2011 IDEA Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis Programs TRANSIT TRANSIT IDEA PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT New IDEAS for Transit Transit IDEA Program Annual Progress Report JANUARY 2011 TRB TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2010 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE* OFFICERS CHAIR: MICHAEL R. MORRIS, Director of Transportation, North KIRK T. STEUDLE, Director, Michigan Department of Transportation, Central Texas Council of Governments, Arlington Lansing VICE CHAIR: NEIL J. PEDERSEN, Administrator, Maryland State DOUGLAS W. STOTLAR, President and Chief Executive Officer, Con- Highway Administration, Baltimore Way, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: ROBERT E. SKINNER, JR., Transportation C. MICHAEL WALTON, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Research Board Engineering, University of Texas, Austin (Past Chair, 1991) MEMBERS EX OFFICIO MEMBERS J. BARRY BARKER, Executive Director, Transit Authority of River City, PETER H. APPEL, Administrator, Research and Innovative Technology Louisville, Kentucky Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation ALLEN D. BIEHLER, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of J. RANDOLPH BABBITT, Administrator, Federal Aviation Transportation, Harrisburg Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation LARRY L. BROWN, Sr., Executive Director, Mississippi Department of REBECCA M. BREWSTER, President and COO, American Transportation, Jackson Transportation Research Institute, Smyrna, Georgia DEBORAH H. BUTLER, Executive Vice President, Planning, and CIO, GEORGE BUGLIARELLO, President Emeritus and University Professor, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk, Virginia Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Brooklyn; Foreign WILLIAM A. V. CLARK, Professor, Department of Geography, University Secretary, National Academy of Engineering, Washington, D.C. of California, Los Angeles ANNE S. FERRO, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety EUGENE A. CONTI, Jr., Secretary of Transportation, North Carolina Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation Department of Transportation, Raleigh LEROY GISHI, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian NICHOLAS J. GARBER, Henry L. Kinnier Professor, Department of Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. Civil Engineering, and Director, Center for Transportation Studies, EDWARD R. HAMBERGER, President and CEO, Association of University of Virginia, Charlottesville American Railroads, Washington, D.C. JEFFREY W. HAMIEL, Executive Director, Metropolitan Airports JOHN C. HORSLEY, Executive Director, American Association of State Commission, Minneapolis, Minnesota Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C. PAULA J. HAMMOND, Secretary, Washington State Department of DAVID T. MATSUDA, Deputy Administrator, Maritime Administration, Transportation, Olympia U.S. Department of Transportation EDWARD A. (NED) HELME, President, Center for Clean Air Policy, VICTOR M. MENDEZ, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C. U.S. Department of Transportation ADIB K. KANAFANI, Cahill Professor of Civil Engineering, University of WILLIAM W. MILLAR, President, American Public Transportation California, Berkeley (Past Chair, 2009) Association, Washington, D.C. (Past Chair, 1992) SUSAN MARTINOVICH, Director, Nevada Department of TARA O’TOOLE, Under Secretary for Science and Technology, U.S. Transportation, Carson City Department of Homeland Security DEBRA L. MILLER, Secretary, Kansas Department of Transportation, ROBERT J. PAPP (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Topeka (Past Chair, 2008) Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security SANDRA ROSENBLOOM, Professor of Planning, University of Arizona, CYNTHIA L. QUARTERMAN, Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Tucson Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation TRACY L. ROSSER, Vice President, Corporate Traffic, Wal-Mart Stores, PETER M. ROGOFF, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Inc., Mandeville, Louisiana Department of Transportation STEVEN T. SCALZO, Chief Operating Officer, Marine Resources Group, DAVID L. STRICKLAND, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Seattle, Washington Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation HENRY G. (GERRY) SCHWARTZ, Jr., Chairman (retired), Jacobs/ JOSEPH C. SZABO, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Sverdrup Civil, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri U.S. Department of Transportation BEVERLY A. SCOTT, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, POLLY TROTTENBERG, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Atlanta, Georgia U.S. Department of Transportation DAVID SELTZER, Principal, Mercator Advisors LLC, Philadelphia, ROBERT L. VAN ANTWERP (Lt. General, U.S. Army), Chief of Pennsylvania Engineers and Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DANIEL SPERLING, Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Washington, D.C. Science and Policy; Director, Institute of Transportation Studies; and Interim Director, Energy Efficiency Center, University of California, Davis * Membership as of September 2010. Publications of the IDEA Programs are available on the internet at trb.org/IDEA. Further information is available by contacting the IDEA Program Office by phone (202-334-3310) or fax (202-334-3471). Transportation Research Board publications may be ordered directly from the TRB Business Office (202-334-3213), through the internet at trb.org, or by annual subscription through organization or individual affiliation with TRB. Affiliates and library subscribers are eligible for substantial discounts. For further information, contact the Transportation Research Board Business Office, National Research Council 500 Fifth St., NW, Washington, DC 20001, (telephone 202-334-3214; fax 202-334-2519; or email [email protected]). New IDEAs For TRANSIT Annual Progress Report of the Transit IDEA Program The Transit IDEA Program is funded by the Federal Transit Administration as part of the Transit Cooperative Research Program and is managed by the Transportation Research Board. January 2011 ii Transit Cooperative Research Program J-4 Panel for the Transit IDEA Program Fred M. Gilliam, Chair John P. Walsh President Chief Research and Strategy Officer Gilliam and Associates Clever Devices, Ltd. Austin, Texas Plainview, New York Gregory Cook Federal Transit Administration (FTA) General Manager Liaison Veolia Transportation North Las Vegas, Nevada Mike Flanigon Director, Office of Safety and Security Paul E. Jamieson, P.E. Chief Technology Officer, Transit Brakes and Couplers Henry A. Nejako Wabtec Passenger Transit Transportation Program Manager Duncan, South Carolina Office of Research, Demonstration, and Innovation Anthony M. Kouneski American Public Transportation Principal Association (APTA) Liaison AMK & Associates Kensington, Maryland Louis F. Sanders Director, Research and Technology Frank Lonyai Maintenance Manager Department of Homeland Security Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation (DHS) Liaison Authority Bruce Louryk Los Angeles, California Chief, Mass Transit Security Federal Emergency Management Agency Pamela McCombe Director of Safety Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority TRB Liaison Cleveland, Ohio Jennifer Rosales Public Transportation Engineer Paul Messina Accident Investigator Port Authority Trans-Hudson Transit Cooperative Research Program Jersey City, New Jersey Stephan A. Parker TCRP Senior Program Officer Katherine F. Turnbull Executive Associate Director Transit IDEA Program Texas Transportation Institute Texas A&M University Harvey Berlin Senior Program Officer College Station, Texas The Transit IDEA Program is funded by the Federal Transit Administration as part of the Transit Cooperative Research Program, a cooperative effort of the Federal Transit Administration, the Transportation Research Board, and the Transit Development Corporation, a nonprofit educational and research organization of the American Public Transportation Association. The program is managed by TRB. iii The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distin- guished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon 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. Charles M. Vest 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 fed- eral government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues