2015 FRA Rail Program Delivery Meeting
October 13-15, 2015
The Federal Railroad Administration hosted the second FRA Rail Program Delivery Meeting—a three-day conference for grantees, railroad representatives, federal oversight contractors, and staff, focused on rail project implementation. Below is a list of presentations and handouts given at the event
General Sessions
Passenger and Freight Rail – Professional Workforce Development in the U.S.
- Presentation - Christopher Barkan, Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Director, National University Rail Center
- Renewing the Partnership - Railroads once enjoyed strong relationships with the academic community. It’s time to rebuild them. Oct 2009 Railway Age
- Railroad Education Resources
Lightning Talks
- 1 Northeast
- Handout
- Presentation - Trevor Gibson, FRA
- 2 Northeast Corridor (NEC)
- 3 Mid-Atlantic
- Handout
- Presentation - Jacqueline Thorne, Maryland DOT; Jeff Price, FRA
- Presentation - Adam Denton, FRA; Anna Chamberlin, District DOT; Bradley Decker, Booz Allen Hamilton
- 4 Southeast
- Handout
- Presentation - Randy Brown, FRA
- 5 Midwest
- Handout
- Presentation - Wynne Davis, FRA; Sophie Guiny, Booz Allen Hamilton; Tom Rueschhoff, Indiana DOT
- 6 Central
- Handout
- Presentation- Catherine Dobbs, FRA; Chad Coburn, Texas DOT
- 7 Vehicles
- Handout
- Presentation- Wynne Davis, FRA; Momoko Tamaoki, Caltrans; Jennifer Bastian, Illinois DOT
- 8 Southwest
- Handout
- Presentation - Todd McIntyre, FRA; Cynthia Lee, Volpe Center
- 9 Southwest California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) & Transbay
- Handout
- Presentation - Todd McIntyre, FRA
- 10 Northwest
- 16 Amtrak
- Handout
- Presentation - Steve Peck, FRA
FRA Perspective and Initiatives
- Federal Funding for Passenger Rail - Paul Nissenbaum, FRA
An International Perspective
- Introduction - Barbara Barr, FRA Director of International Programs
-
Making the Most of High-Speed Rail in California: Lessons from France and Germany - Eric Eidlin, FTA, Urban and Regional Policy Fellow at the German Marshall Fund
Strategic Collaborations & Shared Goals – DOT and Transportation Leaders
- Introduction of Issues - Corey Hill, FRA Acting Executive Director
- Keynote Address - Victor Mendez, USDOT Deputy Secretary
Track 1
Planning Framework
- Introduction and Regional Planning - Kyle Gradinger, FRA
- Southwest Multi-State Rail Planning Study - Michael Kies, Arizona DOT
- State Rail Planning - Jessie Gatti, FRA
- Washington State: Planning for Success – David Smelser, Washington State DOT
- Case Study: NCDOT SRP – Ryan White, Stantec
Service Development Planning (SDP)
- Service Development Planning for Intercity Passenger Rail - Peter Schwartz, FRA
-
Case Study: NEC Future – Service planning techniques - Yoav Hagler, Parsons Brinckerhoff
Environmental Reviews
- Producing Solid Environmental Documents - Michael Johnsen, FRA
- What’s New in NEPA Analysis? - Horst Greczmiel, White House Council on Environmental Quality;
- NEPA Legal Issues - Chris Van Nostrand, FRA
- Case Study: Engineering Design in Tiered NEPA Process (NC/VA Southeast Corridor)- Michelle Fishburne, FRA; Matthew Simmons, North Carolina DOT
Environmental Mitigation Monitoring
- Assuring Environmental Commitments - Jamie Maughan, Volpe Center
- Habitat Banking/Mitigation Options - Kris Hoellen, Conservation Fund
-
Monitoring Case Study: Chicago to St. Louis - Andrea Martin, FRA; Tim Selover, Parsons Brinckerhoff
Other Laws Under the NEPA Umbrella
- Introduction - Melissa Hatcher, FRA
- A Refresher in Public and Consulting Party Involvement in the Section 106 Process - Laura Shick, FRA; Charlene Vaughn, ACHP
- Appropriate Analysis for Other Laws in Tier 1 and Tier 2 - Bill Malley, Perkins Coie
- Case Study: Endangered Species Act - Andrea Martin, FRA
Pipeline Planning for the Various Regions
- Investment Pipeline Analysis - David Valenstein, FRA; Wendy Messenger, FRA
- Regional Pipeline Portfolios - Corey Hill, FRA; David Valenstein, FRA
- Determining and Measuring Project Benefits - Wendy Messenger, FRA
- Case Study: NEC Commission - Rebecca Reyes-Alicea, FRA
- Ready to Invest: A Regional Approach to Capital Planning on the Northeast Corridor - Mitch Warren, NEC Commission
Track 2
Engineering/Design
- FRA Expectations for Preliminary Engineering - Leonard Evans, FRA; Richard Cogswell, FRA
- Case Study: Rochester Station - PE/NEPA - Trevor Gibson, FRA; Susan Andrews, New York State DOT; Bindu Samudrala, New York State DOT
- ADA DOT Regulation - Calvin Gibson, FRA
- PTC Informational Briefing - Devin Rouse, FRA
