Upgrading Railroad Test Track, Pueblo, Colorado

Abstract

The railroad test track (RTT) at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colo., was constructed in the early 1970s to support high-speed testing of new railroad rolling stock. Through the years it has been used to test a wide range of railroad passenger and freight cars and locomotives. Now, 20 years later, a new high-speed train set is being procured by Amtrak for service in the improved Northeast Corridor. The test facilities at Pueblo will play an important role in acceptance and safety testing of new high-speed train sets in the United States. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) commissioned a study to review the existing condition of the test track and to make recommendations as to possible improvement options so that the facility would be able to test current and future generations of high-speed rail equipment. This paper describes the condition of the test track and explores ways in which it may be modified to accommodate the testing of high-speed train technologies in the near future and into the next century.