摘要: |
This study surveyed 59 transit entities in North America to identify the best practices and key factors that contribute to the successful interaction between transit agencies and freight railroads. A total of 47 agencies including commuter rail, heavy rail, and light rail transits responded, which derives a response rate of 80 percent. This study produced a best practice catalog, based on the survey responses and subsequent data analysis, which may be referenced by transit agencies when dealing with passenger and freight rail interaction issues. Besides the catalog, we also examined critical issues and concerns of both transit and rail freight industries when they share track, right of way, facility, or a corridor with each other. The majority of the transit agencies put frequent communication and good faith negotiation as the most important factors that facilitate successful interaction between transit and rail freight. Other factors mentioned include: competent dispatchers and improved training of dispatchers, integrated schedules, transparency in sharing cost, regulatory leverage to offset freight railroad intransigence, bottlenecks caused by train density and funding constraints to alleviate them, ownership and a genuine will by both parties to make the shared use succeed. |