<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="https://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  <channel>
    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
    <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
    <atom:link href="https://trid.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=PHNlYXJjaD48cGFyYW1zPjxwYXJhbSBuYW1lPSJkYXRlaW4iIHZhbHVlPSJhbGwiIC8+PHBhcmFtIG5hbWU9InN1YmplY3Rsb2dpYyIgdmFsdWU9Im9yIiAvPjxwYXJhbSBuYW1lPSJ0ZXJtc2xvZ2ljIiB2YWx1ZT0ib3IiIC8+PHBhcmFtIG5hbWU9ImxvY2F0aW9uIiB2YWx1ZT0iMCIgLz48L3BhcmFtcz48ZmlsdGVycz48ZmlsdGVyIGZpZWxkPSJpbmRleHRlcm1zIiB2YWx1ZT0iJnF1b3Q7Q29tbXV0ZXIgc2VydmljZSZxdW90OyIgb3JpZ2luYWxfdmFsdWU9IiZxdW90O0NvbW11dGVyIHNlcnZpY2UmcXVvdDsiIC8+PC9maWx0ZXJzPjxyYW5nZXMgLz48c29ydHM+PHNvcnQgZmllbGQ9InB1Ymxpc2hlZCIgb3JkZXI9ImRlc2MiIC8+PC9zb3J0cz48cGVyc2lzdHM+PHBlcnNpc3QgbmFtZT0icmFuZ2V0eXBlIiB2YWx1ZT0icHVibGlzaGVkZGF0ZSIgLz48L3BlcnNpc3RzPjwvc2VhcmNoPg==" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
    <description></description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
      <url>https://trid.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle.jpg</url>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Putting a Price on Regional Rail Quality: Evaluating the Value Potential Riders Place on Regional Rail Service Attributes</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2702083</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Public transit has suffered from chronic disinvestment despite its community-wide benefits. Post-pandemic, drastic changes in travel demand have left agencies grappling with financial stress. California’s transit ridership has generally tracked alongside national ridership trends with a substantial dip in ridership and then slow recovery, but commuter rail mode share has remained substantially lower than pre-pandemic shares. Most rail services are geared towards serving commuters; higher frequency is offered during weekdays and peak hours, ticket pricing is tailored to favor people making the same kind of trip on a regular basis, and service hours align with commuter needs. The five days-a-week commuting to work lifestyle is no more, and rail agencies serving commuters are experiencing decimated ridership that is showing no signs of bouncing back. This project uses survey research targeted towards understanding how to tailor rail services to gain new markets for regional rail services. The research team developed a stated preference (SP) experiment to understand evolving needs of commuters and non-commuters, as well as riders and potential riders. The service attributes under study include train schedule, ticket cost, station access, reliability, station amenities, and how the potential user base views rail services. Although the study will focus on the area defined by its research partner, Capitol Corridor, it is widely applicable across the country in locations with intercity, suburban, and small urban regional rail services.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 13 May 2026 16:58:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2702083</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Survey of State Funding for Public Transportation—Final Report 2026, Based on FY 2024 Data</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2696145</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This annual report provides a snapshot of state-by-state investment in public transportation from federal, state, and local funding sources. With detailed tables and charts, the report explains how different funding and tax mechanisms are used to support transit operations and capital projects; compares differences across modes and the latest ridership trends; and features a selection of innovative state funding initiatives and case studies that highlight the efforts by states to apply state funding to support transit programs beyond federal funding levels. All funding and ridership data has been updated to reflect FY 2024 survey results. This year’s report includes new information on commuter rail, new assessments of ridership trends by transit modes, and information on the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on state transit programs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 10:18:01 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2696145</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating the Impact of Childcare Stations with Pick-up and Drop-off Services Use on Reducing Pick-up and Drop-off Time Reduction among Railway Commuters</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2613484</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In recent years, the use of childcare facilities in Japan has increased, in parallel with the advancement of women in society. However, balancing convenience in pick-up and drop-off and childcare quality remains a challenge. This study identifies priority areas for childcare stations with pick-up and drop-off services and develops an activity time allocation model, considering the interaction between husbands and wives. The model shows that using such facilities can reduce pick-up and drop-off hours and potentially increase women’s paid work hours, and this increase in paid work supports women's active participation in the workforce. The analysis finds that areas near stations with many high-rise apartments or long-distance commuters are especially suitable. A case study further reveals that saving just one minute in pick-up and drop-off time can lead to an increase of approximately 0.34 minutes in paid work time.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 10:17:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2613484</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD): Passenger Rail 1995 [dataset]</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2651993</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Passenger Rail 1995 dataset is from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)/Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS's) National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD). The Passenger Rail dataset is a geographic and topological network database of the U.S. commuter rail system, showing right-of-way alignments.