Identification of Railroad Requirements for the Future Automated and Connected Vehicle (AV/CV) Environment

Abstract

The Federal Rail Administration (FRA) Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Inventory database from 2019 states that there are approximately 127,000 public, at-grade highway-rail grade crossings in the U.S. Despite this large number of direct intersections between the public highway and largely private rail systems, little current intelligent transport systems automated/connected vehicle (AV/CV) research is focused on how to incorporate the railroad system and its operations effectively into future roadway AV/CV system planning. This initial scanning project examined how transportation agencies, engineering firms, researchers, and other highway system stakeholders designing future AV/CV systems could best consider freight and passenger railroad operational and infrastructure needs in the development of future AV/CV system architecture. The project explored the following: •Information/data requirements for roadway vehicles to operate effectively near rail crossings. •Impediments to collecting and exchanging rail operations data between public roadway agencies, publiccommuter/transit rail systems, and the largely private freight rail operators. •Potential AV/CV implementation approaches near rail system assets that could benefit both systems. •Critical, necessary additional research efforts in both the short- and long-term to address future jointrailroad/highway AV/CV architecture challenges.