Five Key Takeaways From the 2024 Commuter Rail Summit
To explore the future of commuter rail and collaborate on the most pressing issues facing the industry, the Commuter Rail Coalition recently convened the 2024 Commuter Rail Summit in Boston. The in-person event brought together agency leaders and policymakers from across the country for a series of panel discussions, fireside chats, and technical tours.
The third annual Summit — which included U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), MBTA CEO Phillip Eng, and Mass. Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt — explored topics ranging from just-in-time climate resiliency efforts to the coming fiscal cliff as pandemic-era funding sources run dry. Attendees gathered at the MassDOT State Transportation Building in Boston.
Here are five of the biggest takeaways from the conversations:
- Regional rail is reshaping commuter rail across the country
The traditional morning-in, evening-out schedule is no longer the sole commuter rail framework. Many agencies are transitioning to a regional rail model, running bi-directionally at more frequent headways throughout the day and more frequently at peak hours. The MBTA is furthest along in this transformation, rewarding for Greater Boston’s commuters as demonstrated by the strongest ridership recovery of any system in the country.
According to Alistair Sawers, Senior Director of Rail Transformation at the MBTA, the key factors in the agency’s new model are more frequent trains, the ability to serve the peak commute as well as flex and reverse commutes, and increased weekend and late night service. Boston is home to thousands of in-person workers at its hospitals and laboratories — with the road congestion to match. The MBTA added extra service for early morning medical workers and late-night sporting events, as well as new fare products and an extensive marketing campaign to expand the rider base beyond commuters. Everyone celebrates big projects, Eng noted, but state of good repair is sexy right now in Massachusetts.
Southern California’s regional passenger rail service, Metrolink, is also focused on attracting riders beyond the white collar commuter headed downtown. Today, 32% of the agency’s riders are those taking advantage of the service’s student discount. Although people don’t change behaviors overnight, especially in a region like Los Angeles where locals are so accustomed to driving, regional rail is working. Paul Hubler, Chief Strategy Officer for Metrolink, noted the model is more efficient because crews are operating frequent trains instead of spending half the day waiting for their next run in a downtown hotel. Metrolink is assembling slots and crews in preparation for an especially exciting challenge: the 2028 Summer Olympics.
- Rail agencies are resetting their approach to fares
Before the pandemic, Caltrain — which serves the San Francisco Peninsula — was the nation’s most efficient commuter railroad, covering 73% of operating costs through ticket sales. Since then, Caltrain’s ticket revenue dropped from $103 million to $43 million. In response, the system is transitioning to a regional model and offering new fare options to unlock new markets, said Michelle Bouchard, Executive Director of Caltrain and vice chair of the Commuter Rail Coalition.
The GoPass program — an annual, unlimited-ride fare product for employers, educational institutions, and local governments — has long been a key revenue source for Caltrain. Bouchard is now focused on enticing those groups back post-pandemic, as well as implementing the Pass Forward program, which lets companies donate unused GoPasses to community organizations. Pass Forward is part of Caltrain’s new equity framework, which aims to expand access to low-income individuals and communities of color that have historically been underrepresented in the system’s ridership. That ridership is expected to significantly increase now that Caltrain has replaced its diesel trains with an electric fleet that will provide faster and more frequent service.
In Southern California, Metrolink plans to restructure its fares in March to support long-term ridership growth, maintain fiscal sustainability, and improve equity for low-income riders. The system now collects fares through a mobile app and will improve the user experience for purchasing tickets, streamline fare choices, and pilot an open payment program that will let visitors pay with what they have in their pocket. “Metrolink Reimagined,” as Chief Customer Experience Officer Lisa Bahr called it, also offers free rides for students and a new discount for military veterans.
As Elizabeth Doherty, Director of Marketing at Keolis Commuter Services, said: accessibility plus access equals opportunity.
