As high speed rail is developed in the United States, there is an expectation that at least some of the high speed tracks will be implemented within proximity of existing freight rail corridors. Although separate assets, right-of-way constraints to fit both high speed tracks and freight tracks within proximity of such existing corridors will likely lead to high speed tracks being in proximity to freight tracks. When a freight train derails, there is the probability of dispersion of the equipment outwards from the centerline of the freight track. If a high speed track is in proximity to the freight track, there is risk of the high speed track being fouled by freight equipment. As expected, the probability of such track fouling decreases with increased track separation distance between the two tracks. The authors present a robust analytical approach to understand and manage the risk of high speed track fouling from freight derailments. Mitigations to reduce the risk of derailment and track fouling are applied to achieve and manage a reasonable risk level, and implement cost effective risk management policies.
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