U.S. Department of Energy Develops Railcars for Spent Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste Transportation
The Atlas railcar, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy for the transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, has been certified by the Association of American Railroads for use on all major U.S. freight railroads.
The 12-axle Atlas railcar is equipped with high-tech sensors and monitoring systems. It was designed for safe and reliable transportation of commercial spent nuclear fuel shipments weighing up to 218 tons. The entire railroad system for the transportation of radioactive waste and spent fuel includes the Atlas railcar, two buffer cars, and an accompanying railcar developed in partnership with the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the railcar project lasted ten years and costed about $33 million.
In addition, the manufacturing process for the Fortis railcars is currently underway. This is an 8-axle railcar that will have the same cargo securing system as the Atlas railcar and the same integrated safety and security monitoring system. It will be shorter in length than the Atlas and will be used to transport smaller and lighter packages or to load spent nuclear fuel casks at nuclear power plants where space may be limited.
The Fortis railcar design was approved by the Association of American Railroads in 2021, which allowed the U.S. Department of Energy to start contracting for the construction of a prototype railcar. The deck components for the Fortis prototype are already being manufactured by Kasgro Rail at its plant in New Castle, Pennsylvania. The next step will be testing as part of single- and multi-car trains at the Federal Railroad Administration’s Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado. Fortis is expected to be commissioned by the end of the decade.
The developed railcars will provide greater flexibility to the U.S. Department of Energy’s transportation system when transporting spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to storage and disposal facilities.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy