Commuter Rail Passenger Research Articles

An Analysis of Commuter Rail Real-Time Information in Boston

Prior studies have assessed the impacts of real-time information (RTI) provided to bus and heavy rail riders but not commuter rail passengers. The objective of this research is to investigate the benefits of providing commuter rail RTI. The method is a three-part statistical analysis using data from an on-board survey on two commuter rail lines in the Boston region. The first analysis assesses overarching adoption, and the results show that one-third of commuter rail riders use RTI. The second part conducts difference of means tests and regression analysis on passenger wait times, which reveals that riders’ use of RTI is correlated with a decrease in self-reported “usual” wait times. The third part analyzes 12 quality-of-service indicators, which have a limited relationship with RTI utilization. The results suggest that the benefits of commuter rail RTI are modest. Despite this, many commuter rail riders choose to use this new information source, which has important implications for transit managers considering deploying RTI systems.

Improving an electric power planning system in the commuter rail passenger complex

The transport industry is an energy intensive one, so power saving measures in transport in general, and railway transport in particular, deserve greater attention. It should be noted that the transport complex has developed a programme of measures aimed at power saving in the industry. Nevertheless, the issue of improving the electric power planning system for the commuter rail complex remains relevant. It is worth noting that the results of theoretical research, supplemented by the results of field-based scientific research, demonstrate the lack of a perfect approach to electric power consumption planning at present. Identification of bottlenecks in the existing electric power planning system is possible with application of general scientific and special methods and techniques, as follows: dialectical, logical, analytical, systemic and functional, comparative, economic and mathematical, a method of scientific abstraction, classification, grouping and comparison, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, a graphical method, a method of statistical analysis, together with private methods of economic sciences, providing reliability and objectivity of the scientific conclusions and results obtained. In this article the issue of transition from the existing electric power consumption planning system in the multiple unit rolling stock to the author’s planning system is considered; the evidential basis is presented by an example of the Regional Multiple Unit Rolling Stock Directorate. The proposed planning system provides an opportunity to calculate the standard values of electric power consumption in the multiple unit rolling stock promptly. The authors assert that the advantage of the proposed planning system is its calculation accuracy of one kilowatt consumed, as well as its transparency, resulting not only in the economic component of the Regional Directorate of Multiple Unit Facilities, but also in the passenger service quality. A compliance with the standards presented in this planning system implies a comfortable microclimate in commuter coaches.

Effectiveness of Commuter Rail Service Toward Passenger’s Satisfaction: a Case Study from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This paper’s main objective is to evaluate the quality of commuter rail service at Kuala Lumpur by conduction a commuter user survey. The study sample consisted of 400 commuter rail passengers. The results reveal that there is significant conflict between passenger’s expectation and perception of the commuter rail service quality at Kuala Lumpur. Measured value for passenger expectation are found to be consistently higher than their satisfaction, which indicate that is room for Malayan Railways Limited (KTMB) management to improve its service quality. Three out of 12 service items such as the price of ticket, the punctuality time for departure and arrival of train, and ticket counter rated as important and satisfactory, and thus should be maintained. These items are the issues that may have caused concerns for passengers and should urgently addressed by KTMB management to improve passenger’s satisfaction as well as to increase the commuter rail ridership. Â

2437 - Connecting Cycling to Transit: A Typology of Toronto Region Commuter Rail Passengers

