Longer Freight Trains Are More Likely to Derail

image via New Scientist

June 18, 2024, 10:45 AM

• •A new study shows that the odds of a train jumping the tracks increases as the vehicle gets longer.
• •Replacing two 50-car trains with one 100-car train raises the aggregate odds of derailment by 11 percent.
• •A 200-car train would have a 24 percent increase compared with four 50-car trains.

A new study published in Risk Analysis shows that the odds of a train jumping the tracks increases as the vehicle gets longer. Replacing two 50-car trains with one 100-car train raises the aggregate odds of derailment by 11 percent, the study concluded—even accounting for an overall decrease in the number of trains running. A 200-car train would have a 24 percent increase compared with four 50-car trains, according to the study team’s calculations.

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