Atlas Railcar factsheet

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is developing special railcars for future large-scale DOE transport of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from nuclear power plants. Designs include new buffer railcars, the Atlas railcar (to transport SNF containers), and a new escort railcar for security personnel that was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Navy. In May 2024, the Atlas Railcar was officially approved under AAR’s S-2043 standard, which is specific to railcars used to transport high level radioactive material such as SNF.