Randy Wade
TRB Intercity Passenger Rail
Committee
Tuesday January 25, 2011
Washington, DC

NCHRP Report 657: A Guidebook for
Implementing Passenger Rail Service on
Shared Passenger and Freight Corridors -$500,000
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/
nchrp_rpt_657.pdf

Provides a general overview of all aspects of
planning, cost estimating, engineering, modeling,
negotiating, and implementing shared use corridor
service

NCFRP 30 Web-Based Screening Tool For
Shared-Use Rail Corridors - $500,000

Feasibility screening tool
 Low cost
 Publicly available data
 State and local rail program staff
 Eliminate from further consideration: infeasible service
proposals

NCHRP Project 08-86: Understanding Capacity
Modeling for Shared-Use Passenger and
Freight Rail Operations - $350,000



“How to” guidebook for state and local rail staff
RTC and similar capacity models
Goal: informed participation by state and local staff
in capacity modeling


NCHRP Project 08-85: Comprehensive
Economic Effects of Highway-Rail At-Grade
Crossing Crashes $350,000
Multi-dimensional cost model for evaluating
vehicle-train collisions.





Delays to rail and highway shipments
Societal costs
Hazardous materials impacts
Pollution impacts from delays and rerouting.
Improved decision-making




Authorized in Section 306 of PRIIA
$5 million
Administered by the Transportation Research
Board (TRB) of the National Academy of
Sciences (NAS)
Specific research projects will be selected by an
advisory board

State transportation agencies; economists, scientist,
and engineers; Amtrak, the Alaska Railroad, freight
railroads, transit operating agencies, railway labor
organizations, and environmental organizations.










Modal energy efficiency comparisons
Innovative funding
Use of abandoned railroad corridors
Inter-operability
Risk management
Environmental Justice
Co-location of energy and rail facilities
Model validation
Data source standardization
Intermodal rail connections









Freight access to HSR
Intercity auto data collection
Performance measures
Project delivery
Institutional and organizational structures
First and last mile
PTC benefits
Intergovernmental coordination
Residential and commercial density
information









Emissions analysis and modal comparisons
Interline ticketing
NEPA Process
P3
Safety -- mixed traffic
Using existing ROW
Alternative energy and efficiency
Quantifying public and private benefits
Enhanced conventional vs. very high speed









Intermodal schedule optimization
Grade crossings shared use corridors
Signaling and train control
Track maintenance standards
Effective project oversight
Vehicle energy management
Car trains
Mega and regional planning
FRA vs. new agency








International perspective on rail finance
State federal and local MPO roles in IC rail
Performance measure criteria
Public involvement strategies
Passenger rail equipment overview
Ridership and revenue forecasting techniques
State capital share financing issues
Tier 1 NEPA screening and alternatives
analysis






Financing techniques - TIFIA and RRIF
Estimating operating costs
Economic impact analysis
Intermodal connectivity
Institutional structures for intercity rail
management
Station design
Randy Wade
Passenger Rail Director
HNTB Corporation
10 West Mifflin Street, Ste. 300
Madison, WI 53703
Tel: (608) 294-5022
Email: rwade@hntb.com