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Foster-Miller, Inc., announced today that it has been awarded $1.5 million in federal transportation appropriations funding for railroad research and development. The amount provided will accelerate the implementation of advanced locomotive safety and monitoring systems under the Advanced Freight Locomotive program.
Foster-Miller is continuing its work with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to implement advanced safety equipment in freight locomotives. The implementation plan is designed to integrate sensor technologies, electronics, and equipment that can improve freight railroad safety while making the improvements economically viable. Initial work will focus on finalizing designs and commencing prototype production to implement an automatic collision notification system, locomotive cab safety systems such as air bags and energy absorbing crash seats, and improved egress products such as roof hatches, removable windshields and break away doors.
“I am pleased that Foster-Miller is committed to building its operations in Fitchburg as this program will have a demonstrable impact on the local economy, translating into new employment opportunities,” said Congressman John Olver (D-MA). “Foster-Miller is recognized for its significant advancements in freight and locomotive safety to reduce the number of railroad accidents and injuries. The company continues to push the innovation envelope to enhance safety standards and ensure that equipment and systems are successfully implemented.”
Since 1995, Foster-Miller has been actively engaged with the FRA to create computerized simulations of railroad collisions as part of the FRA initiative to develop equipment to monitor and improve the health impact, safety and efficiency of locomotives and freight cars. These simulations are used to analyze different types of railroad accidents to improve crashworthiness and minimize injury through design modifications. In 2000, Foster-Miller opened a full-scale Locomotive Test Facility in Fitchburg, MA, with a loading test fixture capable of handling 40,000 pound test locomotives. Foster-Miller was awarded a two-year $9 million sole-source contract from the FRA in 2003 to expand its work in the areas of locomotive crashworthiness and fuel tank safety.
Foster-Miller, Inc., is an engineering, development and manufacturing company located in suburban Boston, MA, with additional offices in Albany, NY and Washington, DC. It became an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of QinetiQ North America Inc., in November, 2004. The firm was founded almost 50 years ago by three graduates of MIT who believed there was a need for a company that could solve clients’ difficult technical problems through first-class analysis and design. The company maintains a staff of more than 300 mechanical, electrical, thermal, chemical, nuclear, aerospace, software and materials engineers as well as metallurgists, physicists, mathematicians, chemists, biologists and support staff working in the areas of robotics, advanced materials, aerospace, homeland security, power systems, biotechnology, medical and life sciences, and transportation.
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