A Concept for Reducing Railway Accidents

H. Ben Brown, Jr., Gregg Podnar, Mel Siegel February 2005 Introduction Because of their great momentum and length, trains require stopping distances that regularly exceed sight distances of the driver. Collisions and derailments are costly disasters both in terms of lives and property. From 1990 through 1999 rail crashes in the U.S. caused over six times the fatalities of commercial and commuter airline crashes combined for the same period. Half of these rail fatalities were due to highwayrailway grade crossing crashes. Rail crash property damage averaged over $210 million per year. (Source: National Transportation Statistics 2000). Augmenting the driver's ability to detect and avoid hazardous conditions would significantly reduce the frequency of: Collisions at grade crossings, where railway and roadway intersect. Collisions with other trains. Collisions and derailments due to foreign objects on the track. Derailments due to lack of track integrity. Much educational effort has gone into keeping objects and people off the tracks. Nevertheless, accidental collisions occur frequently. Consideration needs also be given to intentional collisions and derailment, particularly now that anti-terrorism has become an international priority. Railways are prime examples of vulnerable systems where a very small effort can have a very large effect, making them obvious targets for terrorists and vandals. One person armed with simple tools and having a few minutes to work on a secluded stretch of track can derail the next train. Consequences of rail accidents can be great because trains carry large numbers of passengers and valuable and/or hazardous cargo. Most train monitoring is done with "wayside detection", which uses instruments positioned along the railway to detect each train and capture data such as section of track, direction, speed, and wheel bearing temperatures.

Rail-Scout gives the driver the view ahead.

Very little instrumentation is directed at continuous monitoring of the right-of-way and the track itself, as periodic track inspections by instrumented cars have been considered adequate to ensure track system integrity. Employing a system that (1) gives the driver a clear view of the track ahead, beyond the train's stopping distance; and that (2) inspects each track segment just before the train traverses it, will ensure that a majority of train wrecks is prevented.

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Concept
We propose a robotic scout vehicle, "Rail-Scout", that travels ahead of the train to scout for derailment hazards, collision hazards, grade crossing safety, and that inspects for rail defects. Rail-Scout is automatically controlled by train speed and railway conditions to maintain an appropriate headway in front of the train to ensure adequate stopping distance. Information, such as live video, sound, and alarms from obstacle and defect detection sensors is transmitted from Rail-Scout to the train operator -- and possibly also to stationary control centers -- for appropriate action. Telepresence Rail-Scout can be thought of as a tele-cab, that is, the driver's cabin effectively moved far ahead of the first engine. Video cameras allow the driver to view the way ahead. Extended spectral range cameras that can see through fog and precipitation enhance the driver's naked-eye abilities. Track Inspection Rail-Scout cannot replace regular detailed track inspection work, which must be done at low speed to acquire data of sufficient precision. However, gross departures of the track from standards of gauge, profile, and continuity can be detected at normal passenger or freight train speeds. Additional sensors can be used to count spikes or bolts and measure their height, detect missing bolts where sections of track are joined, and even monitor ballast density. Each section of track can be recorded in a database, and compared with previous runs over the same sections to signal significant changes due to normal wear-and-tear, abnormal weather, or intentional interference. Grade Crossings Rail-Scout can serve additional functions of safety and policing the railway by providing a relocatable signal system to augment the signs and signals at every grade crossing. It can be configured to monitor vehicle activity and provide video records of violations. When approaching an automobile highway crossing at grade, Rail-Scout stops and physically blocks the crossing to warn of the approaching train. As the train reaches the crossing, Rail-Scout quickly accelerates to resume the telepresence functions.

A possible configuration for Rail-Scout.

