RAIL VEHICLES you can absorb the energy rather than having them exposed in a high energy crash situation.” Bombardier has also developed a crash-absorbent technology. Th ibault said that Bombardier has worked to not only meet the standards for safety, but exceed them in certain cases. “For example our newest bi-level rail car running currently in Toronto, has crash energy absorbent elements of the vehicle which allow to basically reduce the deceleration rate or the risk of injuries in case of a crash. It protects the driver, but it also protects the passengers on-board in case of accident,” said Th ibault. “Th erefore the energy being absorbed at the front end in front of the driver allows to reduce the risk of injuries.” Th ibault added that the FRA doesn’t currently require passenger rail vehicles to have crash energy management. “Th ere has been quite a lot of discussion over the last few years about making PROPOSED INTERIOR for the Siemens-made rail vehicles. Siemens crash energy management a mandatory requirement, but at this point we are basically anticipating the next generation of legislation on the safety regulations,” said Th ibault. Future of Rail “I do believe that there is more acceptance and demand for mass transit. I think that the demand for passenger comfort and WORLD LEADING PROVIDER Future Systems solutions include: Bus transit stops • Bus transit shelters BRT shelters • Wayfinding systems • Digital RTI displays • CCTV Security Canopies & walkways • Solar energy systems 28 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | APRIL/MAY 2017 the liability in the terms of guaranteed travel times and I think that agencies are responding correctly,” said Cahill. “For the layout I think that the most we have with light rail, streetcars I think that no one mode will be more prevalent than the other. I do think that we will have mainline rail to replace a lot of the shorter distance airplane travel. I think that airline travel has become quite congested and the reliability for on-time performance is lower than it used to be and people are beginning to realize that rail off ers a good alternative. Th ere is an uptick coming and it has already started and I think that it will continue to increase. While it takes an hour to fl y and two hours by train, but when you factor in check in time it is more effi cient.” Mohney echoed the idea that rail was going to continue becoming a large spotlight in the transit world. “I think as a manufacture we are very optimistic about the future of passenger rail and especially streetcar projects, as those impact us the most. We’ve seen evidence that they can improve transit systems and have held together well, in addition to that they provide economic growth in many cases for the cities and a byproduct of that that we feel is jobs for suppliers for Brookville so we are very optimistic that the future is bright for streetcar production in the United States.” Cahill added that he thinks that it takes initiative from both transit agencies and politicians to respond to the demand from passengers and commuters. “I think it takes the bravery from politicians because it involves capital spending and ventures and political. I think that at the end of the day the capital funding that requires longterm thinking at the political level to see the benefi ts and respond accordingly.” Call 845 570 2745 visit www.futuresystems-inc.com or email us at sales@futuresystems-inc.com For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/12316525
MassTransit_AprilMay_2017
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