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Railway Transportation

Efficient railway transportation helps ensure both population mobility and a functioning supply chain, but railway reliability is often threatened by inadequate capacity, aging infrastructure, increasing freight costs, and potential security threats. RAND researchers have explored and recommended different approaches to modernizing rail systems and keeping them safe.

Multimedia

The Arc: A Formal Structure For a Palestinian State

Building on analyses that RAND conducted between 2002 and 2004, this presentation explores the options for strengthening the physical infrastructure of a potential future independent Palestinian state.

Aug 26, 2008
Report

Public Investment in Rail Capacity Expansion May Be Justified but Strategy Needed

The volume of freight transported in the United States is expected to double over the next 30 years. Greater use of rail freight could allow the supply chain to accommodate this increase while minimizing highway congestion and reducing fuel consumption.

Aug 4, 2008
News Release

RAND Study Provides Framework for Passenger-Rail Systems to Cost-Effectively Protect Riders from Terrorist Attacks

U.S. communities depend on reliable, safe, and secure rail systems, but such systems are vulnerable to terrorist attack. A framework developed for rail security planners and policymakers can help guide cost-effective plans to secure their rail systems from attacks.

Dec 11, 2007
Report

A Framework for Planning Cost-Effective Rail Security Against a Terrorist Attack

U.S. communities depend on reliable, safe, and secure rail systems, but such systems are vulnerable to terrorist attack. A framework developed for rail security planners and policymakers can help guide cost-effective plans to secure their rail systems from attacks.

Dec 2, 2007
Research Brief

Can Publicly Available Information Be Used in Planning Terrorist Attacks?

This fact sheet describes a framework for assessing the availability of publicly available information for planning attacks on the U.S. air, rail, and sea transportation infrastructure and the results of applying the framework in a red-team exercise.

Aug 1, 2007
Report

Can Terrorists Use Publicly Available Information in Attacks?

How much data regarding U.S. defenses is publicly available and how easily could it be found by individuals seeking to harm U.S. domestic interests? A new framework guides assessments of the availability of such information for planning attacks on the U.S. air, rail, and sea transportation infrastructure.

Jul 18, 2007
News Release

RAND Supply Chain Policy Center to Research Critical Issues in Freight Transportation

May 9, 2007 news release: RAND Supply Chain Policy Center to Research Critical Issues in Freight Transportation.

May 9, 2007
Commentary

Tighten Up Mass-Transit Security

Published commentary by RAND staff: Tighten Up Mass-Transit Security, in Newsday.

Aug 22, 2006
Report

Benefits of Punctuality for the Paris Suburban Railway Network: Synthesis Report

Presents a robust operational methodology that enables the user to assess possible alternative investments aimed at improving the quality of the suburban rail services to and from Paris.

May 26, 2006
Report

Value of Reliability of Travellers on the Paris Suburban Railway Network: Technical Report on the Data Analysis

Presents the estimation results of the models that have been developed to appraise the monetary benefits of various possible ways to improve the regularity of the Paris suburban train network.

May 9, 2006
Testimony

Terrorism and Rail Security

Testimony presented to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on March 23, 2004.

Dec 21, 2004
Commentary

Trains, Buses and Terror

Published commentary by RAND staff.

May 3, 2004
Report

Onderzoek Studentenkaart 2001: Rapportage op hoofdlijnen [Research on the Public Transport Pass for Students 2001: Main Report]

Measures the use of public transportation by students in the Netherlands who own a Public Transport Pass, and analyses and expands upon the resulting data.

Jan 1, 2002
Report

Onderzoek Studentenkaart 2001: Verantwoording onderzoek en tabellenboek [Research on the Public Transport Pass for Students 2001, Technical Report and Detailed Tables]

Measures the use of public transportation by students in the Netherlands who own a Public Transport Pass, and analyses and expands upon the resulting data.

Jan 1, 2002
Report

Modellen voor een TOR: Models for a Transportation Safety Board

RAND Europe conducted an analysis to characterize the work of safety boards to enable comparisons among existing and proposed organizational structures, identify candidate structures for the TOR, and compare these candidate structures.

Jan 1, 1997
Report

FORWARD: Freight Options for Road, Water, and Rail for the Dutch: Final Report

This report describes the results of a major transportation research study that was performed for the Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works, and Water Management by the European-American Center for Policy Analysis (EAC).

Jan 1, 1996
Report

Future Soviet Investment in Transportation, Energy, and Environmental Protection

This study outlines the current state of the transportation, energy, and environmental protection sectors in the Soviet economy. It also projects investment schedules for these sectors.

Jan 1, 1991
Report

NATO Inland Transport as a Potential Rear-Area Target System: Lessons from German Experience in World War II

This Note provides a brief analytical review of the results of World War II allied air attacks against the German waterway and rail transportation systems.

Jan 1, 1980
Report

A Statistical-Engineering Approach to Estimating Railway Cost Functions.

Statistical and engineering methods both possess advantages and disadvantages in the determination of cost behavior. The two approaches are combined to form a statistical-engineering approach to estimating railway cost functions. The statistical-engi...

Jan 1, 1968
Report

Optimal Train Velocity and Size.

Development of a model for finding the optimal train velocity (often an upper bound for passenger trains, but attainable by freight trains) and size for a railroad line with constant gradient, so as to minimize the sum of operating and passenger time...

Jan 1, 1968

RAND Topic:
Railway Transportation

Topic Synonyms:
Railroads;
Railways

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