Rerouting railroad shipments of hazardous materials to avoid populated areas

✍ Scribed by Theodore S. Glickman

• Book ID: 102978476
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 667 KB
• Volume: 15
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0001-4575
• DOI: 10.1016/0001-4575(83)90012-x

✦ Synopsis

The casualty risk due to hazardous material releases from railroad cars in the U.S. is estimated for a recent year. Approximate Row patterns of hazardous materials in that year are generated using a national network model. Alternative flow patterns representing population-avoidance rerouting policies are. also generated. and some aggregate impacts are estimated with and without track upgrading. We find that population exposure can be reduced B-SO% by rerouting. at the cost of a E-30% increase in traffic circuity.

We also formulate and apply a risk model which shows that extensive routing changes can reduce casualties by about XX&. but that extensive upg~ding with or without rerouting can be even more effective. The effects on urban areas of the hypothetical changes are discussed, but financial impacts on the railroads are not addressed.