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Strategic Direction of Committee Activities
This section presents an assessment of the Committee's historic and proposed activities in support of each of the strategies presented in the previous section.
Strategy 1: Develop and/or sponsor sessions on local and regional rail freight transportation at annual and mid-year TRB meetings and actively seek to co-sponsor sessions on related topics.
Actions During the Past Triennium
The Committee is very active in this area, and has successfully used all of the allotted TRB "session credits" during each of the past three years. Sessions have been developed on a number of relevant topics. Interaction with other committees has been extensive. Specifically, the Committee:
- Co-sponsored a 2004 Annual Meeting session "Short-Line Railroad Heavy-Axle-Load Issues" with Committees on Railroad Track Structure System Design and Steel Bridges.
- Organized two 2004 Annual Meeting sessions (Parts 1 and 2) on "Public Investment in Private Rail Infrastructure"; obtained co-sponsorship from Committees on Freight Transportation Economics and Regulation and Intercity Rail Passenger Systems.
- Co-sponsored a 2005 Annual Meeting session "Shared Use of Railroad Corridors and Facilities" with Committees on Rail Transit, Intermodal Transfer Facilities, Commuter Rail Transportation, and Intercity Rail Passenger Systems.
- Organized and sponsored a 2005 Annual Meeting session "Shared and Joint Use of Railroad Corridors."
- Organized and sponsored a 2005 Annual Meeting session "Valuing Local and Regional Rail Freight Services."
- Organized and sponsored a 2006 Annual Meeting session "Perspectives on the Future of Single-Car Railroad Shipments."
- Organized and sponsored a 2006 Annual Meeting session "Public Finance for Local Rail Improvements: Opportunities and Issues."
- Sponsored presentation of a paper by Manuel Terra and Jeffrey Warner entitled "Assessment of Texas Short Lines Railroads" at January 2006 committee meeting.
Planned Annual Actions
- During the upcoming triennium, the Committee plans to maintain the same level of intensity. Specific actions will include:
- Soliciting topics for annual meeting conference sessions;
- Selecting topics and create annual meeting sessions;
- Exploring poster session opportunities and create as needed;
- Scheduling brief presentations at committee meetings; and
- Working to incorporate local and regional rail transport issues into mid-year meeting sessions.
Strategy 2: Sponsor or actively participate in workshops, training, and other special events that address issues relevant to local and regional rail freight transportation.
The Committee should actively participate in meetings, workshops, and other events relevant to the mission. Historically, Committee members have been regular participants in rail related workshops, though not through formal direction from the Committee. The Committee has, however, actively participated in both the AASHTO Standing Committee on Rail Transportation (SCORT) and the TRB mid year committee meetings. These opportunities need to be expanded to include other associations.
Actions During the Past Triennium
During the past triennium, the Committee has had regular annual representation at meetings bringing together persons with coincident interests. These include:
- Participation in the TRB Joint Summer Meeting of the Planning, Economics, Finance, Freight, Management, and Environmental Committees held in Portland, OR, with a committee meeting held July 18, 2003.
- Mid year meeting held in conjunction with the AASHTO SCORT Annual Meeting September 14, 2003 in Buffalo, NY.
- Participation in the TRB Joint Summer Meeting of the Planning, Economics, Finance, Freight, Management, and Environmental Committees held in Park City, UT, with a committee meeting held July 27, 2004.
- Mid-year meeting held in conjunction with the AASHTO SCORT Annual Meeting October 5, 2004 in San Diego, CA.
- Participation in the TRB Joint Summer Meeting of the Planning, Economics, Finance, Freight, Management, and Environmental Committees held in Boston, MA, with a committee meeting held July 11, 2005.
- Mid-year meeting held in conjunction with the AASHTO SCORT Annual Meeting August 30, 2005 in Coeur D'Alene, ID.
Planned Annual Actions
- During the upcoming triennium, the Committee hopes to continue and even expand the level of participation in such events, specifically to:
- Participate in SCORT and TRB mid-year events.
- Examine opportunities to partner with related committees to sponsor workshops in conjunction with the Annual Meeting.
- Consider opportunities for other special events that focus on local and regional rail freight transport. For example, the Committee will be represented in the TRB organized "Research to Enhance Rail Network Performance: A Workshop" on April 5-6, 2006.
Strategy 3: Promote participation in committee activities with a diverse membership and a large network of friends, with representation from local and regional railroads, Class I railroads, shippers, consultants, academia, and a variety of transportation organizations both public and private.
The Committee's vitality is dependent upon maintaining contact with the broad universe of constituencies having an interest in local and regional rail freight transportation.
Actions During the Past Triennium
- The committee underwent its triennial rotation in 2005. During this time, care was taken to maintain the desired balance.
