Abstract:Classic asset management approaches begin by inventorying all infrastructure assets and then assigning maintenance tasks and resources. Our approach collects similar data, but by starting with current personnel assignment and describing their job responsibilities and work processes, staff resistance in a railroad infrastructure owner-operator environment is minimized. Resulting “manning model” quantitatively measures signal maintenance burden […]
Abstract:Electric railways are fast, clean, and safe, but complex to operate and maintain. Electric traction infrastructure includes signal power and feeder lines that remain live during isolations and complicate maintenance processes. Stakeholders involved in power outage planning include contractors, linemen, groundmen, power directors, dispatchers, conductor-flag, and support personnel. Weekly planning processes for track time requires […]
Abstract:New York City Transit operates one of the world’s largest transit systems, and it can be difficult for the agency’s communications team to keep track of the numerous service disruptions that need to be communicated to customers. This paper introduces the Transit Visualization tool, which processes real-time train location data to automatically identify areas of […]
Abstract:The New York City metropolitan area was hard hit by COVID-19, and the pandemic brought with it unprecedented challenges for New York City Transit. This paper addresses techniques used to estimate dramatically changing ridership, at a time when previously dependable sources suddenly became unavailable (e.g., local bus payment data, manual field checks). The paper describes […]
Abstract:Like any legacy subway system that first opened in the early 1900s, the New York City subway system operates using technology that dates from many different eras. Although some of this technology may be outdated, efforts to modernize are often hindered by budgetary limits, competing priorities, and managing the tradeoff between short-term service disruptions and […]
Abstract:Knowledge of the root cause(s) of delays in transit networks has obvious value; it can be used to direct resources toward mitigation efforts and measure the effectiveness of those efforts. However, delays with indirect causes can be difficult to attribute, and may be assigned to broad categories that indicate “overcrowding,” incorrectly naming heavy ridership, train […]
Abstract:As data collection for public transportation improves and customers’ appetite for information grows, there has been a growing interest in performance measurement systems that better reflect customer experience and quantify the impacts of service while accounting for ridership. A fair amount of research has been dedicated to developing and refining these kinds of metrics, with […]
Abstract:Like many transit agencies, New York City Transit (NYCT) has long relied on operations-focused metrics to measure its performance. Although these metrics, such as capacity provided and terminal on-time performance, are useful internally to indicate the actions needed to improve service, they typically do not represent the customer experience. To improve its transparency and public […]
Abstract:Outside the railroad industry, passenger trip times are often treated as a performance measure or yardstick of the industry’s health. However, many factors not known or well understood by casual observers affect trip times—indeed, some are recognized techniques utilized by infrastructure owners to deliver journey time reductions. Factors triggering running time modifications include: track (design, […]
Abstract:Over two million trips are taken every weekday across the New York City Transit (NYCT) bus network. Revising the schedules for each of these routes is a labor-intensive process, and because of limited resources, fewer than half of all routes are examined each year. Traditionally, schedules have been revised on a first-in, first-out basis, with […]
Abstract:With ridership near modern highs, New York City Transit’s (NYCT) subway network frequently operates at or near capacity. This makes maintaining a high-quality service both challenging, due to the lack of “slack,” and exceptionally important, due to the large number of riders affected by disruptions. To this end, train dispatchers constantly monitor the network and […]
Abstract:The eight-step framework consisting of organization, procedure, personnel, time study, rate analysis, utilization analysis, rightsizing, and benchmarking is used to understand and improve productivity and efficiency of railroad cyclical curve rail replacement processes at a major Northeastern commuter railroad. The Railroad is organized into eight geographical maintenance subdivisions supplemented by systemwide track gangs performing capital […]
Abstract:Amid significant increases in ridership (9.8% over the past 5 years) on the more than 100 year-old New York City Transit (NYCT) subway system, NYCT has become aware of increased crowding on station platforms. Because of limited platform capacity, platforms become crowded even during minor service disruptions. A real-time model was developed to estimate crowding […]
Abstract:The installation of an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system alongside existing Automated Fare Collection (AFC) data spurred development of an inferred bus boarding and alighting ridership model at New York City Transit (NYCT), allowing for 100% passenger origin-destination (O-D) data citywide. Analysis techniques that relied primarily on professional judgment due to lack of data were […]
Abstract:For this enterprise geographic information system (GIS), Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company adopted the concept of operations (ConOps) process to define goals and objectives, inventory existing GIS assets, analyze data gaps, determine “as is” and “to be” business processes, define staffing and resource requirements and project initiatives, and provide a road map for a comprehensive, companywide […]
Abstract:Triggered by both Superstorm Sandy aftermath and a minor operational incident—where accurate and rapid mapping would have been tremendously helpful—Metro-North Commuter Railroad deployed its first Enterprise Geographic Information System (GIS) in 2012 by federating existing departmental systems, creating a companywide Office of GIS Coordination, promulgating GIS policies and standards, and developing and marketing a uniform […]
Abstract:Subway ridership estimates are important to transit operators for both internal applications (e.g., setting service frequencies, prioritizing station upgrades) and external reporting (e.g., to the National Transit Database). New York City Transit (NYCT) is developing a new model that will accomplish three primary objectives: (a) estimating subway ridership at a train level for the first […]
Abstract:To support bus service scheduling and planning, New York City Transit (NYCT) put into production a ridership application to determine surface transit boarding and alighting locations for each of approximately 2.8 million daily passenger trips on 218 bus routes. The application combined data from an automated vehicle location (AVL) system, a multimodal entry-only nongeographic automated […]
Abstract:In 2013, with real-time train arrival data becoming widely available through its general transit feed specification real-time (GTFS-RT) feed, New York City Transit (NYCT) recognized the potential for new service management tools capable of on-the-fly performance visualization and reporting. This paper describes the process taken by NYCT to develop and evaluate a transit analysis tool […]
Abstract:A balanced scorecard (BSC) is widely used in private industry and the public sector to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and to help achieve strategic outcomes. This concept is widely used in the transit industry for carrier regulator contractual relationships and performance monitoring. After a fact-finding mission to Southeast Asia, New York City Transit (NYCT) […]