How to Partner With the Railroads and Amtrak in Project Delivery
- Introduction: Railroads as your builder? Amtrak as your builder? - Wendy Messenger, FRA; Leonard Evans, FRA
- Speaker, DJ Mitchell, BNSF
- Speaker, Paul Vilter, Amtrak
Operations Simulation for Railroad Capital Project Development
- Operations Simulation for Railroad Capital Project Development - Peter Schwartz, FRA; Richard Cogswell, FRA
Optimizing Co-Operation of Freight and Passenger Rail
- Introduction - Leonard Evans, FRA
- Case Study: WSDOT/BNSF Efficient Construction Deliver - Dan McDonald, BNSF; David Smelser, Washington State DOT
- Case Study: Adding Railroad Capacity on the Mainline, Chicago to Milwaukee - Melanie Johnson, Quandel Consultants
- Case Study: The Slotted Schedule Approach – Los Angeles to Fullerton to San Diego - DJ Mitchell, BNSF; Royce Gotcher, Caltrans; Ulrich Leister, SMA
Risk-Based Project Management (Part 1): Download all presentations
- Intro to Risk-Based Project Management - William Thomsen, Urban Engineers; Susan Herre, FRA
- Risk Assessment – A Proactive Approach – A Way to Forecast - William Thomsen, Urban Engineers
- Risk Assessment Introduction - Marian Rule, TranSystems
- Characterizing Project Scope (& Schedule & Budget) - John Lehman, Hill International
- Animation Scope Case Study – Construction of Road Undercrossing Double Track Railroad - Marian Rule, TranSystems; John Lehman, Hill International
- Cost Estimate as Building Block for Risk Assessment - John Lehman, Hill International
- Highway Projects, Conventional/Higher Speed Rail Projects - Will Willson, Gardiner & Theobald
Risk-Based Project Management (Part 2): Download all presentations
- Intro to Afternoon Session - Marian Rule, Transystems
- Developing the Master Schedule and Adding Schedule Risk - Will Willson, Gardiner & Theobald
- Developing a Risk Register - John Holak, Urban Engineers
- Case Study: After the Risk Register – West Bound (Amtrak) ByPass in Queens - Will Willson, Gardiner & Theobald
- Mitigations, Contingencies, and Management - John Holak, Urban Engineers
- Case Study - Eastside Access Project, NY - John Holak, Urban Engineers
- Case Study - LA Westside Purple Line Extension - Thomas Mitchell, Urban Engineers
Track 3
Federal Grants (Part 1)
- Grants Management and Risk Reduction - Michael Longley, FRA; Andrew Peternith, FRA
Federal Grants (Part 2)
- The Davis-Bacon Act – Betty Sorrells, FRA
- Buy America - Linda Martin, FRA; John Johnson, FRA
USDOT Loan Programs – Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) & Other Options
- RRIF - Eileen Serafin, FRA; Natalie Williford, FRA; Patrick McCoy, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY)
- Case Study: MTA’s RRIF Application Process - Patrick McCoy, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY)
- RRIF with Build America Transportation Investment Center (BATIC) - Roger Bohnert, BATIC, USDOT
- Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) - Mark Polston, TIFIA, USDOT
Vehicle Attributes & Procurement Management: Download all presentations
- Opening Remarks - Aaron James, CH2MHill
- FRA’s two roles - Grantor and Regulatory Safety Oversight Body - Aaron James, CH2MHill; Jeff Gordon, FRA
- MTAC role - Oversight - Aaron James, CH2MHill
- FRA National Equipment Goals - Wynne Davis, FRA
- Buy America - Linda Martin, FRA
- PRIIA Section 305: The Next Generation Equipment Committee - Jeff Gordon, FRA
- ADA compliance+ - Linda Martin, FRA
- FRA Federal Funding - Nico Lindenau, CH2MHill
- Bi-level Procurement - Momoko Tamaoki, Caltrans
- Locomotive Procurement - Jennifer Bastian, Illinois DOT
- Midwest Initiative for Management, Maintenance, and Equipment Ownership - Wynne Davis, FRA
- Some lessons learned - Wynne Davis, FRA
Funding and Financing of Projects
- Introduction to BATIC - Jodie Misiak, BATIC, USDOT
- NCRRP Report 001 Alternative Funding and Financing Mechanisms for Passenger and Freight Rail Projects, TRB 2015 - Marc-Andre Roy, CPCS
- APTA Innovative Funding and Financing Study Mission - London, Stockholm, Munich - Sharon Greene, HDR
- Amtrak’s Approach to Major Stations – Project Management, Procurement, and Funding - Janet Campbell-Lorenc, AICP
Transportation Policy
- Legislative and Budget Highlights - Michael Lestingi, FRA; Will Dyer, FRA
- Management of State-Supported Corridors - Beth Nachreiner, FRA; Daniel Knote, FRA; Shayne Gill, AASHTO
- Incorporating Resilience into Port Authority Infrastructure Design - Peter Adams, Port Authority of NY & NJ
For more information contact FRARailProgramDelivery@dot.gov