Safety at highway-railroad crossings : a case study of the Austin-San Antonio corridor

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dc.contributor.advisor Zhang , Ming , 1963 Apr . 22
dc.contributor.committeeMember McCray , Talia
dc.creator Zankowski , Jennifer Jaye
dc.date.accessioned 2011 -07 -25T15 :54 :23Z
dc.date.accessioned 2011 -08 -17T14 :39 :01Z
dc.date.available 2011 -07 -25T15 :54 :23Z
dc.date.available 2011 -08 -17T14 :39 :01Z
dc.date.created 2011 -05
dc.date.issued 2011 -07 -25
dc.date.submitted May 2011
dc.identifier.uri http : / /hdl .handle .net /2152 /ETD -UT -2011 -05 -3275
dc.description.abstract For over a decade proposals for connecting the metropolitan areas of Austin and San Antonio , Texas via passenger rail have been studied . In the Texas Department of Transportation’s 2010 Rail Plan several ideas , including high -speed rail , regional Amtrak service , and a new passenger rail service have been proposed as a means to provide an alternate mode of transportation along the I -35 corridor . Union Pacific Railroad currently owns and operations a rail line that connects the Austin and San Antonio metropolitan areas ; each of the passenger rail projects proposes sharing this corridor with Union Pacific . A literature review reveals that a key factor in negotiating with a freight railroad for shared use of a corridor is safety . One element of the safety risk analysis is the evaluation of at -grade highway -railroad crossing . This study discusses the Austin -San Antonio corridor , its current mobility challenges and the proposed passenger rail projects . It then discusses rail safety as expressed in the literature and provides background about safety at highway -railroad crossings . Crossing inventory and accident data , as maintained by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA ) , is then analyzed using regression modeling in an attempt to better understand the relationship between the physical and operational characteristics of highway -railroad crossings and accidents on corridors shared by freight and passenger rail . It analyzes a five -year accident history (2005 to 2009 ) from of a sample of shared use highway -rail crossings throughout the US . The findings are then used to analyze the at -grade highway -railroad crossings along the Austin -San Antonio corridor . And finally , the implications of the findings are discussed . The findings of this report recommend that characteristics of the built environment such as land use , number of traffic lanes , and function classification of the roadway should be considered when assessing accident risk at highway -railroad crossings . In addition , this analysis reveals the need for a way to better measure safety risks at private highway -railroad crossings .
dc.format.mimetype application /pdf
dc.language.iso eng
dc.subject Railroads
dc.subject Passenger traffic
dc.subject United states
dc.subject Transportation planning
dc.subject Texas
dc.subject Austin
dc.subject San Antonio
dc.subject Highway -railroad crossings
dc.subject At -grade crossings
dc.subject Rail safety
dc.subject Railroad crossings
dc.subject Union Pacific Railroad
dc.subject Planning
dc.title Safety at highway -railroad crossings : a case study of the Austin -San Antonio corridor
dc.description.department Community and Regional Planning
dc.type.genre thesis *
dc.type.material text *
thesis.degree.name Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning
thesis.degree.level Masters
thesis.degree.discipline Community and Regional Planning
thesis.degree.grantor University of Texas at Austin
thesis.degree.department Community and Regional Planning
dc.date.updated 2011 -07 -25T15 :54 :38Z
dc.identifier.slug 2152 /ETD -UT -2011 -05 -3275

Citation

Safety at highway-railroad crossings : a case study of the Austin-San Antonio corridor. Master's thesis, University of Texas at Austin. Available electronically from http : / /hdl .handle .net /2152 /ETD -UT -2011 -05 -3275 .

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