| Title | Fire Safety of Passenger Trains: A Review of U.S. and Foreign Approaches |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 33524 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Peacock, R. D.; Bukowski, R. W.; Jones, W.J.; Reneke, P. A.; Babrauskas, V.; Brown, J.E. |
| Source | 196p. in various pagings |
| Corporate Creator | John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.) |
| Corporate Contributor |
Building and Fire Research Laboratory (U.S.) |
| Publisher | United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration |
| Publication Date | 19931200 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | could develop into potentially life-threatening events. Fire safety is an area of particular interest for both conventional intercity and commuter trains, as well as new alternative high-speed train technologies. These technologies include steel-wheel-on-rail and magnetic levitation (maglev) systems. In 1989, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published fire safety guidelines which address the fIamiability and smoke characteristics of materials used in intercity and commuter passenger cars. Recent advances in fire test methods and hazard analysis techniques necessitate re-examination of fire safety requirements for passenger trains. Several studies have indicated almost random ability of current tests to predict actual fire behavior. Fire safety in any application, including transportation systems, requires a multi-faceted systems approach. The effects of vehicle design, material controls, detection and suppression systems, and emergency egress/access on the overall fire safety of the particular transportation system must all be considered. This report presents a detailed comparison of fire safety approaches used for passenger trains in the United States, France, and Germany. Strengths and weaknesses of current methods for measuring the fire performance of rail transportation systems are presented. An optimum systems approach to fire safety which addresses typical passenger train fire scenarios is analyzed. A major conclusion is that fire hazard and fire risk assessment methods supported by measurement methods based on heat release rate (HRR) provide a means to better predict real world fire behavior. |
| Rosap ID | dot:8663 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/8663 |
| TRT Terms | Fire detection systems; Fires; Hazards; Passenger trains; Commuting; Transportation safety; Railroad safety; High speed ground transportation |
| General Subjects | Fire safety; Passenger trains; Passenger rail; Railroads; Federal Railroad Administration; Railroad safety; Passenger train safety; Transportation; Transportation fire safety; High-speed ground transportation; System safety; Heat release rate; Large-scale fire tests; Small-scale fire tests; Fire test methods; NIST |
| Classification | NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - SAFETY AND SECURITY; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Human Factors |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
646536 |
| Contract Number | R4021/RR493 |
| Report Number | DOT-VNTSC-FRA-93-26; DOT/FRA/ORD-93/23 |
| Availability | Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/33000/33500/33524/33524.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |