STUDIES IN RAILROAD OPERATIONS AND ECONOMICS. VOLUME 8. RELIABILITY IN RAILROAD OPERATIONS

Line-haul and trip time data were analyzed from eight railroads and found that unreliability is evident in all phases of rail operations. Yard delays, many of which are caused by unreliable train operations, are the greatest cause of trip time unreliability. Changes in operations, capital improvements, and institutional changes can all help improve reliability. Moreover, capital investment especially in improved mechanical reliability of equipment, will have a less significant and immediate impact than operating changes such as through-blocked trains and increased schedule adherence. A dialogue between shippers, railroads, labor, and management is critical to the success of a program for improving reliability.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • See also Volume 7, PB-244 124, and Volume 9, PB-244 126.
• Corporate Authors:

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  Transportation Systems Division
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02139

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Policy and Program Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Lang, A S
  • Martland, C D
• Publication Date: 1972-10

Media Info

• Pagination: 96 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Capital investments; Economic factors; Freight cars; Freight forwarders; Freight traffic; Freight trains; Freight transportation; Labor unions; Management; Railroad terminals; Railroad traffic; Railroad transportation; Railroads; Reliability; Scheduling; Traffic delays; Traffic managers; Yard operations
• Uncontrolled Terms: Shippers
• Old TRIS Terms: Cargo transportation; Freight forwarding; Operating strategies
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Freight Transportation; Railroads; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00092233
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: MIT-R72-74 Final Rpt., FRA/RPD-75/1.7
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FR-10006
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 18 1976 12:00AM