This document provides a white paper detailing required changes to the DOE Atlas railcar conceptual cradle attachment components and Phase 1 conceptual cradle design due to the addition of the HI-STAR 190 SL and XL casks to the project. 

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing for future large-scale transport of spent 
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, which are collectively defined as High-Level Radioactive 
Material (HLRM) by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). A part of this preparation includes 
designing railcars to be used for the transport of HLRM. 
 

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing for future large-scale transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, which are collectively defined as High-Level Radioactive Material (HLRM) by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). A part of this preparation includes designing railcars to be used for the transport of HLRM.
 

In October 2009, the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board or NWTRB) published Survey of National Programs for Managing High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel.  For each of the 13 national programs studied, the report catalogued 15 institutional arrangements that had been set in place and 15 technical approaches that had been taken to design repository systems for the long-term management of high-activity radioactive waste.