INPUT FROM AP065(4) CONCERNING TRIENIAL STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AP065 (Urban Rail Transit Committee)

Research Priorities of the Commuter Rail Subcommittee

 

1.      Work from Home vs Commuter Rail

·       How has urban-suburban commuting changed since March 2020

o   Why? How? and How Much?

·       How will commuter rail ridership recover/change in the Work from Home era?

·       How should commuter rail respond to changing travel patterns?

 

2.      Faster, Better and Cheaper (Efficiency:  Innovation and Research)

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

·       How does the industry stimulate more nimble responses to changing markets

·       How can industry reduce costs, increase revenue yield, improve service delivery and increase safety with innovations in:

o   Fare Collection and Fare Policy

o   Crewing and One Person Train Operations

o   Level Boarding and Accessibility

o   Leveraging new train control technologies

§  What can we do with PTC? 

§  Automation and Self-Driving Trains

 

3.      Sustainability: Innovations & Research

·       What are the most recent developments in Zero-Emissions Motive Power?

·       How can US Commuter Rail improve/expand its urban services roughly based on the models of overseas systems such as German S-Bahns, Paris RER and London Overground.

·       How does the industry innovate to improve First Mile / Last Mile services at suburban origins and destinations?