Multi - Criteria Decision Analysis Tool for Capital Planning and Prioritization of WMATA Facilities and Assets

Abstract

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), also known as Metro, spans three states and serves thousands of customers daily with transportation services. Due to the transit agency's influence on the area, as well as its size, WMATA has countless assets, thus making asset management and resource allocation challenging tasks. To develop a prioritization schema for efficient capital allocation within WMATA's facility, the project's intended goal was to perform an integrated approach with combined Multi - Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods and Mixed Knapsack. MCDA methods such as Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) were implemented in our evaluation framework to develop ranked alternatives, and for its relative simplicity in logical computations. Additionally, the project applied Mixed Knapsack to develop an optimized model to minimize budget and ensure high-priority projects are not excluded. To evaluate the robustness of the criteria's weights and scoring metrics of the assets, a sensitivity analysis was carried out within the MCDA process. The proposed deliverable, consisting of a user-friendly Power BI dashboard and Excel model, will assist WMATA's Facility Asset Management Office (FAMO) in their initiative to support the capital planning decision-making process within the transit agency. The prioritization tool will also allow transparency of various elements that impact an asset's performance and its direct influence on the Quality-of-service delivery within WMATA