- Climate resiliency is top of mind for transit leaders
Commuter railroads are already feeling the impacts of climate change. Hurricane Ida in 2021 covered some of Metro-North Railroad’s tracks in mud and debris, interrupting service for several days for the New York system. The low-lying Hudson Line along the Hudson River is particularly vulnerable to flooding. In response, Metro-North elevated sections of track by 20 inches and raised a signal house by four feet using recycled materials. One section saw a storm two months later that would have damaged the rail if it hadn’t been raised, said Evan Zucarelli, Metro-North’s Chief of Operations Oversight.
Railroad leaders must hold themselves accountable for climate resiliency, according to Keolis Commuter Services CEO Abdellah Chajai. He recently held an interactive Climate Fresk workshop where 300 senior Keolis leaders learned about the science behind climate change. Chajai’s company also coaches its engineers to drive optimally to reduce fuel consumption and uses a biofuel that reduces CO2 by 80% in the same diesel engine. The agencies that have already switched from diesel to electric locomotives must participate in efforts to generate that electricity sustainably, said Dahlia Chazan, Chief of Planning at Caltrain.
- AI has arrived in commuter rail
We don’t have to imagine the future of commuter rail, said Gabriel J. Lopez-Bernal, President of Icomera North America. As technologies like machine learning and AI transform both the passenger and operator experience, the future is here. At the Summit, vendors described AI solutions for weapons detection, unmanned track inspections that can find broken rail joints and defects in the locomotives themselves, and automated wheel profile systems that heat air to keep optical pathways clear in snow.
The MBTA initially used Wi-Tronix video feeds for CCTV and recording events like hard braking trains, but now the video is responsible for AI-powered trespasser tracking which can immediately show near-misses or strikes. Agencies are using videos of near-misses for corrective actions and education campaigns, such as showing footage of a train nearly striking kids playing on the track to local schools. Automated transcriptions for cab radio clips can also help with post-incident investigations.
Shawn Donaghy, CEO at North County Transit in San Diego, shared that he’s brought in drones to deter theft and vandalism along his railroad. North County has 80 miles of track, and a drone can respond in 15 minutes to an incident that would take a human an hour to reach. Donaghy’s fellow panelists said they planned to steal the idea.
- Agencies facing a fiscal cliff are turning to TOD
While costs are increasing, ridership is still failing to reach pre-pandemic levels. Many of the nation’s largest public transportation agencies are facing a fiscal cliff of epic proportions. Leaders face the ugly option of severely reducing service or going to voters with potentially unpopular ballot measures. At the Summit, panelists sought alternative ways to maximize revenue opportunities with their existing assets and reduce operating costs without sacrificing safety.
Caitlin Holland, VP of Real Estate and Economic Development at DART, noted the Dallas agency has vast amounts of unused parking. DART saw an opportunity for TOD, or transit-oriented development, and turned some of those lots into affordable housing and a mixed-use project. DART is also partnering with nonprofits and its member cities on pedestrian connections to rail in an effort to create walkable transit that opens up the rest of the city to residents.
Successful TOD projects require all partners to put skin in the game, said Laura Aldrete, USA Regional Director for Urban Solutions at Hatch, and must prioritize the creation of place over mobility. Place-based transit creates critical mass, generating energy and footfall. Agencies can also look at non-developable parcels like cell towers, solar farms, and cable fiber comms — or community assets like EV charging stations and community gardens. Other revenue sources include naming rights, vehicle wraps, advertisements inside cars and stations, digital kiosks, and pop-up events.
Tibbits-Nutt, the Mass. Transportation Secretary, set the tone for the Summit in her opening remarks. She shared that growing up in northern Indiana, the South Shore Line to Chicago was the train that made her fall in love with rail. The ability to access the city and its colleges made life “magical.” As she looks to the future, Tibbits-Nutt believes public transit, especially the commuter rail, will be key in solving Boston’s crippling congestion.
“The rail service we have is fantastic now,” said Tibbits-Nutt. “We just need more of it.”
Check out highlights from the Summit in the video below.
