Modeling hazardous materials risks for different train make-up plans

This paper is concerned with the problem of how to place hazardous material cars in the train assembly process so that the overall derailment risk can be minimized. The approach considers both the probability of railway cars derailing en route by position as well as the risk associated with additional operations in the rail yard using recent US FRA data. The merits of this car placement model are illustrated through a case study of a railway corridor that connects Los Angeles (CA) to Chicago (IL). The case study demonstrates that the proposed risk minimization strategy could be implemented with minimal rail yard operation cost.

► We introduce a new framework for accounting for in-transit risk in positioning of hazmat rail cars along a train consist. ► We examine the potential implications of increased risk due to different hazmat rail car marshalling operations. ► Through a case study application we examine the trade-offs between lower in-transit risk and increased rail yard operations.