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Research Issues
Vehicle Dynamics There are a number of operational aspects that require Rail-Scout to be a lightweight vehicle. A primary objection cited by industry insiders is that a lightweight vehicle would not be stable at the high speeds required. But unlike the work cars or speeders with which traditionalists are familiar, Rail-Scout would take advantage of developments in advanced automotive suspension systems; and aerodynamics can be exploited to hold the vehicle against the rails at high speeds. Active suspension systems would be employed for positive proactive control. With no need to carry humans, Rail-Scout can be optimized for its sensing mission. Given a design weight about half that of an automobile, Rail-Scout's momentum and stopping distance is very small compared with the train that it precedes. By way of example, if the Rail-Scout were to collide with, say, a bus, it would cause at worst only minor damage to the bus, and minimize injury to the passengers, whilst preventing a collision with the train that would likely destroy the bus and kill passengers. Acceleration and deceleration are both facilitated by Rail-Scout's light weight, allowing great operational flexibility in traversing frequent grade crossings: blocking a crossing with lights flashing, then sprinting on to the next crossing just as the train approaches. Range, hence energy storage capacity, is an important consideration when integrating Rail-Scout into a practical system; variations adapted to local motive power source, e.g., electric vs. diesel, are anticipated. Remote Sensing and Human Factors Providing to the train driver a view of the track ahead from a vantage point adequately far ahead of the train is the most significant tool for enhancing the driver's sensory abilities. No automated system will be as effective as the powers of observation of the human driver. Traditional video cameras and lighting together with cameras and lights beyond the visible spectrum will support the visual sensing. Stereophonic audio will provide additional cues to the driver, although these cues are probably too subtle for a computer-based system to recognize reliably. Non-contact sensors for collision avoidance will include ultrasonic and laser ranging sensors. Track profiling, spike/bolt counting, and other track-specific sensing will also be recorded and compared for each run over the same stretch of track. Registration of a pre-stored map and the current position will be achieved with augmented dead-reckoning pattern-matching techniques and the Global Positioning System. Alarms, warnings, and override braking capabilities provided by the remote sensor complement will work alongside the driver for safe operation. A crash of the Rail-Scout itself would easily be detected by continuous interpretation of its signal stream. Telemetry is also provided to the driver, who is in effect the engineer for Rail-Scout as well as for the train. Rail-Scout motive power, fuel, and other vehicle-diagnostic sensor readings are thus continuously reported to the train driver. Automatic Distance Keeping Rail-Scout is essentially a front-running remote operator's cab for the train; only it is coupled to the rest of the train by a communication link instead of a steel link. The physical length of the communication link is varied to suit the instantaneous requirements of operational safety. By incorporating software that is aware of the train's physical signature -- weight, stopping distance, motive and braking systems, etc. -- along with premapped and instantaneously sensed environmental characteristics -- grade, temperature, maximum track speed, etc. -- the front-running distance of the Rail-Scout will be continuously calculated and adjusted to ensure safe stopping. Since the driver now makes these determinations manually, the Rail-Scout system software can assist him with this burden.

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Development Plan
Phase I RailScout is a combination of sensors, detection and control software, and a specialized physical vehicle. For the development and testing of sensors and software, a simple test vehicle, initially pushed rather than selfpowered, will allow parallel development with the actual vehicle. The sensing package includes telepresence cameras, obstacle sensors, and track geometry sensors. The sensors are coupled to the remote operator's station, which includes the video monitors, sensor displays and indicators, and initial warning and alarm systems. Much of the technology developed for automated highway vehicles: computer vision, radar and laser systems for obstacle detection, etc., will adapt smoothly to the highly structured railway environment. In parallel, a self-powered platform will support testing vehicle dynamics under a wide variety of conditions. This includes the chassis and suspension, power plant, and telemetry. Remote controls are designed for both the operator and the automated distance keeping system. Human factors issues require working closely with railroad managers and train drivers to ensure that all aspects of train dynamics and railroad culture are integrated into an effective distance-keeping model. Phase II Integrating the sensor system and the vehicle. Merging the sensor and control stations into a single ergonomically effective addition to the driver's position. Testing at lower speeds with a traditional work vehicle standing in for a train. This would include qualified train drivers who would specify necessary refinements, and decide when to release the system for testing at speed in front of operational trains. The operational procedures and mechanical systems for handling and supporting Rail-Scout in the yard, and incorporating it into the consist will also be addressed in this phase. Modes such as physically coupling with the lead engine at certain times, circumstances where it would be beneficial to lift Rail-Scout from the track, etc., will be investigated. Phase III Commercialization.

Summary
Passenger rail systems play a major transportation role in Europe and Asia, and are likely to become an important addition to U.S. freight traffic as short air travel flights become prohibitively time consuming because of security-related delays. By combining existing sensors, telecommunication, and robotics technology, rail accidents due to environmental conditions, track integrity, collisions, operator error, and terrorism can thus be minimized while the safety of the infrastructure, operating personnel, passengers, and highway vehicles at grade crossings can be greatly improved. Advanced high-speed rail system designs will only increase vulnerability, as proposed advanced systems are far less robust than the time-tested older systems. All these issues mentioned are greatly amplified as train speed increases. By taking advantage of the proposed Rail-Scout technologies, it seems that most railway collisions and derailments can be avoided, saving lives and property, and depriving terrorists of now-tempting targets of opportunity.