Highest Scoring Abstract: Undergraduate/Masters Background Nearly one in four trips to commuter rail stations in the Toronto region are between one and five kilometers in length – a reasonable distance for cycling. Yet only 1% of passengers arrive by bike, with the majority (62%) of nearly 100,000 daily passengers driving and parking at a station. A sixteen-billion-dollar investment in enhanced rail service is expected to double current train ridership. To support this growth, it is necessary to increase the use of non-parking-dependent station access modes. Cycling has potential to be a sustainable alternative for short station access trips, while also promoting superior health outcomes associated with a more active lifestyle. This study develops a cycling typology of passengers to foster a better understanding of customer perceptions and to identify customer segments who may be willing to cycle to the station. Methods Passengers intercepted at three suburban commuter rail stations were invited to complete an online survey (n = 300). Drawing on proven cycling determinants from the literature, the survey assessed willingness to cycle in adverse weather, the importance of end-of-trip facilities, comfort cycling on various types of infrastructure, and other personal identity and societal factors. A principal component analysis of the survey data followed by k-means cluster analysis was used to develop a typology of respondents. Results Using six factors derived from 17 survey variables, four distinct types of cyclists were identified: All-around cyclists (10%) most frequently cycle for transportation purposes and are most comfortable cycling in adverse weather conditions. Recreational cyclists (29%) frequently cycle for recreation but rarely for transportation purposes and are more comfortable on low-stress facilities such as paths, residential streets, and protected bike lanes than on busy roads. The safety-conscious (33%) do not frequently cycle, but express comfort with low-stress facilities. Finally, the facility-demanding (28%) express the strongest support for end-of-trip facilities and are least likely to agree that cycling is a practical way to reach the station. Nearly all (95%) of those who currently cycle to a station fall within the all-around type. Females are nearly twice as likely as males to be represented in the safety-conscious type. Conclusions Efforts to increase cycling to rail stations will necessitate encouraging recreational cyclists and the safety-conscious to ride for transportation purposes. Low-stress cycling networks surrounding the stations are critical in supporting these efforts, particularly for female riders.

2437 - Connecting Cycling to Transit: A Typology of Toronto Region Commuter Rail Passengers

2437 - Connecting Cycling to Transit: A Typology of Toronto Region Commuter Rail Passengers

Diesel Multiple Units in 21st Century North America: Comparative Survey and Evaluation of Services, Demand, and Cost

U.S. officials working with finite resources to build and operate new fixed-guideway transit services grow more creative every year, finding ways to offer new and expanded services with fixed or declining resources. One creative approach to the development of new urban passenger rail services has been to operate on tracks shared with light-density freight services. Most services have used conventional commuter rail passenger rolling stock for these services, but, in some circumstances, this relatively heavy equipment has been inappropriate, and officials have been forced to consider sharing freight tracks with lighter, shorter trains. Some of these trains have been conventional electric light rail cars, but since the turn of the 21st century, five new U.S. services using self-powered diesel rail cars (historically called diesel multiple units, or DMUs) have opened to offer new travel options in Texas, California, New Jersey, and Oregon. FTA has termed these new shared-track DMU services “hybrid rail.” This paper reviews the circumstances and conditions that gave rise to the development of these hybrid DMU systems. The paper then reports the results of a study that used federally reported data to conduct a survey and evaluation of these services as compared with electric light rail and conventional commuter rail services. The analysis found that the new DMU systems tended to function in a new service stratum between commuter and light rail that served the needs of markets that neither of those traditional modes was well suited to address.

Demand-responsive transit circulator service network design

Commuter rail systems are being introduced into many urban areas as an alternative mode to automobiles for commuting trips. It is anticipated that the shift from the auto mode to rail mode can greatly help alleviate traffic congestion in urban road networks. However, the right-of-way of many existing commuter rail systems is usually not ideally located. Since the locations of rail systems were typically chosen long ago to serve the needs of freight customers, the majority of current commuter rail passengers have to take a non-walkable connecting trip to reach their final destinations after departing the most conveniently located rail stations. To make rail a more viable commuting option and thus more competitive to the auto mode, a bus feeder or circulator system is proposed for transporting passengers from their departing rail stations to final work destinations in a seamless transfer manner. The key research question with operating such a bus circulator system is how to optimally determine a bus route and stopping sequence for each circulating tour by using the real-time demand information. In this paper, we name this joint routing and stopping optimization problem the circulator service network design problem, the objective of which is to minimize the total tour cost incurred to bus passengers and operators with respect to minimizing the walk time of each individual bus passenger. A bi-level nonlinear mixed integer programming model is constructed and a tabu search method with different local search strategies and neighborhood evaluation methods is then developed for tackling the circulator service network design problem.

