AAR Technical Standards

TTCI, under contract to the Association of American Railroads (AAR), supports the AAR’s goal to maintain and enforce North American railroad interchange rules, mechanical standards, and component specifications, the purpose of which is to promote a minimum acceptable level of safety and efficiency in interchange service.

Users of the standards publications include North American Class I, shortline, and regional railroads, Federal Railroad Administration, Transport Canada Railway Safety Directorate, private railcar owners, shippers, freight car, locomotive, and component suppliers. The standards are issued and enforced to ensure safety, compatibility, reliability, and efficiency of equipment used in interchange service.

In summary, the TTCI Tech Standards Department, in support of the AAR, provides the following services:

• Support to the AAR in the operation of the railroad industry’s Safety Alert System. This system is used to advise the industry through “Circular Letters” of potential safety hazards related to freight and locomotive equipment. This information may include industry letter ballots and results, arbitration decisions, notification of rules and standards revisions, industry early warning and maintenance advisories, and other information related to mechanical rules and standards.Circulars are issued several times monthly. Click here…..

• AAR standard and specification development and implementation:
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• Management of fulfillment of requested inspections, facility certifications, component approval tests, S-060 certifications, interpretation of standards.

• Rule 88 Sample Car Inspection (verifies compliance with AAR rules/standards, ensuring that rebuilt cars entering the interchange system meet current safety standards and increasing values of existing car fleets)

• Rule 88 Structural Analysis (in conjunction with Rule 88 sample car inspection). This verifies structural integrity of rebuilt car series, ensuring that rebuilt cars entering the interchange system are structurally sound.

• Management and coordination of the AAR Technical Committees and AAR Quality Assurance Committee.TTCI provides technical and administrative support to many of the AAR committees. These committees of industry technical experts provide direction on the development and maintenance of industry standards. Committees include railroad and nonrailroad experts in the areas of quality assurance, locomotives, intermodal equipment, open top loading, freight car design, freight car truck systems, railway electronics, as well as freight and locomotive braking systems.