Agency Operated Commuter Rail Maintenance
Bruce Cardon Utah Transit Authority, Commuter Rail General Manager Salt Lake City, Utah Agency Operated Commuter Rail Maintenance
When the Utah Transit Authority opened the FrontRunner commuter rail line in 2008, it chose to go against the advice shared by many in the industry and trained internal employees to operate and maintain the service Agency Operated Commuter Rail Maintenance
With recognition of a capability and expertise gap, UTA chose to contract locomotive maintenance. Ten years later, in 2018, locomotive maintenance was also brought in- house to complete the full operation and maintenance of FrontRunner service at UTA
TCRP Report 200 – Contracting Commuter Rail Services
•Study researched information about all 31 commuter rail operations in the US and Canada •FrontRunner was one of ten chosen for additional research as a case study based on a unique approach to providing commuter rail services TCRP Report 200 – Contracting Commuter Rail Services
Notable Practices and Lessons Learned • UTA is able to demonstrate that a public agency can directly operate commuter rail at a lower operating cost per passenger car revenue mile than comparable services provided for other agencies by private contract operators.
TCRP RP 200 Vol I – Pg. 152 TCRP Report 200 – Contracting Commuter Rail Services
TCRP RP 200 Vol I – Pg. 154 TCRP Report 200 – Contracting Commuter Rail Services
• FrontRunner is the most efficient system in North America, as measured by the National Transit Database • FrontRunner Cost Per Revenue Mile in 2016 was $8.37 • Industry average was $18.00 (Peer agencies: $20.22) • Next lowest was $11.36 TCRP Report 200 – Contracting Commuter Rail Services
• FrontRunner is also one of the most effective system in North America • FrontRunner Cost Per Passenger Mile in 2016 was $.36 • Industry average was $.53 • Only two systems in the US and one in Canada were below $.36 Agency Operated Commuter Rail Maintenance UTA’s Decision to Operate Directly • UTA sought advice from many sources before choosing a path • Past decisions influence difficulty/ability of agencies to pursue internal maintenance • Some decisions can be made incrementally • Each decision requires planning and analysis Agency Operated Commuter Rail Maintenance Diffusion of Innovation • Transit industry is unlike many others • Openness and willingness to help others • Investment in employee development and leadership is critical for long-term success • Willingness for agencies to try new approaches is important to all Agency Operated Commuter Rail Maintenance UTA also taps into external resources • Cost / Benefit • Expertise • Resources • Partnerships Agency Operated Commuter Rail Maintenance Key Take-Aways: • Decisions about contracting and direct operation are complex • Openness and cooperation within the transit industry is key to the success and diffusion of innovations across agencies • The strong expertise and leadership of contractors is also critical for the success of those who go out on their own • Agency operated maintenance has been a successful endeavor at UTA