Mes élèves ont survécu à la deuxième année

TRB Upper Midwest Rail Caucus Update

Photos from 2011 TRB Upper Midwest Passenger Rail Caucus

Detachable Grip High Speed Gondola for Vancouver

Vancouver's TransLink is studying the feasibility of a high speed detachable grip gondola from Production Way - University SkyTrain station to Burnaby Mountain to improve transit reliability, travel times, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed Burnaby Mountain Gondola Transit Project would serve SFU students, faculty and staff, residents and businesses of UniverCity, and visitors.

A planning study (which includes a business case) is being completed to determine the costs and benefits of the project and identify whether proceeding with detailed planning and procurement is justified. The planning study will be completed in the summer of 2011.

The latest project information can be found in the Burnaby Mountain Gondola Document Library.

Chicago's I-55 corridor gets "bus-on-shoulder" program to spur transit times

August 11, 2011 - Orland Park, IL – Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation creating a “bus on shoulder” pilot program through Chicago's I-55 corridor to improve public transportation transit times.

The new law, sponsored by State Rep. Bob Rita (D-Blue Island), will permit public transit buses, operated under the authority of the Rapid Transportation Authority and Pace, to ride on a designated roadway shoulders at locations and times by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

“This program aims to create a quicker and safer public transportation system,” Rita said. “By allowing transit buses to ride on a roadway shoulder in specifically designated areas we can help commuters reach their destinations both swiftly and securely.”

Under Rita’s measure, IDOT along with the RTA, Pace and the Illinois State Police will establish the five-year pilot program. Additionally, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority will also input for highways under its jurisdiction.

“Idling buses waste commuters time and money and waste taxpayer money on fuel,” Rita said. “This program changes that by allowing transit buses to safely and swiftly ride on roadway shoulders.”

The expressway shoulders will only be available when traffic is slower than 35 mph. Buses will be restricted to traveling no more than 15 mph over the top traffic speed in the mainline lanes, never greater than 35 mph.

The new law requires IDOT to issue a report to the Illinois General Assembly on the effectiveness of the pilot program after two years of operation.

New Research on Bus Use of Highway Shoulders

Major cities across the nation experience severe traffic congestion. New ideas are needed to safely move more people using existing resources. Many severely congested roads have 10- to 12-foot wide shoulders that could be used by transit buses to bypass the congestion with little or no infrastructure improvements. The operation of buses on shoulders (BOS) is necessary because of the limited right-of-way and the high costs associated with creating new infrastructure. BOS concepts could also be applied to planning new infrastructure.

Buses traveling on shoulders can deliver a consistently reliable schedule to passengers, regardless of the traffic conditions along the route. Transit agencies could use shoulders for service, such as bus rapid transit, express, or fixed routes, along certain congested roads. Experience has provided encouraging results. On congested roads, BOS can support cost-effective multimodal transportation choices, improve bus schedule reliability, potentially reduce operational costs, and attract more automobile drivers to buses. 

Questions asked by agencies regarding the potential introduction of BOS systems include 

•  What are the quantitative ridership benefits associated with BOS and how can project design maximize these benefits?
•  What are the quantitative bus running-time and reliability benefits resulting from BOS operations?
•  What is the safety history of BOS operations and how might the design of BOS applications minimize safety risks?
•  How have BOS systems employed multi-agency teams to plan, design, and implement projects?
•  How were the BOS projects championed? What are the legislative or regulatory frameworks? Has there been federal involvement? Was enabling legislation required, or statutes?

Research is needed to assist in answering these questions and others associated with BOS systems.

The objective of this research is to develop a decision-making guide for operational planning and functional design of BOS operations on heavily congested roads. The primary focus of this research is to develop recommended measures to safely move more people through congested roads. In addition, the research will (1) identify conditions under which shoulders can be used for bus travel, including design and operational criteria; (2) identify the advantages and disadvantages and the cost/benefit potential of BOS operations programs; and (3) identify procedures and strategies that may be used by various stakeholders (such as state and local transportation and transit agencies) to successfully implement a BOS project. This research will build on the information presented in the draft final report for TCRP Synthesis Topic SD-03, Bus Bypass Use of Shoulders (anticipated to be published in May 2006 as TCRP Synthesis 64, Bus Use of Shoulders), which summarizes existing practice on the use of roadway shoulders by transit buses to bypass traffic congestion.

