TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 238
Quantitative Procedures for Designing
and Operating Ferry Services
Kristen Kissinger
Kelly Lesoing
Cassandra Durkin
KPFF CONSULTING ENGINEERS
Seattle, WA
Subject Areas
Marine Transportation • Passenger Transportation • Terminals and Facilities
Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the American Public Transportation Association
TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and introduce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it.
The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem-solving research. TCRP, modeled after the successful National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), undertakes research and other technical activities in response to the needs of transit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes various transit research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices.
TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was authorized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement outlining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooperating organizations: FTA; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and APTA. APTA is responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Commission.
Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the TOPS Commission to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS Commission defines funding levels and expected products.
Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel appointed by TRB. The panels prepare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Because research cannot have the desired effect if products fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on disseminating TCRP results to the intended users of the research: transit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other supporting material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry practitioners.
TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively address common operational problems. TCRP results support and complement other ongoing transit research and training programs.
TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 238
Project A-46
ISSN 2572-3782
ISBN 978-0-309-68777-5
© 2023 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.
Cover figure credit: Sternstein Photography
Cover figure: WSF, Mukilteo Ferry Terminal with Vessel
NOTICE
The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 238
Christopher J. Hedges, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Gwen Chisholm Smith, Manager, Transit Cooperative Research Program
Dianne S. Schwager, Senior Program Officer
Dajaih Bias-Johnson, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
Doug English, Senior Editor
TCRP PROJECT A-46 PANEL
Field of Operations
Justin Resnick, Washington State Department of Transportation, Seattle, WA (Chair)
Martha A. R. Bewick, The Harbor Consultancy International, Hingham, MA
Richard G. Bickel, Jr., Econsult Solutions, Inc., Ardmore, PA
Charles R. Carr, Mississippi Department of Transportation, Jackson, MS
Alan Robert Danaher, WSP, Orlando, FL
Mike W. Gougherty, San Francisco Bay Ferry, Alameda, CA
Peter C. Martin, CDM Smith, San Francisco, CA
Peggy Tadej, Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), Fairfax, VA
James C. Wong, New York City Economic Development Corporation, New York, NY
Steve Truong, FTA Liaison
Vanessa Williams, FTA Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The research reported herein was performed under TCRP Project A-46 by the Marine Transit Consulting Team at KPFF Consulting Engineers.
Kristen Kissinger, AICP, was the Project Director and Principal Investigator. The other authors of this report are Kelly Lesoing, Planner, and Cassandra Durkin, Planner. Technical expertise and review were contributed by Mike Anderson, Director Marine Transit, and Andy Bennett, Principal.
Anthony Bruzzone, AICP CTP, Associate Principal, Transport Planning, and Joseph Kaylor, Transportation Planner, from Arup conducted data collection and analysis and supported report development.
Field surveys at ferry terminals were conducted by Lauren Romeo (Arup) and Austin Lucero (California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and 2021 Arup intern).
FOREWORD
By Dianne S. Schwager
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
This report provides guidance for assessing and planning ferry system capacity for fixed-route ferry services and facilities serving either passengers only or passengers and vehicles. Guidance looks at overall system capacity as well as the design and operation of ferry system elements, including vessels, facilities, service schedules, and terminal operations. This report will be of immediate use to ferry operators and transit decision makers with an existing ferry service.
Ferry transportation services play an important role in many municipal and regional transportation systems throughout the United States and have the potential to play an even greater role. Ferries serve urban centers, island regions, and rural areas, and can provide an alternative to other transportation modes or provide lifeline access to unbridged communities. Ferries have provided critical transportation in the United States during emergencies such as natural disasters, bridge failures, transit strikes, and tunnel flooding.
Under TCRP Project A-46, “Quantitative Procedures for Designing and Operating Ferry Transit Services,” the research team led by KPFF Consulting Engineers was asked to:
- Build on the guidance provided in existing ferry transportation reports, including three reports developed by the TCRP;
- Present key quantitative procedures for designing and operating scheduled and fixed-route ferry transit services and facilities that serve passengers only and passengers and vehicles;
- Focus on ferry capacity concepts and analysis methods, including but not limited to vessels, docks, routes, terminals, and intermodal connections;
- Consider in-water, navigation, and regulatory factors in addition to environmental impacts of ferry services; and
- Strive to provide comparable detail to the bus, rail, and station chapters of TCRP Report 165: Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM).
TCRP Research Report 238 presents guidance for assessing and planning overall ferry system capacity as well as the design and operation of ferry system elements. This report expands on the ferry guidance provided in previous TCRP reports and focuses on:
- Identifying how ferry system elements, including operating conditions and assets (vessels and terminals), are related to each other and affect overall system capacity;
- Quantifying and assessing passenger and vehicle movement; and
- Presenting quantitative procedures and best practices for addressing capacity challenges through design of infrastructure investments, operations, and service planning.
The report also identifies gaps in this and previous reports where additional data collection and research are needed to more fully develop capacity guidance and quantitative procedures for ferry passenger services.
CONTENTS
Background and Need for Research
Chapter 2 Fundamentals of Ferry Capacity
Chapter 3 Capacity Concepts and Analysis Methods: Passenger-Only Ferries
Optimizing the Service Schedule
Passenger Facility Capacity Planning and Minimizing Dwell Time
Chapter 4 Capacity Concepts and Analysis Methods: Vehicle Ferries
Optimizing the Service Schedule
Understanding Vessel Capacity and Vehicle Demand
Vehicle Terminal Capacity Planning and Minimizing Dwell Time
Chapter 5 Example Capacity Procedures Use
Example 1: Passenger-Only Ferry
Chapter 6 Suggested Further Research
Appendix A Operator Questionnaire and Summaries of Responses
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