Committee for Review of the Federal Railroad Administration Research, Development, and Demonstration Programs Letter Report: March 9, 2011 (2011) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Pages 1-9
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 1... ...
500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 Phone (202)
|
From page 2... ...
2 The scope of the committee's work has been modified to acknowledge the recent emphasis on development of the nation's high-speed rail (HSR) program and on demonstration of new technologies beyond the research phase.
|
From page 3... ...
3 FINDINGS Leadership of FRA's Research Team The committee commends FRA for development of a capable rail research leadership team and recommends that FRA maintain continuity in research management as the agenda for research is clarified and further developed. Project Workload and Organization The committee is concerned about the sheer number of projects under way and the ability of the modest FRA RD&D staff to manage such a workload efficiently and move projects along according to strategic priorities.
|
From page 4... ...
4 consider how the benefits of current research efforts may be interpreted, transformed, or migrated in support of those goals, as opposed to developing entirely new projects to fit the USDOT scheme. Research on track integrity monitoring, for example, may be shown to improve safety, support a state of good repair, and improve the reliability and economic competitiveness of rail service.
|
From page 5... ...
5 means of improving rail efficiency and more effectively leveraging the public's investment. The committee cautions FRA that research to define the competitive marketplace between modes has proven to be difficult and that studies using simple generalized models can produce misleading results.
|
From page 6... ...
6 • To avoid public misunderstanding, the scale of total score values should be recalibrated in such a manner that the "normal passing score" for a project to receive funding is in the range of 80 percent rather than 50 percent. The committee understands that the scoring mechanism is only one of several tools supporting proper allocation of funding to research candidates and that some lower-scoring projects may be worthy of funding.
|
From page 7... ...
7 The committee suggests that FRA concentrate passenger rail research funding on projects supporting expansion and upgrades of shared passenger and freight rail services. The latter category includes many elements that are particular to the North American operating environment and is thus in need of original research approaches and solutions.
|
From page 8... ...
8 the benefit of developing a more diversified rail research community and future workforce into its procurement selections, with particular attention to universities. Suggestions for Future Research Review Public Events The committee appreciated the opportunity to participate in the FRA Research Review public event in December 2009 but, as noted in its previous report, believes that there was too little opportunity for dialogue with presenters.
|
From page 9... ...
9 research arm should feature enhanced opportunities for dialogue and feedback on both past efforts and future directions to sustain support and proper targeting of scarce RD&D resources. The members hope that their views will be useful to FRA and look forward to supporting your efforts in future years.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.