Building safer and stronger commuter rail cars to lessen the collision forces on passengers is the basis of a proposed research project between Bombardier and Thunder Bay’s Lakehead University and Confederation College.
Bombardier is exploring what innovative safety modifications can be added in the re-design of its Bi-Level commuter cars produced in Thunder Bay.
Though the project is still very much in the grass roots stage, Bombardier has spent more than a year working with government and transportation industry regulatory bodies like the American Public Transportation Association.
Crash Energy Management (CEM) is the latest buzzword in rail safety these days.
Similar to the crumple zones designed by the auto industry, the idea behind CEM is to have the structure of a rail car absorb the energy and shock of a crash rather than the bodies inside it.
A deadly 2005 commuter rail crash in Glendale, Calif. that killed 11 passengers and injured nearly 200 others has caused a fundamental shift in thinking by North American rail agencies and transportation experts from collision prevention to passenger survivability.
An important element of CEM involves setting up crush zones at certain impact points to absorb the brunt of a crash.
Bombardier’s Ron Dysievick, general manager at the Thunder Bay plant, says such a train would include features such as shock absorbing bumpers similar to that of an automobile.
A CEM-equipped train would include stronger end frames, which act as bumpers, to better distribute crash energy.
The light rail sector in Europe and Asia boast some of the world’s leading edge safety features. But Dysievick says North American standards are “far stronger” since Bombardier’s cars are submitted to more rigorous collision testing and require more bulked-up car framing.
Bombardier is already acknowledged as a world standard bearer in safety design elements.
Their high speed Acela Express cars built for Amtrak were the first train to comply with the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration’s Tier II crush-worthiness standards, touted to be the best in the world.
But installing such features in all Bombardier cars must be driven by customer demand, Dysievick says.
“At this point we don’t have specific customers, but we’re preparing for it.”
Simultaneously, the U.S. and Canadian government agencies including the U.S. Department of Transportation are currently devising new passenger safety and light rail industry regulations.
Thunder Bay Mayor Lynn Peterson says she would like to build upon Bombardier’s recent success in landing a $710-million Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway refurbishment contract, while expanding the city’s research and innovation capacity with an eventual Transportation Centre of Excellence.
Lakehead University has submitted a proposal to Bombardier to perform the R & D modeling on crash management systems
The project specifics haven’t been worked out, says Dr. Henri Saliba, Lakehead’s dean of engineering faculty, since Bombardier had been involved in the TTC contract process. “Now that they’ve been successful, I expect that we will come aboard as soon as things are in place.”
The university is searching to fill post-doctoral positions to conduct the research. The positions are subject to budgetary approval.
Their other potential project partner, Confederation College already assists Bombardier in training their employees on Catia three-dimensional computer aided drawing software. That design element will be used on the commuter car shop floor by Bombardier assemblers.
