Risk Assessment Framework for the Rail Transport of Hazardous Materials

Abstract

This research presented a unique opportunity to investigate an innovative train assembly process to mitigate the risks associated with the rail transport of hazardous materials (hazmat). This paper presented the formulation and solution of a risk assessment framework for moving hazmat by rail transport. The databases of FRA have been used to develop a risk minimization model for application that incorporates in-transit risk as well as rail yard train assembly cost and time constraints. The research problem was formulated as a mixed integer programming problem to be solved with the CPLEX software. The merits of the proposed model were illustrated through a case study highlighting the inadequacies of previous studies.