Technical Document and User Guide for the Multi-Modal Passenger Simulation Model for Comparing Passenger Rail Energy Consumption with Competing Modes (2015)

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1 1 Introduction The National Cooperative Railroad Research Program (NCRRP) is a research program administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) which “conducts applied research on problems of interest to freight, intercity passenger, and commuter rail practitioners.” This web-only document is one of two reports which together detail the research and results of NCRRP Project 02-01 entitled “Comparison of Passenger Rail Energy Consumption with Competing Modes.” The objective of NCRRP Project 02-01, as suggested by its title, is to provide like-for-like comparisons of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of commuter and intercity passenger rail operations with competing modes of travel. In the context of this research, “passenger rail” includes higher speed, high speed, intercity, and commuter rail operations—those rail systems that are operated under the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). “Competing modes of travel” include passenger automobiles, light-duty trucks which are often used for personal transportation, suburban commuter bus services, intercity bus services, and air transportation. To accomplish the objectives of this research project, a targeted literature review was performed and the findings then used to inform the development of an analytical framework for equivalent comparison of mode-to-mode fuel and energy consumption and GHG emissions. The literature review covered passenger rail efficiency research, passenger rolling stock characteristics, characteristics of the modes used by passengers to access and egress from rail and bus stations and airports, and finally an examination of technologies which can improve the energy efficiency of rail equipment, infrastructure and the overall operations of a rail system. A quantitative decision-support tool, the Multi-Modal Passenger Simulator (MMPASSIM), was developed specifically for this project and used to predict and compare fuel and energy consumption and GHG emissions in a series of case studies. The MMPASSIM model is a fundamental product of this research effort and is available for use. A range of case studies were used to calibrate the analytical model, to examine the details and sensitivities of specific passenger rail systems and to evaluate the prospective impact of improving operational strategies, rolling stock, motive power and the supply of fuel or electricity for traction power. The barriers and opportunities to improve the fuel and energy efficiency and reduce the GHG emissions from intercity and commuter passenger rail systems were also examined. Numerous case studies were developed to explore a range of commuter and intercity passenger rail operations and compared their fuel and energy consumptions and GHG emissions with those of competing modes of transportation for comparable door-to-door trips. NCRRP Report 3: Comparison of Passenger Rail Energy Consumption with Competing Modes documents the findings of the literature review and the details of the series of rail technology evaluation and modal comparison case studies performed in this work. It also presents findings on the barriers and opportunities to improve the fuel and energy efficiency and reduce the GHG emissions from intercity and commuter passenger rail systems. This document, NCRRP Web-Only Document 1: Technical Document and User Guide for the Multi-Modal Passenger Simulation Model for Comparing Passenger Rail Energy Consumption with Competing Modes, has a two-fold purpose: a) to provide technical documentation describing the analytical framework underlying the development of the MMPASSIM model – a Microsoft Excel

2 macro enabled spreadsheet model of fuel, energy and greenhouse gas emissions of passenger rail, highway (bus and light duty vehicles) and air travel. b) to provide a User Guide (in this volume’s Appendix A) to guide users in applying the MMPASSIM model to predict and compare the fuel and energy consumed and the greenhouse gases emitted by prospective door-to-door trips made by passenger rail services and other competing modes of travel. The User Guide provided here in Appendix A contains its own table of contents and functions in the most part as a stand-alone document. Although some occasional references are made in the User Guide to technical details provided in the main body of this web-only document, it should not be necessary for a user to read and understand the entire technical document in order to make effective and productive use of the MMPASSIM model in answering questions of fuel and energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions related to passenger travel modes. More advanced uses of the model involving detailed customization of equipment and route characterizations will necessarily require a more thorough understanding of the material set forth in the main body of this web-only document in addition to the User Guide in Appendix A.