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9 Purpose of the Guidebook The purpose of this guidebook is to provide an easy-to-use reference to assist public agencies and other key stakeholders with contracting commuter rail services in an informed and effective manner. Currently, there are no guidelines or generally recognized practices to consider in deter- mining how to best approach commuter rail service (e.g., agency operated and/or by contract). This guidebook is not a how-to guide. Instead, the guidebook shares information about dif- ferent approaches for providing commuter rail service, with the goal of helping public agencies to understand and consider how and when to apply different approaches to new and existing services. This guidebook addresses current commuter rail practices, introduces decision tree analysis to assess local decisions, and discusses trends in contracting commuter rail services. Research Methodology The practices and guidance offered in this guidebook resulted from data collected through a review of the literature and previous research, stakeholder interviews, and on-site visits for case study research: ⢠Literature review. The team reviewed previous research and literature relevant to contracting commuter rail services. The literature searches were conducted by using commercial data- bases and resources available through the Texas A&M University Libraries and other Internet resources. ⢠System profiles. The team created system profiles for all commuter rail services in North America. The content of the 31 system profiles was compiled from the literature review and from stakeholder interviews. ⢠Case studies. A subset of the commuter rail systems was selected for in-depth case study. On-site visits were made to each of the 10 commuter rail systems that were the focus of the case study research. Benefits of the Guidebook The guidebook reflects current industry approaches and practices for delivering commuter rail services. Although the guidebook is primarily intended to be used by passenger rail planners and policy makers in cities and metropolitan areas, a variety of stakeholders that include third- party contractors, professional service providers, trade associations, and other individuals and entities involved in the planning, operations, and management of commuter rail services can benefit from the information contained herein. C H A P T E R 1 Introduction
10 Contracting Commuter Rail Services, Volume 1: Guidebook The guidebook offers potential benefits, including but not limited to ⢠Context. Provides a general context for commuter rail in North America (history, statutory framework, and regulatory environment). ⢠Key characteristics. Documents key characteristics of each commuter rail system (route miles, number of rail lines, level of service, scale of operations, and performance metrics). ⢠Approaches to providing commuter rail. Helps planners and policy makers in public agen- cies understand current service delivery approaches, historical evolution, and influences on that evolution. ⢠Opportunities and challenges. Offers information on the opportunities and challenges of the various approaches to delivery of commuter rail service. ⢠Trends to watch. Documents trends to watch that may influence future approaches for delivery of commuter rail services. A companion volume, TCRP Research Report 200: Contracting Commuter Rail Services, Volume 2: Commuter Rail System Profiles, presents a profile for each of the 31 commuter rail systems. Navigating the Guidebook The guidebook comprises eight chapters, a list of acronyms and abbreviations, a bibliography and references, and two appendices. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the purpose of the guidebook and its potential benefits and describes how the guidebook is organized. Chapter 2 provides a historical perspective on commuter rail development and the factors that influenced that development. The commuter rail industry comprises legacy systems and new starts. Legacy systems were previously under private ownership and operation. New start systems opened as public transit services, beginning in 1989. Chapter 3 provides a description of the regulatory environment for commuter rail systems in the United States and Canada. Chapter 4 describes the current 31 commuter rail systems in the United States and Canada by presenting descriptive information and key data as of 2016. Chapter 5 discusses current approaches for operating and managing commuter rail services (e.g., agency operated, contractedâbundled, contractedâunbundled, and mixed agency operated and contracted). The chapter also discusses the opportunities and challenges of each approach. Chapter 6 summarizes case study research to understand the factors that influence decisions to use different approaches for service delivery for commuter rail. Chapter 7 provides guidance for assessing different approaches to commuter rail service by using decision trees for the primary functions of maintenance of way, maintenance of equip- ment, train operation, and dispatch. Chapter 8 provides a forward-looking identification of trends in commuter rail services and opportunities for future research. Acronyms identifies the acronyms used in this guidebook. Bibliography and References document works cited and present other useful sources. Appendix A provides informative case studies for 10 commuter rail systems. Appendix B is the decision tree tracking tool and provides a checklist for completing the deci- sion tree analysis.
