This report includes the results of two research tasks carried out under TCRP Project D-7, “Joint Track-Related Research with the Association of American Railroads/ Transportation Technology Center, Inc.”: • Exothermic Welding of Heavy Electrical Cables to Rail, and • Applicability of AREMA Track Recommended Practices for Transit Agencies. Over the years, a number of track-related research problem statements have been submitted for consideration in the TCRP project-selection process. In many instances, the research requested has been similar to research currently being performed for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the freight railroads by the Association of American Railroads’s (AAR’s) Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), in Pueblo, Colorado. Transit track, signal, and rail vehicle experts reviewed the research being conducted by TTCI. Based on this effort, several research topics were identified where TCRP funding could be used to take advantage of research currently being performed at the TTCI for the benefit of the transit industry. Final reports on two of these efforts are presented in this publication. (Author/publisher)
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