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 09:13:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2651993</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Closing the Gap Between the Valley and the Westside: Improving the Performance of L.A. Metro’s Valley-Westside Express</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2613659</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In December 2014, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) launched the "Valley-Westside Express" (route 788), a weekday peak-hour bus service that transports commuters between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside of Los Angeles. The service offers a 20-minute reduction in travel time compared to prior transit service due to its use of the high-occupancy vehicle lanes on Interstate 405. Since its inception, the 788 has failed to meet Metro's standards as specified in their Route Performance Index, which relies heavily on ridership. Metro is engaged in early exploration of possible plans to build a rail line tunnel underneath the Sepulveda Pass, and the 788's success can inform this project. In this report, I address the 788's performance shortfalls by answering the question: How can Metro improve the performance of the Valley-Westside Express? To answer this question, it was important to understand: 1) how the line is currently performing, 2) who uses the service, and 3) where the line travels. To answer how the line is performing, I examined performance data (on-time percentages, headways, and speeds) for the 788 and other lines that travel through the Sepulveda Pass. I then analyzed onboard surveys to determine who rides the bus. Lastly, I gained an understanding of where the line travels by mapping the number of workers who commute by public transit, rates of poverty, and employment densities of people who reside within a 1/2-mile of 788 bus stops in the Valley. I found that in terms of performance, the 788 does not adhere to its schedule as well as other express buses in the corridor. Its riders are very low-income, transit-dependent, and relatively young. Residents who live near 788 bus stops also have low-incomes and use transit at high rates. I also found that although the 788 terminates in a large employment center, job density is significantly lower when controlling for low-income riders -- the 788's primary base. Low-income riders are less likely to commute to work during AM peak hours, suggesting that the Valley-Westside Express is not offering the type of service that suits its riders' needs. At the same time, Metro does not offer an attractive express service that aims to capture the Valley's choice-riders (i.e. those that have the option to commute via private vehicle). For these reasons, I recommend that Metro implement a Congestion Responsive Strategy and a Ridership Maximization Strategy. The Congestion Responsive Strategy offers a new express bus that services an area east of the I-405, operates on a free-flowing street, and is within close proximity to park-and-ride lots. This new service could potentially capture many vehicle trips in the Sepulveda Pass. The Ridership Maximization Strategy enhances the existing Valley-Westside Express service by transitioning the service from peak-hour only to all-day. This would ensure that all riders benefit from the service, rather than just those that travel to work during peak hours.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 15:41:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2613659</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Commuter Rail Maintenance Contracting: Analyzing the Impacts on Quality and Costs</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2613657</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Commuter rail agencies provide regional access to the riding public, and to adequately meet service needs, an agency must maintain its fleet. Vehicle maintenance makes it possible for vehicles to operate, and helps limit the number of mechanical failures that lead to disruptions of service. Because service reliability strongly influences willingness to use public transit, vehicle maintenance plays a critical role in how riders experience travel and informs their behavior. Commuter rail agencies can elect to perform maintenance through in-house labor resources or can opt to hire a contractor to perform these services. This study asks whether contracting for vehicle maintenance in commuter rail operations results in better vehicle performance outcomes than in-house maintenance. To answer this question, I examine data for twenty-two commuter rail agencies to understand how cost per mile, maintenance service delivery choices, and vehicle performance outcomes compare between agencies that contract for and those that conduct fleet maintenance in-house. I follow this by studying five commuter rail systems, exploring their individual maintenance delivery approaches and their resulting performance to understand what influences vehicle performance outcomes. This research finds that contracted maintenance operations are not inherently more effective at reducing vehicle failures, nor are they necessarily more cost effective than in-house operations. Evidence suggests that in spite of higher rates of vehicle failures per mile, contract and in-house operations can produce similar service reliability outcomes because mechanical breakdowns comprise a small proportion of delay experienced by commuter rail systems. Emphasis on on-time performance does not guarantee the attainment of high vehicle reliability, and improvements to mechanical reliability do not assure schedule adherence. The report concludes with recommendations related to contracting terms and maintenance approaches that aim to improve overall vehicle performance outcomes.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 17:00:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2613657</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Does Income Influence First-Mile-Last-Mile? A Study of Access and Egress of Commuter Rail Transit Ridership Travel Mode Choice</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2592301</link>
      <description><![CDATA[First-mile and last-mile connectivity remains a significant challenge in developing cities as inadequate feeder systems often hinder public transport efficiency. While prior studies have examined access and egress mode choices, few have explored how income levels and travel distance shape commuters’ travel mode behavior in Indonesia. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the influence of income level and travel distance on mode selection for first-mile and last-mile trips in Jakarta’s commuter rail system. This study used a multinomial logit model (MNL) to examine the hypotheses across 24 Jakarta Kota–Bogor stations. The findings show that lower-income commuters prefer to walk and use microtransit and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), while higher-income groups prefer private vehicles and ride-hailing services. In addition, travel distance strongly influences mode choice, with walking decreasing significantly as the distance increases. The results also highlight a high private vehicle dependency for first-mile access and a tendency for ride-hailing in last-mile travel, reflecting a wide gap in Jakarta’s feeder system. This study recommends expanding and integrating feeder transport, improving pedestrian infrastructure, unifying fares across modes, and regulating ride-hailing services to enhance connectivity. These measures can promote sustainable urban mobility and reduce dependency on private vehicle.