REROUTING RAILROAD SHIPMENTS OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TO AVOID POPULATED AREAS

The casualty risk due to hazardous material releases from railroad cars in the U.S. is estimated for a recent year. Approximate flow patterns of hazardous materials in that year are generated using a national network model. Alternative flow patterns representing population-avoidance rerouting policies are also generated, and some aggregate impacts are estimated with and without track upgrading. We find that population exposure can be reduced 25-50% by rerouting, at the cost of a 15-30% increase in traffic circuity. We also formulate and apply a risk model which shows that extensive routing changes can reduce casualties by about 50%, but that extensive upgrading with or without rerouting can be even more effective. The effects on urban areas of the hypothetical changes are discussed, but financial impacts on the railroads are not addressed. (Author/TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00014575
• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Headington Hill Hall
  Oxford OX30BW,    
• Authors:
  • Glickman, T S
• Publication Date: 1983-10

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 329-335
• Serial:
  • Accident Analysis & Prevention
  • Volume: 15
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0001-4575
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Commodities; Costs; Crash exposure; Freight traffic; Freight transportation; Hazardous materials; Hazards; Itinerary; Mathematical models; Railroad transportation; Risk analysis; Routing; Traffic flow; Urban areas
• Uncontrolled Terms: Exposure; Modifications
• Geographic Terms: United States
• ITRD Terms: 224: Cost; 283: Freight; 741: Goods traffic; 699: Itinerary; 6473: Mathematical model; 9048: Modification; 1173: Rail bound transport; 9150: Risk; 671: Traffic flow; 313: Urban area; 8122: USA
• Subject Areas: Finance; Freight Transportation; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00382996
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: May 30 1984 12:00AM