Review of the Federal Railroad Administration Research and Development Program: Letter Report February 2010 (2010) / Chapter Skim
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February 12, 2010 The Honorable Joseph Szabo Administrator Federal Railroad Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, DC 20590 Dear Mr.
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2 investments in incrementally higher-speed and true high-speed rail passenger service developments. The meeting concluded with the committee's executive session to formulate the findings and recommendations that are provided in this report.
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3 2002 and even since the 2006 workshop on priorities intended to provide useful input for FRA's next 5-year plan.2 The current recession, in some respects the worst since the 1930s, has hit railroads hard. Traffic levels have declined 25 percent or more in many lines of business.
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4 most obvious. Congress and the Obama administration have effected what can accurately be called a sea change in federal policy toward rail passenger service.
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5 of this review and accompanying decisions, a clearer picture of the promise of rail passenger development for the next decade will emerge. A national policy consensus with regard to the FRA–USDOT–White House recommendations, if it develops, will create the proper context for setting new FRA R&D priorities.
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6 become more critical as research into the safety and economic performance of mixed passenger and freight operations progresses.4 Testing capabilities in a nonrevenue environment are needed to evaluate designs developed within the United States and to ensure train safety. FRA should investigate potential business models and build policy scenarios for use by the administration in developing a sustainable national rail infrastructure to support high-speed passenger operation, in accordance with the objective set in the ARRA.
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7 Questions that might be addressed by contextual research include the following: What are the proper policy tools to engage and implement ideas related to diverting traffic from highway to rail, and should they encompass incentives (for example, green credits -- a sort of bonus for taking actions determined to have favorable impacts on air quality, energy conservation, land use, etc.) or penalties (such as congestion tolls or higher motor fuel levies)
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8 the small number of educational programs in rail engineering and economics. The committee and FRA staff discussed the desirability of an interim meeting in the spring 2010 to cover in more detail topics including (a)
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9 facilitate stakeholder comments by having the breakout groups report back to the participants in plenary session at the end of the day. A correctly structured periodic review with a broader audience could bring substantial benefit to FRA research priorities.
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10 and Innovative Technology Administration staff at the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. Without the full cooperation of FRA management and staff, the committee would be unable to fulfill its charge.
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