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 09:11:58 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2592301</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Positive Train Control Survey</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2582908</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In the fall of 2011 William Craven and Frank Sharpless submitted a research request for a survey of commuter rail systems to determine how these systems were responding to the Federal Railroad Administration mandate for installation of Positive Train Control (PTC) by December 31, 2015. The research request was approved by the C-RAC and FHWA in June 2012 and included in the Research Bureau’s FY2013 Work Plan. Amy Estelle was the Project Manager for Research. She took a list of systems provided by the Rail Bureau and made email and telephone inquiries to determine who at each system could best answer questions regarding PTC. She developed a survey with input from the Rail Bureau. The Research Bureau purchased a subscription to SurveyMonkey software to conduct the survey online. On October 15, 2012 the survey was sent out to contacts at 15 commuter rail systems. On October 17, 2012 the survey was sent out to an additional recipient. Six out of 16 systems responded for a 37.5% response rate. Attached are the email list, a record of contacts made with commuter rail systems, a summary and individual survey results.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2025 11:36:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2582908</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Expanding Markets for Philadelphia Regional Rail Service</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2598670</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This 1993 study explores opportunities to expand the passenger markets for Philadelphia’s regional rail system by aligning service improvements with emerging demographic and commuting trends. Analysis of regional travel patterns highlights the growing importance of the outer ring area surrounding the urban core, where integration of new rail stations with the existing bus network presents the strongest opportunity for capturing additional ridership. The report evaluates current operational structures, fare policies, and service limitations, identifying gaps in connectivity that constrain ridership growth. Strategic recommendations include prioritizing multimodal integration in the outer urban core, enhancing service reliability and frequency, and tailoring fare policies to attract both traditional commuters and reverse-commute riders. Findings indicate that targeted expansion, particularly through bus-rail integration and new station development, could substantially increase accessibility, reinforce balanced metropolitan growth, and strengthen the long-term competitiveness of Philadelphia’s regional rail system.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 17:46:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2598670</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Prioritizing Strategic Decisions in Indian Railways: A Fuzzy MCDM Approach for Competitive Performance</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2577183</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study aims to explore and prioritize the strategic decisions and uncertainties faced by Indian Railways (IR) and demonstrate the connection between these aspects to improve competitive business performance. The study utilizes an extensive examination of existing literature, a well-organized questionnaire, and interviews to collect qualitative data from experienced professionals in the railway industry who possess influential decision-making roles. The analysis employs Fuzzy TOPSIS and Fuzzy DEMATEL methodologies. The sensitivity analysis was used to validate the findings of the investigation. The results indicate that the most crucial performance element is the 'Variety of train/railway services (Changeability/Dynamism)' with the highest TOPSIS rank (18.69724), followed by 'Emerging railway technologies' (17.54527). Conversely, 'Scarcity of manpower' is identified as the least impactful factor (17.17989). Fuzzy DEMATEL analysis reveals that railway policies (17.56527), efforts for survival and growth (19.61895), service differentiation (19.57200), cost minimization (19.40810), and resource scarcity (17.69742) serve as key causal factors impacting other performance elements. Emerging railway technologies and variations in service prices are also identified as relevant factors. The findings provide vital information for decision-makers and policymakers to prioritize and address crucial performance concerns in the Indian railway system. To improve its efficiency and effectiveness in complex and uncertain contexts, it should concentrate on key areas such as railway policies, service differentiation, and developing technology. This study is innovative as it provides a unique and original analysis of the strategic and business environment elements within the Indian Railways context, focusing on identification, prioritization, and linkage.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2025 14:54:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2577183</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Network analysis of the South African commuter rail network</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2570857</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Public transport is important for cities and as transportation systems become complex analysis of these networks could assist planners in decision making. This study presents the results of network analysis of the South African Gauteng, Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal commuter rail networks. Graph theory is used to determine network properties to characterise the network according to its state, form, and structure. The results show that all three networks are well developed in comparison to international urban rail networks. Each network is sufficiently serving its regional purpose by providing regional or local coverage or a combination thereof. The Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal networks favour regional and local connectivity, respectively over number of transfers, while the Gauteng network is more integrated providing a better balance between connectivity and number of transfers. The study contributes factor adjustment to benchmark the South African commuter rail characteristics with international metro networks. Further, the results from the comparison between the existing networks and expansion plans for South African networks serve as baseline for transport practitioners to assess the impact of network expansion alternatives.