Hazardous Materials Rail Buffer Car Break Even Analysis

Details

• Creators:
  O'Rourke, Laurence
• Corporate Creators:
  ICF
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Hazardous materials
  • Location
  • Railroad cars
  • Railroad safety
  • Railroad vehicle operations
  • Regulations
  • Railroad transportation
  • Economic analysis
  • Buffer Cars (Railroads)
• Resource Type:
  Memorandum
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Dept. of Transportation. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
• Abstract:
  Currently, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) requires buffer cars to separate train crews from cars containing hazardous materials. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended “all trains have a minimum of five non-placarded cars between any locomotive or occupied equipment transporting hazardous materials, regardless of train length and consist.” Though public agencies have emphasized buffer cars as a way to protect the train crew, the costs and benefits of using buffer cars have not been well-analyzed. This report describes a break-even analysis to determine the number of avoided fatalities, injuries, and damages to break even on the cost of implementing a 5-buffer car requirement. The study considers capital, operating, fuel, and other costs associated with adding buffer cars. It also assesses the risk to crew from HAZMAT incidents on rail.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/87956/dot_87956_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 641.88 KB]
• Collection(s):
  PHMSA Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3cd21bb504802f261f09221761fe812e743738e2dd5cf7cff0c95f7073645cbe03b30d3aa953f09ded0e4d947e4327465c1ae9dd107bc585655907c296fee4d3