Highlights from TRA’s year include expanded projects with state safety oversight clients, new work with state DOTs on Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (PTASPs), and international travel to assist with fire testing for new rail vehicles.

For our transit agency and state DOT clients, one of the most critical issues this year was ensuring the planning, development, and initial implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS) per FTA requirements set out in the MAP-21 regulations passed in 2017. These regulations require transit agencies covered under the rule to develop a PTASP before July 20, 2020. These PTASPs must include detailed description of and implementation plans for each agency’s SMS. TRA team members have been working closely with staff from the West Virginia and Virginia DOTs to develop PTASPs, SMSs, and associated training for all of its applicable bus transit systems, as well as with BART and VTA in California to do the same before the July deadline.

TRA personnel also supported unique projects for our clients in 2019, such as updating a Regional Transit Security Strategy for the Philadelphia Area Regional Transit Security Working Group, led by the Delaware River Port Authority. Our subject matter experts also contributed their knowledge and expertise to reviewing fire testing of new rail vehicles in Italy, and providing a review of safety practices to Denver Transit Operators in Colorado. Finally, TRA provided increased or renewed support to several SSO clients, including DRPT in Virginia, UDOT in Utah, and FDOT in Florida, the latter two of which TRA has been working alongside for the better part of 20 years. Our team looks forward to giving technical and program assistance to these and many other clients in 2020.