Implement long-term, practical strategies to make commuter rail a successful part of regional mobility. TRB will host a webinar on Monday, September 22, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM Eastern that will explore how commuter railroads are navigating the market dynamics, service, and upcoming funding challenges. Presenters will discuss current trends, examples in CA and PA, and explores alternative approaches to service schedules, simplified fare structures, and infrastructure options to address changing goals and circumstances at the agency, regional, and national levels in the United States and Canada.
This webinar is based on TCRP Research Report 254: The Future of Commuter Rail in North America.
This webinar is sponsored by TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program.
There is no fee to attend this webinar. Registration is required.
A recording will be sent to all registrants after the webinar.
 
Webinar agenda and presenters

• Report overview – Leo Shirky, DB E.C.O. North America
• The future of commuter rail at Caltrain – Michelle Bouchard, Caltrain
• The future of commuter rail at SEPTA – Jody Holton, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
• Question and answer session moderated by Paul Lewis, DB E.C.O. North America

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:

• Differentiate between different types of commuter rail providers and understand their respective history and context
• Develop appropriate strategic planning
• Apply different regional strategies

 
American Institute of Certified Planners Certification Maintenance Credits
This webinar is approved by the American Planning Association (APA) for 1.5 Certification Maintenance (CM) Credits. CM credits provide continuing education opportunities for AICP Certified Planners to continue their professional skills and knowledge. To receive CM credits, Certified Planners should visit the TRB event webpage on American Planning Association and register their participation.
Please make sure that you register for this session and log in using the link that TRB provides to your email account. We use this as your record that you attended this session. TRB only maintains the records of attendees who use their email address to log into the webinar and cannot verify attendance of individuals who view the webinar without personally logging into the session.  
If you have problems reporting your CM credits or have general questions about the CM program, please contact AICPCM@planning.org.
 
Pre-registration is required. Once the webinar starts, you will be unable to register. Individuals that are registered for a webinar but do not receive their confirmation emails due to their organization’s internal firewalls should contact TRB Helpdesk for assistance in signing in.
View our FAQ page for more information.
Registration questions? Contact TRB webinar program.