Railways 2011: Including the 2011 Thomas B. Deen Distinguished Lecture

TRB’s Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2261 consists of 21 papers that explore the economic impacts of high-speed rail and intercity passenger rail service, safe high-speed rail operation, fire development and spread in passenger rail vehicles, geometry of high-speed turnouts, and international variation in cost–benefit analysis of urban rail projects.

This issue of the TRR also examines the influence of value of time on profitability of railway projects, expanding Alaska–Canada rail, near-field impacts of emissions of fine particulate matter from rail yard activities, manage risk of transporting hazardous materials on railroad networks, and train delay and economic impact of in-service failures of railroad rolling stock.

In addition, this TRR also addresses the estimation of intermodal rail cost, noncontact ultrasonic guided-wave system for rail inspection, installation of railroad wayside defect detectors, track maintenance of heavy haul railways, maintenance and renewal decisions related to rail track geometry, evaluation of railroad ballast performance, and analysis of derailments by accident cause.