Roadbuilding machinery > Performance >>> Materials > Clay soils > Concrete > Waste products >
ash > Recycled materials > Reinforcing bars > Bituminous binders > Hot mix paving mixtures > Shear strength > Load limits > Retroreflectivity > Temperature >>> Physical phenomena > Rutting > Infiltra
> Cracking > Axle loads > Fluorescence >>> Disciplines > Aesthetics > Statistics > Transportation engineering >>> Mathematics > Simulation > Statistical analysis > Backcalculation > Mathematical predictio
http://tti.tamu.edu > Areas and regions > Slopes > Binational > Border regions > Small cities >>> Multi-modal Transportation > Highway Transportation > Trucking > Railroad transportation > Public trans
Data quality > Software > Computer program documentation > Data storage > Computer models > Internet > Research > Before and after studies > Case studies > Worksho
Guidelines > Manuals > Handbooks > Literature reviews > Specifications > Performance based specifications > Standards > Multi-modal Transportation > Highway Transporta
> Trucking > Railroad transportation > http://tti.tamu.edu > Public transit > Rural transportation > Rural transit > Freight and pipeline transportation > Airport plan
and development > Airport maintenance > Bicycle and pedestrian > Ports and waterways >>> Transportation operations > Freight traffic > Commodities > Travel time > Tr
Multi-modal Transportation > Highway Transportation > Trucking > Railroad transportation > Public transit > Rural transportation > Rural transit > Freight
pipeline transportation > Airport planning and development > Airport maintenance > Bicycle and pedestrian > Ports and waterways >>> Transportation operat
> Freight traffic > Commodities > Travel time > Travel demand > http://tti.tamu.edu > Traffic estimation > Traffic forecasting > Commuting > Carpools > High
operations > Highway capacity > Freeway operations > Truck traffic > Railroad traffic > Traffic data > Measures of effectiveness > Traffic models > Traffic simula
Freight Rail
TTI has worked with federal, state DOT, local and private rail
companies to evaluate the role of freight rail in concert with
other freight modes. In recent years, TTI has participated in
multiplestaterailplans,evaluationsoflocalfreightrailplanning
processes,assessmentofstate
programsfortheprovisionof
funds for the construction
of spur lines and industrial
leads to businesses, and
the potential impacts of
passenger rail on freight
rail movement in shared
corridors. TTIhasdeveloped
analyticalmeanstoprioritize
among several worthy rail
projects and to standardize
the methodologies used
to evaluate the economic
impacts of large freight rail
projects such as corridor
improvements or rail-rail
grade separations. Other work includes studies of the legal and
policy barriers to abandoned rail corridor reuse and a study of
U.S. rail relocation projects over the past 40 years including
case studies of six primary examples. TTI has also worked to
establishtheroleofrailserviceinatruemultimodal/intermodal
freight transportation system.
Passenger Rail
Over the past several years, TTI has become active in
documenting intercity passenger rail projects in a number
of states. TTI completed on-board surveys for the Amtrak
Texas-OklahomaHeartlandFlyerandfortheIllinois-Wisconsin
Hiawatha service. TTI is providing support for the Texas
Department of Transportation in the development of intercity
passenger rail planning, which has included a comprehensive
evaluation of passenger rail projects within the U.S. and
RAIL RESEARCH—
MULTIMODAL FREIGHT PROGRAM
Freightandpassengerrailisacriticalcomponentofournation’s
transportation system. Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s
(TTI) Multimodal Freight Transportation Programs Group
remains active in exploring the future of rail through a variety
of research activities.
Research Areas
• Technical and Planning Policy
• Freight and Passenger Rail
• Interaction of Rail with Other Freight Modes
• Rail-Highway Interaction
• Evaluation of Innovative Technologies
• Rail Safety Research
• High Speed Rail
• Movement of Hazardous Materials
throughout the rest of the world as background. TTI is
also currently leading a team of consultants for the National
Cooperative Rail Research Program of the Transportation
Research Board to develop an intercity passenger rail service
and development guide. The guide will describe existing and
emerging policies for establishment of intercity passenger rail
servicethroughouttheU.S.andbeusedbystateDOTplanners
and other rail professionals.
Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety
Since 1995, TTI has hosted the biennial National Highway-
Rail Grade Crossing Safety Training Conference. This venue
provides university-based researchers, industry professionals,
federal and state department of transportation personnel, con-
sultants, and vendors the opportunity to discuss current and
future efforts to enhance safety for the public at highway-rail
grade crossings. In addition, staff is involved with programs,
such as Operation Lifesaver, to help educate the public about
the dangers inherent at highway-rail crossings and trespassing
along rail rights-of-way.

2. Contact:
Curtis Morgan
Program Manager
Multimodal Freight
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Gibb Gilchrist Building, Room 333
College Station, TX 77843
(979) 862-2854
c-morgan@ttimail.tamu.edu
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is an agency of The Texas A&M University
System. TTI Rail Research, a part of the Multimodal Freight Transportation Programs
Group, is dedicated to exploring the future of freight and passenger rail. Other activities
include the interaction of rail with other transportation modes such as intermodal
trucking or ships and with traffic at highway-rail crossings.
TTI has worked with federal, state DOT, local and
private rail companies to evaluate the role of freight
rail in concert with other freight modes. In recent
years, TTI has participated in multiple state rail plans,
evaluations of local freight rail planning processes,
assessmentofstateprogramsfortheprovisionoffunds
for the construction of spur lines and industrial leads
tobusinesses,andthepotentialimpactsofpassenger
rail on freight rail movement in shared corridors.
Research work includes the development of the 2010, 2012,
and forthcoming 2014 Railway-Highway Crossing Program
(Section130)Report toCongressundercontractfortheFHWA
Office of Safety, which has involved reviewing each state’s
Section 130 annual reports to formulate measures showing
the success of the Section 130 program to improve safety at
highway-rail grade crossings. Additionally, TTI worked with
the Texas Department of Transportation to reformulate the
current highway-rail grade crossing program priority index to
better allocate safety improvement monies and on a project
that updated highway-rail safety information for the traveling
public and professional drivers, such as those who drive school
buses or transport hazardous materials.
PreviousworkincludesaprojectfortheTransportationResearch
Board(NCHRP08-76(B))thatexaminedlow-costactivewarn-
ing systems for highway-rail grade crossings; two projects that
distributed highway-rail grade crossing educational material to
law enforcement and judicial entities in Texas; a project that
evaluated school bus safety at highway-rail grade crossings;
and a project that developed a model for the Houston, TX,
region that critically analyzed the public safety and social costs
associated with vehicular delay at rail-highway grade crossings.