Case Study: American Rail Dispatching Center averts catastrophic derailment and saves lives with AccuWeather For Business

American Rail Dispatching Center - Customer Case Study

American Rail Dispatching Center (ARDC), the leading short-line and regional rail traffic control center serving 20 railroads, faced an acute flood risk on the Palmer, MA to Windsor, VT corridor during October 8–9, 2005. They relied on AccuWeather For Business’ meteorological monitoring and flash-flood alerts to detect heavy rainfall and potential track washouts that could threaten passenger and freight operations.

AccuWeather For Business issued a flash flood warning predicting 3"+ of rain; using that alert ARDC dispatched crews who located a roughly 30' x 30' track washout and closed the line, averting an Amtrak train that would have passed the site at 59 MPH. The vendor’s 24/7 monitoring directly enabled ARDC and New England Central Railroad to prevent a catastrophic derailment, save lives, and minimize infrastructure and equipment damage.

American Rail Dispatching Center

Thomas Murphy

Director