Rolling Stock Equipment Technical Forum

Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Technical Forum to advance the state of the art in the design, application, procurement, operation and maintenance of railcar rolling stock equipment with emphasis on technical issues, passenger safety, energy efficiency and standardization.

The specific objectives of the Technical Forum shall be defined in a Project Work Plan to be adopted each year that guides the Technical Forum’s activities.  This Project Work Plan shall include the following five points: 1) a statement of the problem, issue or work task to be undertaken, 2) project champion and identified sponsors, 3) description of approach for accomplishing the task, 4) identification of key milestones and resource needs, and 5) a discussion of the relevance of the work and implications of foregoing the effort.  Work Plans are guided by the following overall objectives of the Forum.

1. Identify and document a number of rail vehicle related issues of interest to the vast majority of rail operating properties throughout the U.S. and Canada.

2. Rank rail vehicle issues identified above in terms of importance and urgency.

3. Facilitate resolution of the above issues by establishing APTA workshops and forums with the aim of heightening awareness and resolving identified issues.

4. Identify and make available funding resources for rail vehicle related research and development.

5. Serve as a technical and informational resource on rail equipment, addressing issues related to safety, ADA compliance, rail car equipment design standards and advanced technologies.

6. Foster cooperation with related committees, agencies and organizations in an effort to realize the mission and goals expressed herein.