Will the Future Look Di erent?

Are we seeing permanent changes in commuter rail and rail transit?

By David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief

During the height of the pandemic, no one was sure how things would turn out. COVID19 was spreading rapidly, and it seemed the only way to avoid it was to stay home and not be around anyone other than family who lived with you. For those who could, working from home became the norm. Meanwhile, there were many people who could not work from home and many from both groups were hospitalized and died at an alarming rate. Then, the pandemic began to ease for whatever reasons, such as vaccines, wearing masks or maintaining distance from others when in public. The latter half of 2022 saw people gathering and meeting again, and COVID-19 ceased to be the lead news story each night.

We were le with what seems a permanent change in the way we work, however.

ose who work outside or cannot work from home continue to go to the o ce, factory, or other workplaces to do their jobs. ose who can work from home seem to have embraced a new “hybrid” lifestyle, where the average is two days in the o ce and three days at home. Moreover, I believe this change has occurred not because people are afraid of getting COVID-19 or some other respiratory disease but enjoy the balance of working at home and in the o ce. And I think many workers and managers have been surprised by how e ectively people can work and collaborate when they’re not in the o ce.

The social implications of this change, if permanent, will be significant and beyond the scope of this discussion. However, the impact on commuter rail it’s too early for transit leaders to assume this pattern will stick and begin making service and fare adjustments. Similarly, it’s too early for federal, state, and local governments to start making funding changes on the assumption that total prepandemic ridership will never return. and public transit is what we’ll focus on here. You may have already noticed that we ran a small story on whether public transit is facing yellow signals in this issue’s edition of NewsWatch. It is disturbing to read that ridership on the New York subway is two-thirds of what it was before the pandemic, and BART has only onethird of its pre-pandemic ridership. Yet,

Nevertheless, as uncomfortable as it may be, it is time to begin planning for such a situation if ridership remains at. About one-third of a transit agency’s funding comes from the farebox, which means that to maintain transit systems as they are now, more government subsidies will be needed. I expect some preliminary planning is already underway, as some agencies have mentioned they may experiment with fare increases and reductions in service.

Hopefully, the scenario I’ve outlined here will not come to pass. Transit and commuter rail have been a huge part of American history and provide commuters with convenience and environmental bene ts. And they will continue to play a signi cant role in American urban life. Our nation cannot a ord to continue building and refurbishing highways and building life around personal automobiles. Of course, we’ll always have cars, but balancing their use with good public transit is the wisest course, even if a sizable percentage of our workforce is remote.

Culvert and Storm Drain Inspection

Part 1: February 22 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM ET

Part 2: February 23 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM ET

New Dates

4.0 PDH | Presenters: Matthew C. Richie & Shawn R. Coombs, PE

This two-part course presents methodology for rapid condition evaluation of culverts and buried bridges that establishes a rating system to prevent failure/ washout. The system also provides a framework for managing assets, reducing risk, and prioritizing maintenance and rehabilitation.

To REGISTER or for more information, visit www.arema.org

October 1- 4, 2023