Each of the papers constituting this two-volume set was peer-reviewed by one of the following committees of the Transportation Research Board: Standing Committee on Intercity Passenger Rail, Standing Committee on Passenger Rail Equipment and Systems Integration, Standing Committee on Railroad Operating Technologies, Standing Committee on Freight Rail Transportation, and others. Includes bibliographical references.

No. 2475 [i.e., v. 1] contains 12 papers concerned with freight and passenger system aspects of railroads. Specific topics addressed include: global high-speed rail experience; high-speed rail lines and market competition; high-speed rail and urban decentralization; the financial relationship between railway industry players in shared railway systems; high-speed rail revenue management; and life-cycle cost, system reliability, and service reliability in passenger rail system design. Additional topics include energy efficiency of passenger rail systems; passenger train capacity and level of service; sequencing and scheduling in railway classification yards; online rail freight exchange; optimization of shunting yard operations; and capacity issues of single-track railway lines with short sidings. No. 2476 [i.e., v. 2] includes 17 papers concerned with track, equipment, and safety aspects of railroads. Specific topics addressed include the following: concrete crosstie rail seat deterioration; environmental vibration induced by subways in a tunnel; the impact of water level rise on the behaviors of track structure and substructure; fine-scale ballast-tie interface pressure distribution; calculation of critical velocity of trains; timber and concrete crosstie maintenance and replacement; mitigation of differential settlement in a bridge transition zone; tie support at transition zones; and freight and passenger rail fuel efficiency. Additional topics addressed in this issue include: data-driven wheel wear modeling and reprofiling; distracted driving at highway-rail grade crossings; accident prediction at railroad grade crossings; light rail crossing safety performance functions; IdaShield signs at highway-rail crossings; traffic safety at road-rail level crossings; freight train derailment rates; and a historic analysis of U.K. railway accidents caused by human error.