Center Truck Performance on Low-Floor Light Rail Vehicles (2006)

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TRANSPORTAT ION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2006 www.TRB.org T R A N S I T C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M TCRP REPORT 114 Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the Transit Development Corporation Subject Areas Public Transit Center Truck Performance on Low-Floor Light Rail Vehicles Trevor Griffin INTERFLEET TECHNOLOGY, INC. DERBY, UNITED KINGDOM

TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to intro- duce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it. The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem- solving research. TCRP, modeled after the longstanding and success- ful National Cooperative Highway Research Program, undertakes research and other technical activities in response to the needs of tran- sit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes a variety of transit research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices. TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Pro- posed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was autho- rized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement out- lining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooper- ating organizations: FTA, the National Academies, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and the Transit Development Corporation, Inc. (TDC), a nonprofit educational and research orga- nization established by APTA. TDC is responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee. Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the TOPS Committee to formulate the research program by identi- fying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS Committee defines funding levels and expected products. Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel, appointed by the Transportation Research Board. The panels prepare project state- ments (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide techni- cal guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research pro- grams since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation. Because research cannot have the desired impact if products fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on dissemi- nating TCRP results to the intended end users of the research: tran- sit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other support- ing material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry practitioners. The TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively address common operational problems. The TCRP results support and complement other ongoing transit research and training programs. TCRP REPORT 114 Price $34.00 Project C-16 ISSN 1073-4872 ISBN-13: 978-0-309-09863-2 ISBN-10: 0-309-09863-7 Library of Congress Control Number 2006908254 © 2006 Transportation Research Board COPYRIGHT PERMISSION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, or Transit Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Transit Cooperative Research Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing Board’s judgment that the project concerned is appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the National Research Council. The members of the technical advisory panel selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical panel, they are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, the Transit Development Corporation, or the Federal Transit Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical panel according to procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, the Transit Development Corporation, and the Federal Transit Administration (sponsor of the Transit Cooperative Research Program) do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the clarity and completeness of the project reporting. Published reports of the TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America

CRP STAFF FOR TCRP REPORT 114 Robert J. Reilly, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Christopher W. Jenks, TCRP Manager Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications Hilary Freer, Senior Editor TCRP PROJECT C-16 PANEL Field of Engineering of Vehicles and Equipment Richard J. Leary, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Boston, MA (Chair) Stelian Canjea, New Jersey Transit Corporation, Bloomfield, NJ Scott Grogan, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (TX), Houston, TX Tedd Hankins, King County (WA) Metro, Seattle, WA Jay Harper, Valley Metro Rail, Inc., Phoenix, AZ Kenneth J. Kirse, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District, Portland, OR James Nelson, Wilson, Ihrig & Associates, Inc., Oakland, CA Carlos Garay, FTA Liaison Aaron C. James, Sr., FTA Liaison Peter Shaw, TRB Liaison AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Trevor Griffin of Interfleet Technology was the Principal Investigator for TCRP Project C-16. He was assisted by Jim Wiesinger, John Simpson, Paul Heath, Helmut Hanel, and Andy McDonald of Interfleet; Dr. Allan Zarembski and Donald Holfeld of ZETA-TECH Associates; Raul Bravo, Peter Klauser, and Robin Hazy of Raul V. Bravo and Associates; Bernhard Huber, Martin Schmidt, and Roman Häfeli of PROSE AG, Switzerland; Nils Jänig, Peter Forcher, Steffen Plogstert, and Olaf Ritz of Transport Technologie Consult Karlsruhe, Germany; and Heribert Lehna of the Institut für Bahntechnik, Berlin, Germany. The following transit systems kindly supplied substantial input to this study about their vehicles, infra- structure, and experience: • Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority • Metropolitan Transit Authority, Houston, Texas • New Jersey Transit • San Diego Trolley, California • Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority, California • Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority • Toronto Transit Commission • TriMet, Portland, Oregon C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S