Click here for more information

Commuter Rail: Balancing Freight Clearance with Level Boarding and ADA Accessibility Requirements

Freight locomotives pass 23 inch RiverLINE platforms with no problems

Federal regulators and passenger railways are both concerned about passengers with mobility impairments that limit their abilities to use stairways. Toward that end, federal policy and railway practice strongly encourages developing services that allow for level boarding and alighting from commuter rail trains without using stairways.Beyond benefiting individuals that have trouble using stairs, level boarding can also lead to significant improvements in service delivery for the rest of the public by reducing unproductive station dwell times, improving safety and creating opportunities improve crew efficiency
.

One principal obstacle to level boarding has been the concerns of freight railroads that operate over (and often own) trackage shared with the passenger trains. The freight operators wish to maintain a full horizontal clearance envelope allowing unrestricted operations. These concerns often limit the close door/platform interface necessary for level boarding.

This paper summarizes current FTA policy on level boarding, discusses the benefits of level boarding, reviews the tension between freight clearance concerns and level boarding and reviews the state of the practice in serving passengers with mobility impairments. Based on the industry review, it highlights three innovations that have been implemented or considered to expand the scope of level boarding among North American commuter railroads. Finally it provides recommendations for further research.

Click Here for more information

Your comments would be very much appreciated

Mid Year Meeting of the TRB Self Power Rail Car Technologies Subcomittee

All members and friends of TRB Subcommittee AP070(1) are cordially invited and encouraged to attend the mid-year meeting to be held in conjunction with our parent committee AP070 at APTA’s Annual Rail Conference in Boston Massachusetts. The joint meeting will be convened Saturday June 11th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the Marriott Copley Place Hotel.

Please click here for the planned agenda.

Click here for minutes from January's Annual Meeting in Washington DC.

For complete information on the APTA Rail Conference that is being held from June 11 – 15. please visit the APTA conference website: http://www.apta.com/mc/rail/Pages/default.aspx

If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns contact David Nelson (617 532 4286) or david.nelson@jacobs.com

I look forward to seeing you in Boston

David Nelson

Chair Subcommittee on Self Powered Rail Car Technologies

BNSF creates mobile apps for shippers' smart phones

Consider it a sign of the times, you can now control and track rail cars from your cellphone

Click here for more information

Professor Vukan R. Vuchic, Docteur Honoris Causa

On March 10, 2011, CNAM presented Professor Vukan R. Vuchic with the title of Honorary Doctorate. Born in 1935 in Belgrade, Vukan R. Vuchic graduated from the University of Belgrade in 1960. He began his career as an engineer in Europe before moving to the United States where he graduated in 1965 with a PhD from the University of Berkeley. He obtained American citizenship in 1968, and has become the international academic reference for engineering of onboard systems applied to transportation. Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Prof. Vuchic is now in charge of the UPS Foundation Chair dedicated to this theme. Through his expert advisory role with companies and public authorities, Vukan R. Vuchic has greatly influenced the construction of urban transport networks throughout the world. He is among the engineers who have received the highest number of distinctions in this century and is the author of many international publications and reference books. 
Click here for more details

Comparative Subway Systems

Metro networks from 44 world cities portrayed next to one another in the same scale.

Very interesting

Vice President Biden Announces Six Year Plan to Build National High-Speed Rail Network

Philadelphia, PA - Vice President Joe Biden today announced a comprehensive plan that will help the nation reach President Obama’s goal of giving 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail within 25 years, as outlined in his State of the Union address. The proposal will place high-speed rail on equal footing with other surface transportation programs and revitalize America’s domestic rail manufacturing industry by dedicating $53 billion over six years to continue construction of a national high-speed and intercity passenger rail network.  As a part of President Obama’s commitment to winning the future by rebuilding America’s roadways, railways and runways, the plan will lay a new foundation for the nation’s economic opportunity, job creation, and competitiveness.

The Vice President made the announcement with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood during a visit to Philadelphia’s historic 30th Street Station, where passengers traveling from Pittsburgh and Harrisburg on Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor connect to high-speed Acela service to Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C.  Since track improvements raised speeds between Harrisburg and Philadelphia to 110 mph in 2006, the Keystone Corridor has seen rail ridership rise by 57 percent.  In fact, more passengers now travel from Harrisburg to Philadelphia – and from Philadelphia to New York City and Washington D.C. – by rail than by plane.

“As President Obama said in his State of the Union, there are key places where we cannot afford to sacrifice as a nation – one of which is infrastructure,” said Vice President Biden.  “As a long time Amtrak rider and advocate, I understand the need to invest in a modern rail system that will help connect communities, reduce congestion and create quality, skilled manufacturing jobs that cannot be outsourced. This plan will help us to do that, while also increasing access to convenient high speed rail for more Americans.”

