Quick-Release Emergency Egress Panels for Cab Car End Door [Research Results]
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2008-11-01
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Abstract:It is feasible to equip passenger train cab car end doors with an emergency egress panel that can be quickly released and utilized during emergencies. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) require passenger rail cars have a quick release removable window or kick panel as a means of exiting the rail car in the event that the other exits are blocked or inoperable. This recommendation was issued following the February 1996 collision of a Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA) MARC commuter train and a National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) train outside of Kensington, MD. Several passengers and crewmembers died as a result of the derailment and subsequent fire that broke out. The passengers were unable to locate or operate the emergency exit windows and side doors on the train. To fulfill the NTSB recommendation, FRA’s Office of Research and Development, through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program, contracted with TIAX LLC to investigate the feasibility of such kick panels. TIAX enumerated the design requirements for emergency egress panels in the cab car end doors. They also developed, evaluated, and ranked design concepts based upon the design requirements. Twenty-three concepts were developed during a concept generation session. These concepts were later evaluated and ranked based on criteria such as strength, safety and security, ease of operation, cost, weight, maintainability, and resistance to aging and damage. The results of the Phase I SBIR project indicate it is feasible to equip cab car end doors with quick-release emergency egress panels, such as the one illustrated in Figure 1B.
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