Safety and Risk Analysis of U.S. Freight Railroads

The United States has the world's most extensive freight railroad network, responsible for transporting over 40% of ton-miles of cargo, including a substantial amount of hazardous materials. Safety is paramount in the U.S. freight railroad industry. This presentation will provide an overview of the U.S. freight railroad industry, including its economic and safety status, as well as the technologies involved. A focused topic of the presentation will be the development and use of Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA) techniques to address the unique challenges posed by the rail transportation of hazardous materials, accounting for their low-probability-high-consequence characteristics. Finally, the presentation will discuss the implications of using Industry 4.0 technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things, for further improving rail safety.