As the first step in this comprehensive, six-year plan, the President’s Budget for the coming fiscal year would invest $8 billion in expanding Americans’ access to high-speed passenger rail service.  In order to achieve a truly national system, these investments will focus on developing or improving three types of interconnected corridors:

• Core Express:  These corridors will form the backbone of the national high-speed rail system, with electrified trains traveling on dedicated tracks at speeds of 125-250 mph or higher.
• Regional:  Crucial regional corridors with train speeds of 90-125 mph will see increases in trips and reductions in travel times, laying the foundation for future high-speed service.
• Emerging:  Trains traveling at up to 90 mph will provide travelers in emerging rail corridors with access to the larger national high-speed and intercity passenger rail network.

This system will allow the Department – in partnership with states, freight rail, and private companies – to identify corridors for the construction of world-class high-speed rail, while raising speeds on existing rail lines and providing crucial planning and resources to communities who want to join the national high-speed rail network. With rail ridership reaching all-time highs in many areas of the country during 2010, these investments will ensure that more Americans have the option of taking a train to reach their destination.

"In America, we pride ourselves on dreaming big and building big," said Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.  "This historic investment in America’s high-speed rail network keeps us on track toward economic opportunity and competitiveness in the 21st century.  It’s an investment in tomorrow that will create manufacturing, construction, and operations jobs today.”

This long term commitment builds on the $10.5 billion down payment the Obama Administration already devoted to a national high-speed rail system – including $8 billion of Recovery Act funds and $2.5 billion from the 2010 budget.  These investments are already paying economic dividends in places like Brunswick, Maine, where construction workers are laying track that will provide the first rail service since the 1940s from Brunswick to Portland to Boston.  Private dollars are also gravitating toward Brunswick’s station neighborhood, as investors have financed a number of businesses and residential condos, a new movie theatre, a new 60 room hotel, and a 21st century health clinic.  Similar high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects across the country will create jobs not only in our manufacturing sector, but also in the small businesses that open near modernized train stations.  They will connect large metropolitan communities and economies through a safe, convenient, and reliable transportation alternative.  They will ease congestion on our roads and at our airports.  And they will reduce our reliance on oil as well as our carbon emissions.

By clarifying the long-term federal role in passenger rail, this six-year program will provide states and cities with the certainty they need to make long-term transportation plans for their communities.  It will provide businesses the confidence they need to hire American workers.  Strong Buy American requirements will create tens of thousands of middle-class jobs in construction, manufacturing, and rail operations.   And the proposal will open the door to new public-private partnerships, and attract significant private investment in developing and operating passenger rail corridors.

The proposal announced today by the Vice President also streamlines the Department of Transportation’s rail programs, making it simpler for states, cities, and private companies to apply for grants and loans.  For the first time, all high speed and intercity passenger rail programs will be consolidated into two new accounts:  a $4 billion account for network development, focused on building new infrastructure, stations, and equipment; and a $4 billion account for system preservation and renewal, which will maintain state of good repair on Amtrak and other publicly-owned assets, bring stations into Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, and provide temporary operating support to crucial state corridors while the full system is being built and developed.

Click here for press release

Rail Transit Safety: Is There a Real Difference Between Cities?

Presented at the 90th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board  

Rail Transit Systems: System Development, Safety, and Reliability

January 26, 2011 | 4:30 pm | Columbia Hall 8: Washington Hilton, Washington DC

In December 2009, the US DOT proposed to establish and enforce minimum Federal safety standards for rail transit systems to correct the status quo condition where 27 separate state programs are responsible for rail safety “resulting in a situation in which there are inconsistent practices and effectiveness”.  This short paper conducts a statistical analysis of publicly available safety data to empirically address two questions:   

• How safe is rail transit compared with other modes of transport?
• Is there a statistically significant record of inconsistent safety among rail transit agencies?

 The analysis finds that travel by rail transit is generally safer than travel by automobile or truck.  But, it does find statistically significant long term differences in safety records among the array of domestic heavy rail and light rail operations.  However, a detailed review of the findings shows that it is difficult to assign these differences due to inconsistent regulation and enforcement as some of the most profound differences between agencies are found among agencies that operate in the same state under the same regulatory regime.  Finally, the analysis found that incident and injury rates are statistically poor predictors of fatality rates.   This suggests that rail transit fatalities are so infrequent that existing information concerning rates of incidents and injuries has little or no statistical value in predicting the incidence of fatal accidents.  Further statistical analysis of fatality rates might be fruitful.

Click here to see the presentation

Click here to see the paper