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CONSENSUS AND ADVISORY STUDIES
Consensus Studies
Review of Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) Brakes
Domestic Transportation of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Ethanol
Performance-Based Safety Regulation
Review of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability Program of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Air Traffic Control: Symposium on Organizational Reform Options
Evaluation of the Federal Railroad Administration R&D Program
Future Interstate
Inland Waterways
Innovative Urban Mobility Services: Issues and Opportunities
In-Service Performance of Energy-absorbing W-beam Guardrail End Treatments: Phase 1
Intercity Passenger Travel: Opportunities and Issues in Short-haul Markets
Long Term Bridge Performance Committee LTBP
Long Term Pavement Performance LTPP
Offshore Oil and Gas Industry Safety Culture
Polar Icebreaker Cost Assessment
Propane Gas Pipeline Facilities
Railroad Transportation Regulation
Real Time Monitoring of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations
Research and Technology Coordinating Committee (Federal Highway Administration)
Review of USDOT Report on Connected Vehicle Initiative Communications Systems Deployment
Review of USDOT Truck Size and Weight Study
Strengthening the FMCSA R&T Program
Research and Technology Coordinating Committee Letter Reports
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Evaluation of the Federal Railroad Administration R&D Program

An ad hoc committee will conduct a review and evaluation of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research and Development (R&D) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to assess R&D products and services to the agency and railroad industry. Congress funds FRA R&D to contribute to the DOT's strategic goals, the principal of which is improved safety. Thus, the goal of this biennial review and assessment is to provide strategic feedback to the Office of R&D for program improvement and planning purposes with specific emphasis on: 1) validating FRA's process to identify new priorities for addressing emerging safety issues and trends, and 2) evaluating the feasibility, usefulness, effectiveness, and impact of R&D products and services in railroad safety.  The committee will evaluate each of the four major division areas (Track, Rolling Stock, Signals, Train Control and Communications, and Human Factors), including cross-division efforts, and R&D support functions (planning, evaluation, and management). 

In gathering information and conducting its evaluation, the committee will examine existing reports, documents, data-bases and other related material in the public domain and organize presentations from industry representatives and program managers through face-to-face meetings and conference calls.  Illustrative projects or programs within each division may be used as case studies to highlight successful applications of research and to identify common lessons learned that could be more broadly applicable across divisions.

As inputs to the committee's assessment of the four FRA divisions and R&D support functions, it will address the following questions:

1. To what extent has the Office of R&D excelled in engaging, maintaining communication with, and using inputs from the full range of stakeholder groups?

2. To what extent does R&D excel in conducting and using results from needs assessments and diagnostic studies to prioritize, focus, and plan projects and programs?

3. To what extent has R&D's planning support function defined a sound mission and associated goals and priorities that reflect assessed safety needs in the railroad industry?      

4. To what extent is R&D sufficiently flexible and responsive in addressing changing economic, political, social, and technological contexts? (Question does not apply to planning and evaluation support functions.)

5. To what extent does R&D's current and planned portfolio and budget appropriately address its defined mission, goals, and priorities?

6. To what extent is the Office of R&D sufficiently staffed and funded in accordance with its mission and priorities to effectively carry out all of its programs and program support functions at a high level of quality?

7. To what extent is the R&D Office's science and engineering work of excellent technical merit and quality, and appropriate and feasible for implementation?  (Question does not apply to R&D support functions.)

8. To what extent are R&D services and products being used and/or adopted by the railroad industry both internal and external to FRA? (Question does not apply to R&D support functions.)

9. How effectively have R&D services and products helped the railroad industry improve safety and reduce fatalities? (Question does not apply to R&D support functions.)

10. To what extent does the Office of R&D evaluate its services and products prior to or during an implementation to help improve their usability and likelihood of adoption by industry?

11. To what extent is the Office of R&D effective in providing its key stakeholders with summative evaluation reports, technical reports, conference presentations, and other communications that validly assess R&D efforts, impacts, and cost-benefits?

The committee's first letter report will include descriptive assessments and constructive comments on the evaluation questions. The letter will present a holistic assessment of the Office of R&D, the individual divisions, and the R&D support functions.  The letter may provide recommendations to FRA on how to improve its processes for selecting and executing projects and delivering value from its R&D program.  It may also provide direction on where the committee thinks the program should be headed in the future. 

During the period of performance, FRA intends to hold a two-day public meeting to present its R&D program to stakeholders of the R&D program.  The committee's second letter report will evaluate the content, organization and delivery of the public session.  In doing so, the committee will consider the evaluation of the public R&D review held in 2012 (see, Summary of Evaluation Findings, 2012 FRA Research and Development Review by Fulcrum Corporation).

The projected is funded by U.S. Department of Transportation. The first letter report will be issued in approximately 12 months, and the second letter report will be issued at the end of the project in approximately 24 months.
 


Committee Membership

Chair
John Samuels
President
Revenue Variable Engineering, LLC

Committee Members
Mehdi Ahmadian
Director, Railway Technologies Laboratory
Virginia Tech

Christopher Barkan
Director, Railroad Engineering Program
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

David Connell
Vice President of Transportation – Northern Region
Union Pacific Railroad Company

Judith Gertler
Independent Consultant

Donald Graab
Vice President-Mechanical
Norfolk Southern Corporation

John Harrison
Railway Engineering Professional (ret.)

Chris Hendrickson
Professor
Carnegie Mellon University

E. Keith Holt
Deputy Chief Engineer, Communications & Signals
Amtrak

Anson Jack
Director of Policy, Research and Risk, and Deputy CEO
Rail Safety and Standards Board

Edward La Guardia
Chief Engineer – Rail and Transit
Michael Baker International

Charles Lynch
Vice President, Operations Manager South
Gannett Fleming Transit and Rail Systems

Roger McCarthy
Principal
McCarthy Engineering

Tamara Nicholson
Director, Office of Rail Transportation
Iowa Department of Transportation

Andrzej Nowak
Professor and Chair, Department of Civil Engineering
Auburn University

Bryan Reimer
Associate Director / Research Scientist
New England University Transportation Center, MIT

James Stem
National Legislative Director
United Transportation Union

Vincent Verna
Director of Regulatory Affairs
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen

 

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