The National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP)

Project 30 "Web-Based Screening Tool for Shared-Use Rail Corridors." The objective of this research is to develop a web-based tool to enable states and passenger rail operators to perform preliminary feasibility screening of proposed shared-use passenger and freight rail corridor projects. The impetus for this research arose from the Passenger Rail and Improvement Act of 2008, which seeks new partnerships between the freight and rail industries. Such partnerships would result in new publicly-funded passenger rail services on privately-owned freight railroad facilities and is critical to the development of all forms of passenger rail service.

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)

Project 08-85 "The Comprehensive Costs of Highway-Rail At-Grade Crossing Crashes." The objectives of this research are to develop a categorization scheme for describing costs associated with crashes at highway-rail at-grade crossings, estimates of the cost magnitudes in recent experience, and an analytical framework for developing a model or models for forecasting such costs. This work is expected to assist with enabling highway and rail systems decision makers to effectively judge the economic benefits from public investments to improve or eliminate at-grade crossings.