Regional Transportation Authority

On March 22, 2011, RTA and the Transit Finance Learning Exchange (TFLEx) co-hosted a workshop to explore whether the electrification is the answer for commuter railroads looking to improve operations and reduce costs. The workshop attracted 60 freight and passenger rail professionals, government officials, union representatives, consultants, researchers, consumers, and students.

The workshop featured presentations by industry experts from around the world who spoke about the benefits, costs and impacts of commuter rail electrification. Case studies evaluating the opportunities for electrification in Toronto and Denver were also presented.

For more information about this workshop, contact Rosemary Gerty ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), Mark Minor ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or John Allen ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

For more information about TFLEx, visit www.tflex.org.

Conference Materials

List of Attendees - PDF Version (.pdf) MS Word Version (.doc)

Agenda - PDF Version (.pdf) MS Word Version (.doc)

Presentations

State of the Railroad – Session A2

Commuter Rail Electrification: Where, How and Why – John Allen, RTA
Electrification and Commuter Workshop – Paul Nowicki, BNSF Railway
Metra System – Bill Tupper, Metra

Regulatory Issues and Technology Development – Session A3

EPA Emission Requirements for Locomotives – Frank Acevedo, US EPA
Fuel Cell for Electric Locomotive Transportation: State-of-the-Art Review and Challenges – Dr. Pradip Majumdar, Northern Illinois University
Technology Development Update – Kevin Bahnline, ElectroMotive Diesels, Inc.
Commuter Rail Electrification – Michael Iden, Union Pacific Railroad

GO Transit Case Study – Session A4

Powering GO Transit: A Case Study – Gary McNeil, GO Transit, A Division of Metrolinx

Operations and Interoperability – Session P1

Introductory Slides – George Hardwidge, Metra
Right-of-Way Considerations for Interoperability with Electrified Commuter Rail – John Allen, RTA

Energy and the Environment – Session P2

Introductory Slides – Mark Minor, RTA
Selecting the Proper Commuter Rail Vehicle Technology for Denver RTD’s FasTracks Program – Ned Parker, LTK Engineering Services
Experiences from the Toronto GO Electrification Study – Jim Richards, Steer Davies Gleave

Maintenance Requirements – Session P3

Electric, Electric and Diesel: Maintenance and Operations at Metro-North Railroad – Walter Zullig, Jr., Metro-North Railroad (retired)
Maintaining Electrified Railways – Victor Babin, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District

Resources/Publications

Commuter Rail Electrification – An Annotated Bibliography - PDF Version (.pdf) MS Word Version (.doc)
- John G. Allen

Commuter Rail Electrification: Introduction to the Technical Issues
- John G. Allen, John P. Aurelius, and Joseph Black

Commuter Rail Electrification: Survey of the Scene
- John G. Allen

Electrification Work Near End
- Charles H. Mottier

New Suburban Terminal in Use
- Charles H. Mottier