26 Years of Cooperative Research on North American Railroad Tank Car Safety

摘要

Transportation of chemical and petroleum products is the second largest source of revenue for North American railroads, and is a vital element in all facets of the continent's economy. In 1995 over 180 million tons of these products were shipped by rail in the United States and Canada, and the majority of this tonnage was shipped in tank cars. Safe and efficient transportation of these products has long been a concern of the railroads, shippers, tank car manufaturers and government agencies. As the volume and diversity of this traffic has epanded, increased attention has been directed to the potential hazards posed by the products and the safety of the cars used to transport them.