Railroad Transportation of Hazardous Materials: Models for Risk Assessment and Management

A significant portion of hazardous materials (hazmat) is transported via railroads, and this chapter is the first attempt at capturing and assimilating the work done in this domain. To facilitate a better understanding of the building blocks, the chapter starts with a description of a typical freight rail transportation system, which in turn sets the stage for the introduction of different risk assessment methodologies and risk management techniques. Three of the most popular measures of hazmat transport risk, i.e., expected consequence, incident probability, and population exposure—with appropriate adaptations to incorporate the dynamics of railroad operations—are developed. Discussion on risk management is mostly focused on optimization frameworks developed for solving tactical planning problems, and some discussion on tank-car design and hazmat railcar placement in a train-consist. Finally, we outline some research issues requiring further investigation, and motivate the need for adopting a multidisciplinary approach.