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Part 1

Introduction

— 2017 —

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section/Article Description Page

1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1-1

1.1.1 General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1-1

1.2 Safety/Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1-2

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SECTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION

The AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering contains principles, data, specifications, plans and economics pertaining to the
engineering, design and construction of the fixed plant of railways (except signals and communications), and allied services
and facilities.

Designated as Recommended Practice, the contents of the Manual in general, Volume 3's Common Elements of Planning,
Design and Operations Analyses for Passenger Rail Systems, and Chapter 11 in particular, are published as a guide to those
commuter rail agencies, inter-city rail agencies, owners, contractors and operators in establishing their individual policies and
practices relative to the subjects, activities and facilities covered in the Manual, with the aim of assisting them to engineer and
construct a commuter or inter-city rail system which will have inherent qualities of safe and economical operation as well as
low maintenance cost. The Manual should be considered as a whole document with Chapter 11 providing information related
to Commuter and Inter City Passenger Rail that is specific to those modes and that is not covered in other areas of the Manual.

1.1.1 GENERAL INFORMATION

Commuter and Inter City Passenger Rail systems operate in many varied and complex environments, all falling under the
regulatory authority of the Federal Railroad Administration in the United States, Transport Canada in Canada, or other
governmental authorities.

© 2019, American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association 11-1-1

Commuter and Intercity Rail Systems

Control of the technical requirements can be by the owner of the railroad, or may be assigned under agreements between
the owner of the right-of-way, the owner of the track, the entity operating the service, the entity maintaining the track and
associated infrastructure, or another entity operating over the track.

Determining the party responsible for controlling the technical requirements is one of the first activities that must be
performed when using the Manual to determine the applicability of any Recommended Practices contained herein as they may
be superseded by the specific standards and/or requirements of the party that controls the technical requirements.

SECTION 1.2 SAFETY/SECURITY

UNDER DEVELOPMENT

© 2019, American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association

11-1-2 AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering