INNOVATION IN URBAN TRANSPORTATION: A CASE STUDY

The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of a very successful innovation in urban passenger transportation, which was introduced by the Chicago and North Western (CNW) Railway to provide suburban or commuter rail service. This study was motivated by two considerations: (1) to develop an understanding of those factors which influence the performance of a public transportation system as a basis for identifying ways in which such systems can be modified so as to better serve actual travel needs at a reasonable cost and (2) to nurture interest in developing methods of analysis that would aid in the creation of successful and desirable innovations. During the 1960's and 1970's, prior to take-over by a newly-formed regional transportation authority, the CNW was able to provide rail passenger service that was equal to or better than that of other railroads in terms of service quality, while at the same time, it was experiencing both operating and capital costs that were considerably lower. With fare levels that were roughly equal to or in some cases, less than those of other commuter systems, CNW was able to cover all expenses and make a profit. The low costs can be traced to a coordinated set of innovations that touched almost every aspect of the service. While these were very significant in terms of reducing costs, they also represented logical adaptations of known railroad systems and institutions. This study examines this innovation in the context of an overall framework from examining changes in transport technology or production processes.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Prepared in cooperation with Angewandte Systemanalyse; Cologne, West Germany.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

  Department of Civil and Urban Engineering
  Philadelphia, PA  United States  19104

  Urban Mass Transportation Administration

  400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Morlok, E K
• Publication Date: 1980-11

Media Info

• Pagination: 58 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Analysis; Capital costs; Consumers; Costs; Fares; Needs assessment; Operating costs; Performance; Quality of service; Railroad commuter service; Rapid transit; Technological innovations; Urban areas
• Identifier Terms: Chicago and North Western Transportation Company
• Uncontrolled Terms: Cost analysis; Performance indicators; User needs
• Old TRIS Terms: Rapid transit railways
• Subject Areas: Finance; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00365140
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTA-PA-11-0022-82-1Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: UMTA-PA-11-0022
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 30 1982 12:00AM