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2025 15:45:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2570857</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A transportation choice model on the commuter railroads using inverse reinforcement learning</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2548505</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Conventional transportation policies for railroads have primarily focused on minimizing the negative utility, such as shortening the travel time and reducing congestion. However, with the recent introduction of trains with extra fares for greater comfort and changes in work styles, there is an increasing need to focus on the positive utility of travel itself. Moreover, advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence research have facilitated highly accurate and objective analysis from vast amounts of data. The purpose of this research is to construct a new transportation choice model using inverse reinforcement learning, which is a machine learning method, and to quantify the positive utility of commuter railroads. The results of a comparison of the proposed model with conventional methods indicate the advantages and disadvantages of the model. Further, a transportation choice model for railroads was created to understand the tendency of each selected train type.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 30 May 2025 14:40:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2548505</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The Future of Commuter Rail in North America</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2554113</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As the COVID‐19 pandemic upended traditional travel markets, speculation swirled about what work‐from‐home patterns would mean for commuter rail agencies, their services, and the funding structure that supported them. For decades, commuter rail providers across North America offered a service that was often faster than driving and cheaper than parking for many downtown office commuters. But in 2020 ridership on all public transportation services hit record lows followed by slow recovery, with most still significantly below their 2019 levels. Remote and hybrid work arrangements have reduced the downtown commuter market, which now represents a lower share of total regional travel. Providers will need to broaden their focus from the downtown commuter market to restore commuter rail’s ridership and relevancy in regional transportation systems.   Evidence indicates that a new travel pattern has emerged in North America’s metropolitan regions. Work‐from‐home among office workers is entrenched, demand for off‐peak and leisure travel has increased, and downtown office buildings are unlikely to attract the same quantity of daily workers that drove their initial investment. Where there remains strong demand for downtown commutes, it is limited to Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, offering a challenging dynamic for capital intensive transportation services. How commuter rail providers justify their investments remains uncertain and will be dependent on local travel markets that vary by time of day and day of week. This report explores these issues, examining how commuter railroads might navigate the market, service, and funding challenges they face in the coming years and decades. The research identifies implementable and practical strategies for commuter rail services in North America to facilitate recovery from the effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic and to transform its role and relevance in regional mobility.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 18 May 2025 17:55:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2554113</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the demand for rail commuting in metropolitan areas in Japan</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2540346</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Urban rail demand had declined significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the decrease of commuting demand has not recovered after COVID-19 in both Tokyo and Osaka, economically the largest and the second largest metropolitan areas in Japan, and two of the most rail-dependent areas for commuting in the world. The authors found that the decrease of urban rail demand for business commuting is strongly linked to the increase in WFH (work from home), and WFH would exist as a working style option after the COVID-19 pandemic ended. Their own questionnaire survey suggests that the longer the commuting distance is, the more the workers WFH. Some commuters using public transport shifted their commuting mode to private transport due to the pandemic, however, the longer the commuting distance is, the more difficult it is for workers to shift their commuting mode from rail to other modes. Additionally, workers were generally paid a commuting allowance by their employers in Japan. However, they found a correlation between the increase in WFH and changes in commuting allowance payment rules.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2025 10:12:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2540346</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Commuter Rail: Most Systems Struggling to Recover Ridership Following the COVID-19 Pandemic</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2550839</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Roughly 5 years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, transit agencies report that it has significantly affected how individuals use and prioritize public transit in their daily activities. Many rail systems historically operated to serve passengers riding to and from city centers. Commuter rail was particularly affected by the pandemic and related increased telework. In response to the pandemic, Congress provided over $69 billion in relief funding to the transit industry. The federal public health emergency ended in 2023. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to provide an update to its 2021 report on the status of commuter rail systems’ operations and funding. This report examines how, since the COVID-19 pandemic, (1) commuter rail service and ridership have changed; and (2) funding sources and operating costs for these systems have changed. GAO analyzed Department of Transportation (DOT) service and ridership data from January 2019 through December 2024 for the nation’s 31 commuter rail systems. GAO also collected and analyzed funding and cost data for these systems for fiscal year 2023 using a web survey and compared these data to fiscal year 2019 data. GAO also reviewed relevant federal statutes and guidance and interviewed DOT officials, industry association representatives, and a nongeneralizable sample of 10 transit agencies operating commuter rail systems. These agencies were selected based on ridership levels and whether the agencies offered multiple transit modes, among other things.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2025 16:28:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2550839</guid>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>