FRA Commuter Rail and Light Rail

Can any FRA compliant equipment mix with non FRA compliant LRVs? I was under the impression that they could not. I have heard from various sources, including, I believe, some of the northern branch documentation that the problem is that it cannot mix with specifically freight traffic. I don't know if this was a simplification for the public or not.

The reason I ask is because I was wondering if it is possible if FRA-compliant commuter rail could be used without time separation on the RiverLINE for certain services (I know that capacity constraints limit this anyhow...for now). Also, I am under the impression that there were proposals floated at some point for LRV service to Paterson along the ex-Erie Newark Branch which would require either street running or sharing the ROW/track.

[moved to Commuter & Transit - omv]

On a railway that is part of general railway system of USA all equipment must comply with FRA(cfr49) regulations.
On Non FRA controlled lines its allowed by time seperation to run freight, either at night or by shutting down passenger operations.

DutchRailnut wrote:On a railway that is part of general railway system of USA all equipment must comply with FRA(cfr49) regulations.
On Non FRA controlled lines its allowed by time seperation to run freight, either at night or by shutting down passenger operations.

But can NJ Transit commuter trains, for example, run on track with non-compliant vehicles such as the Newark Light Rail?

No only freight and only if time seperated.
For link to CFR49 see:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wais ... v4_05.html

Thanks Dutch

If for whatever reason Conrail had to go onto the River LINE, all LRV's would have to come to a stop until the FRA equipment has left the rails.

Although I think there is an exception to that in Newark where Norfolk Southern H02 uses a small section of the Newark City Subway to access Hartz Mountain on Bloomfield Ave. I'm not familiar with that operation so I couldn't tell you how the Light Rail operates in that situation.

The Denton County Transportation Authority has begun construction on stations for a commuter rail line that will connect with DART light rail from Dallas at Carrollton. The goal is to start service when the DART line opens late next year.

http://www.mya-train.com/

I wonder what they'll use for rolling stock? It's kind of short notice for procuring brand-new DMUs or coaches. They're probably figuring on rustling up secondhand coaches and locomotives somewhere. The web sites's "Vehicles" page simply says "Vehicle designs coming soon."

Here's a Dallas Morning News article from February.

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) will purchase 11 GTW 2/6 Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) from Stadler Bussnag AG, a company in Switzerland.

Dee Leggett, DCTA spokesperson, said the Swiss company’s rail cars will eventually be used “as the next generation rail fleet for DCTA’s 21-mile corridor from Denton to Carrollton.”

Members of the DCTA board of directors were on hand Tuesday to witness Jim Witt, DCTA president and Klaus Potocnik, head of DCTA project management and deputy CEO, sign the $73,764,069 contract.

Vehicle construction will commence in September 2010 and the first vehicle is scheduled to arrive in Lewisville, from Switzerland, in August 2011. The final vehicle is scheduled for delivery in April 2012. Testing will continue through August 2012 with “fleet transition” scheduled for September of 2012.

Leggett said DCTA still plans to have passenger rail service up and running between Denton and Carrollton by December 2010. She said DCTA will lease 10 rail diesel cars from the Trinity Railway Express for 18 months, to be used until the DMUs arrive from Switzerland.

Each of the rail cars being purchased from the Switzerland firm can seat 96 passengers and has a total capacity of 200, with up to 104 passengers allowed to stand after the seats have been filled.

Luggage racks, bike racks and space for wheelchairs are provided. The vehicle is 70 percent low floor, meaning level boarding is provided. Though up to three vehicles may be run as a unit, DCTA plans to run two coupled vehicles on 20-minute headways during peak service. Globally, there are more than 430 GTW rail vehicles in operation.

This is Stadler’s third contract in the United States and the largest in North America. The New Jersey Riverline and Austin’s Capital Metro also operate these vehicles. Stadler is known throughout the world as a provider of DMUs and other rail equipment. Founded in 1942, Stadler expanded to produce commuter rail vehicles, streetcars, rack railways, passenger coaches, locomotives and other rail related products.

“This is an exciting day for Stadler, as well as DCTA. This $73 million contract is the largest contract Stadler has ever executed in North America,” Potocnik said. “We are excited to find the right partner with a spirit of cooperation. We look forward to a successful partnership.”

“Stadler is known world-wide for the quality of their products. We are excited to be able to deliver a premium rail car for our customers,” said Scott Neeley, executive vice president of rail development.

A central element of DCTA’ service plan, and heavily endorsed by Denton County residents, the A-train project includes single-phase construction of 21-miles of regional rail, five rail stations, a bicycle/pedestrian trail, and a regional rail operating and maintenance facility.

