MxV Rail (formerly TTCI) has conducted simulations to evaluate stopping distances of trains with a small percentage of inoperative brakes. The analysis, part of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Strategic Research Initiatives program, showed that trains with newer cars and a small percentage of inoperative brakes are able to stop in the same distance as trains with older cars and 100 percent operative brakes. Car age is relevant in this analysis because cars built since 2004 have higher brake ratios compared to cars built in 2003 or earlier. BACKGROUND Title 49 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) includes sections on the requirements for train brake systems (49 CFR 232.103) and the movement of defective equipment (49 CFR 232.15). These regulations require that every car in a train must have operative brakes unless the train is moving for brake repair in which case it is required that train…
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