Commuter Rail Systems Subcommittee: AP065(5)�Tuesday, January 7, 2025 | 10:15 am - 12:00 pm �Mint Room (M4), Marriott Marquis, Washington DC����� �

104^th Annual Meeting of the

Transportation Research Board

Washington DC

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SAFETY BRIEFING

Emergency Procedures for Marriott Marquis

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In an emergency, dial 202-824-9667 (or 59667 on a house phone) to reach the Marriott Marquis’ security department. Do not call 911 .

Have an exit plan. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the route to the nearest exit from this room.

If an alarm sounds, evacuate the building. The escalators located in the center of each floor can be used to access the main lobby and exits. Additional stairs are located behind the elevators at each end of the main hallway on each level.

In case of evacuation, gather on the lawn of the Apple Store, across the street from the main entrance to the Convention Center.

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CODE OF �CONDUCT

Agenda

Subcommittee Management

Discussion Topics

Research Priorities

Subcommittee Management

• Expanded Commuter Rail Subcommittee
• Commuter Rail Systems
• Diesel Multiple Units and Related Technologies
• Shared Rail Corridors and Facilities
• New Chair required – April 2025

Subcommittee Mission and Scope

• Mission: To advance the efficiency and effectiveness of commuter rail with research on the social, economic, technological, and regulatory factors affecting the urban public transportation applications of passenger trains on the conventional railroad network.

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• Scope: The subcommittee is concerned with public transportation applications for urban passenger trains using tracks shared with the national conventional railroad system. Fields of exploration relate to operations, economics, technology, regulation, and implementation.

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Subcommittee with need new charter / reauthorization in 2025

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Agenda

Subcommittee Management

Discussion Topics

Research Priorities

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Page 7

Discussion Topics�

Aftermath of the COVID Pandemic

• Permanent Market Changes
• Ridership at 3/4^th of 2019 demand

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New Research: The Future of Commuter Rail

• TCRP J-11/Task 45: Future of Commuter Rail in North America

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Sustainability, Equity & Inclusion

• Zero-Emissions Motive Power
• Expanded Suburban Rail Mission

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Aftermath of the COVID Pandemic�

Temporary Market Disruption

• Work from Home
• Ridership Reduction

Permanent Market Changes Anticipated

• Work from Home has been “too successful”
• Less Peak Traffic Congestion
• Less Competition for Parking
• Work travel will be less frequent and less peaked
• New model for commuter rail service design
• Less peaked demand
• More midday and evening
• Bidirectional
• Fewer Economies of Scale

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2024 Update: US Rail Transit Ridership: �Impacts of Work from Home

Nearly 5 years after the outbreak of the pandemic, US overall rail transit ridership is 3/4 of former levels.

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The rate of recovery is slowing

Prepared for the 104^th Annual Meeting

of the Transportation Research Board.

January 7, 2025. Washington DC

Source: FTA National Transit Database December 2024

Prepared by david.nelson@jacobs.com

Commuter Rail�Clawing Back Passengers �Legacy Systems

• 73% overall - up from 64% in 2023

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• All railroads up from 2023

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• Caltrain ridership is surging

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• Strong SEPTA and NICTD recovery

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• MARC is still struggling

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Slide 12

Prepared for the 104^th Annual Meeting

of the Transportation Research Board.

January 7, 2025. Washington DC

Source: FTA National Transit Database December 2024

Prepared by david.nelson@jacobs.com

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Slide 13

Commuter Rail�Long Road to Recovery �New Starts

• 63% overall - up from 57% in 2023

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• Half the New Starts gained very little, if any, ridership in 2024

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• UTA, San Diego and ACE posted substantial gains.

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• CTDOT, VRE and Minneapolis continue to struggle

Source: FTA National Transit Database December 2024

Prepared by david.nelson@jacobs.com

Prepared for the 104^th Annual Meeting

of the Transportation Research Board.

January 7, 2025. Washington DC

New Research: �The Future of Commuter Rail

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TCRP J-11/Task 45: Future of Commuter Rail in North America

Update and Preview

Paul Lewis, DB-Eco.US, Project Manager

OBJECTIVE

Identify implementable and practical strategies for commuter rail services in North America that will

• facilitate recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,
• effect transformation, and
• enjoy continued relevance.

KEY TOPICS

• Ridership and revenue trends.
• Service configurations and schedules.
• Fares
• Funding
• Cost management
• Equity, environmental and sustainability initiatives
• Marketing and messaging.

PRODUCTS

• Final Report with Industry Overview, Case Studies and Practitioners Guide

Slide 14

https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5445

Sustainability, Equity and Inclusion

Zero Emissions Motive Power

• Bay Area – Electric MU service
• Full electric SJ-SF MU service September 2024
• Southern California MetroLink - Hydrogen
• One pilot Hydrogen train for Redlands Arrow
• Chicago Metra – Battery Electric Cars
• Eight two-car Battery Electric Multiple Unit Trains
• Boston MBTA – Battery Electric Cars
• Seven four-car Battery Electric Multiple Unit Trains
• Chicago Metra - Locomotives
• Three pilot locomotives to be converted from diesel to battery

Expanded Mission for Suburban Rail

• Boston – MBTA - Regional Rail Modernization
• Philadelphia – SEPTA – Reimagining Regional Rail

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Agenda

Subcommittee Management

Discussion Topics

Research Priorities

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Page 16

Urgent Research Needs

• How has urban-suburban commuting changed?
• If so, Why? How? and How Much?

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• Will commuter rail ridership recover in Work from Home era?

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• How should commuter rail respond to changing travel patterns?

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Slide 17

Efficiency: Innovation and Research�

With less density of travel, commuter rail will be pressed to lower its costs of operation

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• Nimble Responses to Changing Markets
• Fare Collection and Fare Policy
• Crewing and One Person Train Operations
• Level Boarding and Accessibility
• Leveraging new train control technologies
• What can we do with PTC?
• Automation and Self-Driving Trains

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Page 18

Sustainability: Innovations & Research�

Climate change hasn’t stopped

• Zero-Emissions Motive Power
• 9% of Vehicle Miles are run by “All-Electric” railroads
• SEPTA, DEN, NICTD
• 56% operated by “Mostly Electric”
• MNR, LIRR, NJT
• 5% operated by “Some Electric”
• Metra, MARC
• 20% operated by “All Diesel” railroads
• MBTA, MetroLink, all others
• Urban Rail Services (S-Bahn / RER)

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Page 19

Major Research Directions?

1. Work from Home vs Commuter Rail
2. Faster, Better and Cheaper
3. Cleaner and Greener

4. More inclusive service models

5. What did we forget?

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Slide 20

Commuter Rail Systems Subcommittee: AP065(5)�Tuesday, January 7, 2025 | 10:15 am - 12:00 pm �Mint Room (M4), Marriott Marquis, Washington DC����� �

104^th Annual Meeting of the

Transportation Research Board

Washington DC