Excited to announce that the Federal Railroad Administration has published the TRAIN study entitled “Cost and Benefit Risk Framework for Modern Railway Electrification Options”. Completed in collaboration with independent consultants Michael Iden and James Blaze, the study developed a framework for evaluating the updated costs and benefits of freight railway electrification considering traditional and modern innovative methods. The team reviewed past and current electrification studies and identified technologies and strategic operation and implementation approaches to improve benefits and reduce cost and risk. The “Cost, Uncertainty, and Risk of Railway Electrification with New Technologies” (CURRENT) model was developed as a risk-based economic analysis framework to aid railroads in evaluating electrification investments, and inform further supplier research and development.
The study can be accessed here and cited as follows:
Dick, C.T., R.D. Walthall, M.E. Iden, and J.R. Blaze. 2025. Cost and Benefit Risk Framework for Modern Railway Electrification Options. US Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Final Report DOT/FRA/ORD-25/01. Washington, DC, USA.