This report should be of interest to engineers, manufacturers, maintainers, and others inter- ested in low-floor light rail vehicle (LFLRV) center truck performance issues and their poten- tial solutions for center trucks with unpowered, independently rotating wheels (IRWs). The report describes performance issues observed in the operation of LFLRV center trucks (focus- ing on 70-percent low-floor vehicles), such as excessive wheel wear and noise and occasional derailments, and provides guidance on how to minimize or avoid these issues. The report also includes guidance on LFLRV specifications, maintenance, and design, as well as on related infra- structure design and maintenance, to maximize performance of these LFLRV center trucks. Low-floor light rail vehicles (LFLRVs) are used by many transit systems with increasing popularity. The typical design includes a three-section articulated vehicle body with the cen- ter section connected to a center truck with unpowered, independently rotating wheels (IRWs). The leading and trailing sections of the vehicle are each supported by a motored truck at one end and by the common non-powered center truck at the other. The low-floor height prevents the use of wheel sets with solid axle connections between right and left wheels of the center truck. In acceleration and braking modes during curving, because there are two articulations connecting the center section, the center section and truck may rotate excessively, thereby causing a high angle-of-attack and flanging. Also, the IRWs of the center truck do not pro- mote self-steering through the curve, increasing the angle-of-attack and flange forces. This condition leads to increased flange wear, gauge face wear, stick/slip noise, and the potential for derailment at curves and special trackwork. Wheel life of the low-floor center truck can be significantly less than that of motored trucks. Research was needed to better understand the performance of the center trucks of LFLRVs, compile lessons learned to date, and provide guidance to transit agencies and light-rail vehi- cle (LRV) manufacturers on how to mitigate performance problems. Under TCRP Project C-16, Interfleet Technology was asked to develop guidance to transit agencies and LFLRV manufacturers for mitigating the issues associated with the design and operation of unpowered center trucks on a three-section, articulated vehicle body with the cen- ter section fixed to a center truck with IRWs. To accomplish the project objective, the research team reviewed relevant domestic and international literature; collected design and performance data from transit systems operating LFLRVs and their vehicle manufacturers; and identified the factors that can contribute to events such as derailments, excessive noise, excessive wheel and rail wear, and reduced ride quality (e.g., hunting and excessive curving). Based on these factors, the research team conducted extensive computer modeling using ADAMS/Rail for various LFLRV and track infrastructure combinations. As a result of these analyses, the research team developed guidance related to vehicle and infrastructure design and maintenance. F O R E W O R D By Christopher W. Jenks TCRP Manager Transportation Research Board

C O N T E N T S 1 Summary 2 Chapter 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Background and Research Objectives 2 1.2 Research Activity 2 1.3 Worldwide LFLRV Developments 3 1.4 Potential Issues 4 1.5 Organization of the Report 4 1.6 Dimensions 6 Chapter 2 LFLRV Technology and Applications 6 2.1 Conceptual Development 9 2.2 Product Development 11 2.3 Application in the United States 20 2.4 Summary of Experience 21 2.5 European Experience with This Type of Vehicle 21 2.6 Trends 23 Chapter 3 Performance Issues and Causes 23 3.1 Overview 23 3.2 Derailment 24 3.3 Excessive Wheel and Rail Wear 25 3.4 Noise 26 3.5 Reduced Ride Quality 26 3.6 Contributing Factors 35 Chapter 4 Guidance 35 4.1 Purpose and Structure 36 4.2 Performance Issues Addressed by the Guidance 36 4.3 Fundamental Guidance 37 4.4 Vehicle Specifications 40 4.5 Vehicle Selection Issues 40 4.6 Vehicle Maintenance Guidelines 42 4.7 Vehicle Modification 42 4.8 Future Vehicle Design 43 4.9 Infrastructure Guidelines 45 4.10 Operation of LFLRVs 45 4.11 Infrastructure Maintenance Standards 47 4.12 Infrastructure Modification 47 4.13 Best Practice for System Design 49 Chapter 5 Recommendations for Further Research 50 Chapter 6 Conclusions 51 References

52 Appendix A TCRP Research Project C-16 Scope of Work 65 Appendix B Glossary 67 Appendix C Vehicle Data 68 Appendix D Track Data and Standards Applicable to the Transit Systems Studied 69 Appendix E Track Maintenance Standards 72 Appendix F Bibliography