Accommodation of Long-Term Growth on North America's Commuter Railroads

The transit industry has experienced great declines in ridership since World War II from which it has recovered only partially since the 1990s. By contrast, commuter rail has flourished as a result of suburbanization, strong downtowns, and continued public support. With a focus on older systems, the study reported in this paper reviewed changes in population, downtown employment, and ridership and related these changes to the ways in which technology, public policy, ridership, and operations have affected commuter rail. Since about the 1990s, the number of commuter rail passenger miles in the United States has grown faster than the number of national highway vehicle miles traveled. Modern commuter rail ridership has reached (or has surpassed) the historic peak levels reached in 1929. Commuter railroads have met the demands of growing ridership through the use of cars with higher seating capacities, which have provided more frequent off-peak service, and through the adoption of such innovative operating plans as zone schedules. Even the rehabilitation of deteriorated tracks sometimes has helped to increase train throughput. Such improvements have enabled commuter railroads to accommodate more customers, although capacity will have to be increased where severe constraints exist. Continued public support will be essential to the future of commuter rail in most metropolitan areas.

The impacts of non-resident parking restrictions at commuter rail stations

At commuter rail stations in many affluent suburban communities of New Jersey, non-residents are prohibited from parking or are charged a higher fee. This paper examines the impacts of non-resident parking restrictions on rail usage. It uses data from a large survey of commuter rail passengers, a detailed parking inventory of station parking lots, and data from the American Community Survey. It compares the catchment areas of stations and the likelihood of individuals boarding at stations with and without parking restrictions by using ordinary least squares, mixed regression, and logit models. It further examines the rail use propensity of communities when the nearest station prohibits non-resident parking by ordinary least squares and tobit models. The analyses show that, all else being equal, stations with non-resident parking restrictions have smaller catchment areas and passengers are less likely to use these stations compared to stations without restrictions. The implications are discussed.

Encouraging Kiss-and-Ride at Commuter Railroad Stations

Providing parking for commuter rail passengers can be difficult. Commuter railroads want to accommodate as many riders as possible at their suburban stations, but it is often impossible to provide enough parking to satisfy demand. Railroads would rather not charge a marginal fee for parking because this would likely decrease ridership. Local communities usually oppose large parking structures, and space for additional surface parking is often limited. To alleviate some of the parking demand, a possible strategy is to promote kiss-and-ride, or passenger drop-off. This method of station access requires no parking spaces, yet attracts additional riders. Although commuters accessing stations in this way usually choose to do so because of the particular characteristics of their commute, station and parking lot design might also influence their decision. Commuter rail stations in the New York City metropolitan area were studied to help determine the role of parking lot design and regulation in encouraging or discouraging the use of kiss-and-ride as a station access mode. Stations on the Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road were examined relative to their access and parking statistics and also by site visits. The demographics of the areas surrounding the stations were also considered. The results show that parking lot design and regulation may have an effect on kiss-and-ride usage. Parking lots with larger, more-accessible drop-off points tended to have greater kiss-and-ride percentages. Lots with illegal-parking problems, particularly prevalent on Long Island, tended to have lower kiss-and-ride percentages because it was often impossible to find a place to drop someone off.

Impact of Commuter-Rail Services in Toronto Region

Ridership of the commuter-rail system that was implemented in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in 1967 increased at an annual, average compound rate of 11.4% until 1989. Demand has leveled substantially during 1990--94 and has averaged only 2.1% per year, which probably reflects the suburbanization of employment. Urban economic theory is used to explain the way in which central-business-district (CBD) employees respond differently to suburban commuter-rail services and rapid transit services, mainly serving the inner intermediate suburbs. Travel data collected in 1986 and 1991 confirmed the effects suggested by the theory. Commuter-rail passengers are drawn from the larger suburban households, living principally in single-family houses, and commuter-rail passengers are more sensitive to access and egress distances than subway passengers. Policies that improve the quality of access and egress components of commuting trips from the suburbs stimulate passenger demand. Also, land-use policies that promote high-density, residential development at suburban commuter-rail stations are unlikely to contribute significantly to commuter-rail demand, and the lakeshore commuter-rail line that has been in service since 1967 has not had a significant impact on residential sorting and on the generation of additional demands.