How are passenger rail planners and operators adapting in the time of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19)? TRB will host a webinar on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 from 1:00-2:30 PM Eastern that will feature case studies from the public and private sectors. Representatives from each organization will discuss how COVID-19 has (or has not) affected their efforts. They will discuss where their projects are in development and how planning has proceeded during COVID-19. Since passenger rail services have been curtailed, projects under development could also be affected. Rail operators have had to create new rules to keep workers and passengers safe. Presenters will discuss the progress of their programs during COVID-19 and identify lessons learned in order for operators and agencies to move forward with passenger rail projects.

This webinar was organized by the TRB Standing Committee on Passenger Rail Transportation.

Some registrants will need to pay $55 to attend this webinar. Sign into MyTRB.org to view registration information.

Webinar agenda and presenters

1. General update about passenger rail in California: Diana Gomez, California Department of Transportation
2. Case studies: Valley Rail in California and Texas Central in Texas: Dan Leavitt, San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, and Jennifer Hu, Texas Central
3. Question and answer session: Moderated by Diana Gomez, California Department of Transportation

The first 60 minutes of the webinar will be for presentations and the final 30 minutes will be reserved for audience questions.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Discuss the Valley Rail Program and Texas Central High-Speed Rail Project and the progress of these programs during COVID-19
2. Discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on passenger rail operations and planning

Professional Development Hour Information

Professional engineers (PEs) who register and attend the entire webinar as an individual will be awarded 1.5 Professional Development Hours (PDHs). TRB’s webinar program awards PDH credits only to the registered individual, and not to other members of a group that view the webinar together. To be eligible for the credits, individuals must remain signed in for the entire webinar, including for any question and answer session following the presentations.

Please check with your licensing board to ensure that TRB webinar PDHs are approved by your board.

TRB will report credits earned to the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Complaints about registered providers may be sent to RCEP, 1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, D.C., 20005.

Registration questions? Contact Reggie Gillum.