The immediate objective of the project is to have full service between Denton and Carrollton to interface with Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s (DART) light rail system by December 2010. This timing will coincide with DART’s opening of the northern section of its Green Line and will complete a 50 mile segment of regional passenger rail that is detailed in the Mobility 2030 plan.

The A-train is slated to begin service using RDC vehicles which were previously operated by the Trinity Railway Express (TRE). The Stadler DMUs or “new generation vehicles” are expected to go into operation after approximately eighteen months of the A-train being in service.

“The execution of this contract marks another major milestone in the A-train project and illustrates our agency’s commitment to bringing regional rail service to Denton County,” said Charles Emery, DCTA board chairman and member of the Regional Transportation Committee.

“This is the last piece of the A-train puzzle,” Emery said. “We recently received the funding from TxDOT and gave our CMGC notice to proceed. Today, we signed and sealed the deal for DCTA’s next generation of rail cars.”

DCTA is a coordinated county transportation authority and currently provides fixed-route bus service to the member cities of Denton, Highland Village and Lewisville. The authority also provides paratransit service and a commuter bus service connecting Denton County to Downtown Dallas. The agency was formed in 2002 and carried two million passengers last year.

For information about DCTA and its services, call 972-221-4600 or visit http://www.dcta.net.

Star Community Newspapers

aren't these the same cars they have in austin?

superbad wrote:aren't these the same cars they have in austin?

Yes, and no.

Yes, they will be Stadler GTW 2/6.
No, they will be more FRA compliant upon delivery to the DCTA.
From http://www.nctcog.org/trans/spd/transit ... tation.pdf

A. Will also be a non-compliant vehicle
B. Freight and passenger service will be time separate
C. Vehicle addresses a number of FRA non-compliance issues of the Austin vehicle.
a. Compliant interior and exterior decals;
b. Additional passenger side door handholds;
c. Structural fuel tank enhancements;
d. USA-standard emergency window type (pullout type not the breakable type);
e. Provision of solid axles;
f. Deflector shield and pilot lowered; and
g. FRA compliant headlight and marker lights.

Remaining FRA challenges
Evaluating Occupant Volume Strength
A. At a minimum, must satisfy the significant requirement of 49 CFR §238.203 which provides:
a.“. . . all passenger equipment shall resist a minimum static end load of 800,000 pounds applied on the line of draft without permanent deformation of the body structure.”
aa. Traditional: 800,000 pounds load applied as distributed pressure at buff stops (represents compressive load applied through coupled connection)
bb. Alternate: Distributed load of 1,000,000 pounds across outer buffer beam face and 200,000 pounds across outer AT plate face (represents load applied across car end)
B. Must prove that all FRA requirements are met through testing and perhaps waiver process if required.

European/Stadler Solutions for Occupant Protection
A. Aluminum double skin extrusion
B. Fully welded side frame, roof, floor
C. Buff >1,000,000 lbs in passenger compartment
D. Dynamic rollover strength
E. Employs Crash Energy Management EN15227
a. Four crash scenarios
b. Survival zones

The main problem with the present FRA complaint regulations is that they don't even consider crash energy management crumple zones at all. DART plans to work hard to get the FRA to adopt crash energy management regulations, and eventually get the Stadler GTW certified as FRA compliant.

Bumped - if you have any questions about the Stadler cars to be used in Austin or any non-FRA-compliant equipment around the country, ask away.

Could RiverLINE type equipment be used on the NJT Dinky? The line is more or less isolated from the NEC and is not even signaled. Fueling would be an issue as would transfer of equipment back and forth to the RiverLINE for maintenance etc. Could it be ferried/towed between Trenton and Princeton on the NEC or would that not be allowed either? Is there even still a connection in Trenton or would it need to be made further down the line?

andegold wrote:Could RiverLINE type equipment be used on the NJT Dinky? The line is more or less isolated from the NEC and is not even signaled. Fueling would be an issue as would transfer of equipment back and forth to the RiverLINE for maintenance etc. Could it be ferried/towed between Trenton and Princeton on the NEC or would that not be allowed either? Is there even still a connection in Trenton or would it need to be made further down the line?

I'm not that familiar with NJT and Dinky line. To operate passenger train service anywhere, track signaling will be required. Refueling and minor maintenance could be performed at a spur track near any station. I'm nor sure if an unmanned GTW could be towed by a FRA compliant locomotive on/with other FRA compliant equipment. Heavy maintenance could be performed where Riverline trains are maintained if allowed. As for towing, that mainly depends upon the couplers used, I suppose NJT could buy a FRA compliant locomotive with Riverline style auto-couplers. .