- Reestablished contacts with the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.
Planned Annual Actions
- Review committee membership and rotate members as needed.
- Maintain e-mail distribution list to add new friends of Committee.
- Seek additional young and woman members for the Committee.
Strategy 4: Through cooperative approaches with related TRB committees and other organizations, serve as a clearinghouse and resource to others to ensure that the transportation community knows the full range and crosscutting nature of issues related to the committee's mission and that the committee is informed about activities of other organizations and TRB committees.
Actions During the Past Triennium
- As described in Strategy 1, the committee has worked closely with other committees to develop sessions on topics of mutual interest. These committees include:
- Railroad Track Structure System Design
- Steel Bridges
- Freight Transportation Economics and Regulation
- Intercity Rail Passenger Systems
- Rail Transit
- Intermodal Transfer Facilities and
- Commuter Rail Transportation.
- The Committee has worked to identify TRB committees and other organizations (AASHTO, AAR, FRA, ASLRRA, AREMA, ITE, ASCE T&DI, etc) needing liaison and to identify liaison volunteers. Committee members now represent or have membership in each of these outside organizations and are working to ensure that the committee maintains contact with them. The interaction of the committee with other TRB committees is done on a less formal basis. However, committee officers have been representing the committee at both the Rail Group and Freight Systems Group Executive Board meetings. This is a great help in keeping abreast of the activities of related committees.
- The committee has joint membership in the Subcommittee on Shared Rail Corridors and Facilities. Other participating committees are Intercity Rail Passenger Systems, Intermodal Transfer Facilities, Commuter Rail Transportation, and Light Rail Transit.
Planned Annual Actions
- The Committee will:
- Continue to actively seek out co-sponsoring opportunities with other TRB committees for sessions and events;
- Hear liaison reports from members working with other TRB committees and with other organizations both to identify joint opportunities and to keep the committee informed of activities of other groups;
- Continue to maintain a close liaison with the Freight Systems Group and other committees in the Rail Group; and
- Explore opportunities for establishing additional joint sub-committees.
Strategy 5: Define transportation research needs for local and regional rail freight transportation and advocate the conduct of research and the development of syntheses for these research problem areas.
Identification of research needs is a key role for TRB committees. While individual members of this Committee are very involved in research, the Committee as a whole has significant opportunities to increase its role in fostering research. There are currently no formal research statements. Development of a recommended research program will be a significant focus area for the Committee during the upcoming triennium.
Actions During the Past Triennium
- The committee regularly tracks ongoing research of interest, and reports on these projects at meetings. The committee has also provided input into these projects. As examples, the committee was approached by the investigators conducting NCHRP 8-42, "Rail-Freight Solutions to Roadway Congestion," and Synthesis of Highway Practice 36-10, "Impacts of Intermodal Freight Terminal Closures."
Planned Annual Actions
- Prepare new research problem statements based on emerging issues. The Millennium Paper outlined a number of broad areas of concern for the industry. It should serve as a basis for the development of research statements.
- Respond to call for problem statements for TRB synthesis program.
- AdvocateÐthrough AASHTO committees, the Freight Cooperative Research Program, FRA, and other meansÐsupport for funding problem statements.
- Maintain compendium of ongoing research projects and report on their status at the annual meeting.
Strategy 6: Solicit and review papers on local and regional rail freight transportation for TRB publication and presentation.
During the past triennium, the Committee received few papers for review. A more aggressive approach to paper solicitation needs to be adopted, perhaps with formal annual calls for papers. The research statements should be a basis for desired topics.
Actions During the Past Triennium
- Encourage committee members and friends to submit papers for consideration.
Planned Annual Actions
- Solicit committee members for paper topics to be considered for annual call for papers.
- Choose topic for annual call for papers.
- Develop call for papers by March for TRB web site and distribution.
- Assign committee members and friends to review submitted papers.
- Choose papers for presentation and publication.
Strategy 7: Using a broad range of information activities and peer exchanges, communicate the research findings, best practices, ongoing research, and related information on local and regional rail freight transportation.
Actions During the Past Triennium
- Begin work on development of committee web site.
- Prepared and disseminated committee meeting minutes to members and friends.
Planned Annual Actions
- Complete and update the committee web site.
- Publish at least two electronic newsletters each year, including information about the committee, topics, sessions, updates, news alerts, etc.
- Solicit information from TRB staff on status of NCHRP projects for inclusion in the newsletter.
- Look for opportunities to submit newsletter items to other committee/organization newsletters and to publish their items in our newsletter.
- Maintain a comprehensive e-mail list of members and friends and an accurate and complete set of meeting minutes.
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