Web-Based Screening Tool for Shared-Use Rail Corridors (2014)

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N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I V E F R E I G H T R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M NCFRP REPORT 27 Subscriber Categories Passenger Transportation • Planning and Forecasting • Railroads Web-Based Screening Tool for Shared-Use Rail Corridors Daniel Brod DecisionTek, LLc Rockville, MD Alexander E. Metcalf Edwin “Chip” Kraft TransporTaTion economics & managemenT sysTems, inc. Frederick, MD TRANSPORTAT ION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2014 www.TRB.org Research sponsored by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE FREIGHT RESEARCH PROGRAM America’s freight transportation system makes critical contributions to the nation’s economy, security, and quality of life. The freight transportation system in the United States is a complex, decentralized, and dynamic network of private and public entities, involving all modes of transportation—trucking, rail, waterways, air, and pipelines. In recent years, the demand for freight transportation service has been increasing fueled by growth in international trade; however, bottlenecks or congestion points in the system are exposing the inadequacies of current infrastructure and operations to meet the growing demand for freight. Strategic operational and investment decisions by governments at all levels will be necessary to maintain freight system performance, and will in turn require sound technical guidance based on research. The National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) is a cooperative research program sponsored by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) under Grant No. DTOS59-06-G-00039 and administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB). The program was authorized in 2005 with the passage of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). On September 6, 2006, a contract to begin work was executed between RITA and The National Academies. The NCFRP will carry out applied research on problems facing the freight industry that are not being adequately addressed by existing research programs. Program guidance is provided by an Oversight Committee comprised of a representative cross section of freight stakeholders appointed by the National Research Council of The National Academies. The NCFRP Oversight Committee meets annually to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects and defining funding levels and expected products. Research problem statements recommending research needs for consideration by the Oversight Committee are solicited annually, but may be submitted to TRB at any time. Each selected project is assigned to a panel, appointed by TRB, which provides technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. Heavy emphasis is placed on including members representing the intended users of the research products. The NCFRP will produce a series of research reports and other products such as guidebooks for practitioners. Primary emphasis will be placed on disseminating NCFRP results to the intended end-users of the research: freight shippers and carriers, service providers, suppliers, and public officials. Published reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE FREIGHT RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at: http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America NCFRP REPORT 27 Project NCFRP-30 ISSN 1947-5659 ISBN 978-0-309-28381-6 Library of Congress Control Number 2014930058 © 2014 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, RITA, or PHMSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not- for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Cooperative Freight Research Program, conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The members of the technical panel selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Freight Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transporta- tion Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individu- als interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S CRP STAFF FOR NCFRP REPORT 27 Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs William C. Rogers, Senior Program Officer Charlotte Thomas, Senior Program Assistant Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications Hilary Freer, Senior Editor NCFRP PROJECT 30 PANEL Freight Research Projects Charles E. Tilley, BNSF Railway, Fort Worth, TX (Chair) Chad T. Baker, California DOT, Sacramento, CA Steve Fitzroy, Economic Development Research Group, Inc., Boston, MA Tom R. Hickey, CH2MHILL, Philadelphia, PA Rodney P. Massman, State of Missouri, Jefferson City, MO Peter W. Murgas, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Atlanta, GA Randall E. Wade, HNTB Corporation, Madison, WI Randy Butler, FHWA Liaison Robert M. Dorer, RITA Liaison Karen McClure, FRA Liaison John T. Gray, Association of American Railroads Liaison Leo Penne, AASHTO Liaison

F O R E W O R D By William C. Rogers Staff Officer Transportation Research Board NCFRP Report 27: Web-Based Screening Tool for Shared-Use Rail Corridors describes the research that was conducted to develop a practical tool to perform preliminary feasibility screening of proposed shared-use passenger and freight rail corridor projects as defined in the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) publication, Rail Corridor Transportation Plans, A Guidance Manual. Given the limited resources available to states for passenger rail service plans and projects, it is important that public agencies have a screening tool that will identify projects that warrant further detailed investigation utilizing more rigorous analytic tools. The web-based screening tool can be accessed at http://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0702 The United States faces increased congestion on its highways and capacity constraints on its national rail system. In response to increased public demand for energy-efficient trans- portation alternatives, Congress enacted the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (Act). Subpart j of the Act directs the administrator of FRA to (1) develop part- nerships between the freight and passenger railroad industries and (2) provide assistance in assessing railroad operations, capacity, and capital requirements on shared-use corridors where publicly funded passenger rail trains are operated over privately owned freight rail lines. Nearly all Amtrak service operates over privately owned freight rail lines as will most of the new and enhanced intercity and commuter rail service now under consideration. In fact, the shared-use corridor concept is critical to the further development of all forms of passenger rail service. Under NCFRP Project 30, DecisionTek, with the assistance of Transportation Economics & Management Systems, was asked to develop a web-based tool (to be hosted on the FRA website), a systems administrator’s guide, and a user’s manual to enable states and passen- ger rail operators to perform preliminary feasibility screening of proposed shared-use pas- senger and freight rail corridor projects. To accomplish the research objectives, the research team (1) inventoried, described, and assessed the functionality of existing train operations simulation and capacity tools; (2) for the identified tools, described the data needed to populate them; (3) conducted a gap analysis of the availability of public and private data for the identified tools and described alternatives for obtaining or inferring publicly unavailable data; (4) developed a web-based screening tool for shared-use passenger and freight rail cor- ridor projects; (5) conducted three panel-approved case studies to evaluate the functionality and accuracy of the tool; and (6) developed the web-based tool, systems administrator’s guide, and user’s manual to be hosted on the FRA website.

C O N T E N T S Note: Many of the photographs, figures, and tables in this report have been converted from color to grayscale for printing. The electronic version of the report (posted on the Web at www.trb.org) retains the color versions. 1 Summary 8 Chapter 1 Background 8 1.1 Introduction 8 1.2 Research Objective 8 1.3 Interpretation of the Objective 9 Chapter 2 Research Approach 9 2.1 Background 9 2.2 Factors in Developing an Overall Approach 20 2.3 Approach to Tasks 24 Chapter 3 Findings and Applications 24 3.1 Introduction and Study Objectives 25 3.2 Inventory of Tools 29 3.3 Potential Relevance of Tools 30 3.4 Data Requirements and Gap Analysis 35 3.5 Case Studies: Corridor Selection and Key Findings 39 3.6 Case Study Analyses Results 55 3.7 Summary of Findings 60 Chapter 4 Recommended Approach, Implementation, and Suggested Research 60 4.1 Introduction 60 4.2 Recommended Approach for a Web-Based Tool 65 4.3 Web-Based Tool Implementation 66 4.4 Suggested Research and Next Steps 70 References and Bibliography