The National Academies Press

Currently Skimming:

Pages 397-408

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.

From page 397... ... B‐101 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Case Study: Philadelphia, PA‐NJ‐DE‐MD Highlights: Resilience and sustainability are part of SEPTA's corporate culture, which is evident in how the agency approaches extreme weather response, safety, project development, and overall day‐to‐day operations. Primary hazards include flooding, high heat, winter storms and power loss due to extreme weather. SEPTA is particularly focused on "event readiness" and restoration of service after weather‐ related service disruptions. They are investing in infrastructure protection where feasible and cost effective (flood proofing, bank stabilization, bridge scour protection) Read the entire page →
From page 398... ... B‐102  Building a cross‐functional team with committed executive support, recognizing that all of the SEPTA family has a stake in ensuring the safety, event readiness, vigilance of SEPTA in severe weather events.  Regional support from other partners in emergency management  Communications with timely, effective outreach and listening to customers, SEPTA employees, federal, state and local partners, press, legislature, Mayor's and Governor's offices, Penn DOT, unions, public emergency management offices, etc. Read the entire page →
From page 399... ... B‐103 Agency Details Geographic Location Northeast Modes Operated Bus, heavy rail, commuter rail, streetcar, trolley bus, demand response System Size Large Typical Hazards Heavy rain, riverine flooding, blizzards, extreme heat, high winds, extreme cold and ice; earthquakes The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) is the sixth largest transit system in the United States. In the mid‐Atlantic region, SEPTA serves Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania, with services to Newark, Delaware and Trenton, New Jersey, and interfaces with Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor. The 2013‐2014 annual ridership was: Bus: 184 million passenger trips Heavy Rail: 101 million trips Commuter Rail: 37 million trips Street Car Rail: 27 million trips Trolley Buses: 6 million trips Demand Response: 1.7 million SEPTA is a Commonwealth‐ chartered authority charged with funding and operating public transportation in the city of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery. Its organizational mission is "dedicated to delivering safe, reliable, sustainable, accessible and customer focused public transit services, contributing to the region's economic vitality and enhanced quality of life." It is governed by a 15‐member board of directors: two members appointed by the City of Philadelphia, five from the state, eight from the suburban counties. SEPTA's internal management team is led by the General Manager, a dedicated director, and an interdisciplinary SEPTA team. SEPTA is part of and works throughout the year with the state and city offices of emergency management and the regional MPO‐ DVRPC. Given the multistate transit service, SEPTA also coordinates with other transit systems, such as New Jersey Transit, PATCO, DART and Amtrak. Read the entire page →
From page 400... ... B‐104 SEPTA as part of FTA's "Transit Climate Change Adaptation Assessment Pilot" (2013) SEPTA does not emphasize the term "resiliency," but rather prefers to talk about the sub components that lead to a resilient system, including event preparedness, response, and recovery. The National Academy definition of resilience is broad enough to encompass their goal of event readiness, asset management and infrastructure sustainability. SEPTA's approach was pragmatic. SEPTA understands the vulnerabilities of the aged infrastructure and the impacts of decades of weather‐related service issues. For the past 12 years, the Deputy General Manager (now the General Manager) Read the entire page →
From page 401... ... B‐105  Downed catenary and power lines due to high winds and ice that disrupted service, with challenging conditions for customers and employees.  Damaged infrastructure from ice jams against rail bridges, or scouring of rail bridges due to high water or flooding conditions; repair or replacement of catenary power lines due to falling trees/tree limbs, high winds, extreme heat, ice and sleet; rail switches and signals, retaining walls, SEPTA building, shelters, and equipment. Extreme heat that buckled rail tracks. Read the entire page →
From page 402... ... Policy and SEPTA is a investmen managem are prude For more addressin and with t services. "Resilienc Within th SEPTA's a performa funding. S and positi such as a alternativ For antici that are c Administra ctively engag ts. The term ent and deliv nt. than a decad g disasters an heir partners y" is an integ ose elements bility to prov nce measure EPTA has bee oning of equ tree falling o e bus service pated storm e oordinated w tion ed in policie "resiliency" ering service e, the Gener d severe we to develop a ral part of SE is the need t ide mobility a for SEPTA is n successful ipment and s nto the caten to customer vents, SEPTA ith the with s, planning, f is part of larg s and project al Manager a ather events culture that PTA's strateg o address ho nd economic event readine in bouncing taff; and by t ary lines, by s. has establis emergency m B‐106 inancing and er program e s that are eff nd executive . They have w includes saf ic planning in w severe we opportuniti ss. This requ back from se he ability to providing inf hed procedu anagement funding their fforts, such a icient, effect staffs have b orked consis ety and even terms of as ather events es to the regi ires organiza vere weathe quickly respo ormation to c res and proto partners. The operations a s safety, sus ive, provide t een invested tently within t readiness fo set managem and natural on and state tional comm r events due nd to unexpe ustomers an cols for susp agency uses nd capital tainability, as he long haul in meeting a the organiza r all of SEPTA ent and safe disasters affe . A key policy itment and to preplannin cted problem d getting ension of se a wide varie set , and nd tion 's ty. ct and g s, rvices ty of Read the entire page →
From page 403... ... B‐107 social media tools, TV announcements, public presentations, and radio shows to inform their customers and the public. Transparency is a key element in the agency's communication. Systems Planning Both asset management and the sustainability units in conjunction with operations look at system planning to assess what is working and what needs analysis; what climate threats are affecting service and how can they be addressed. SEPTA has considerable inherent historic and current knowledge about service operations and how weather affects those services, and, using that knowledge, has developed strategic investment decisions and changes to operations. For example, in rail corridors prone to flooding and disrupted service and increasing safety concerns of wash outs or slope slides, SEPTA has invested in turn backs before flood zones to ensure the safety of the customers, employees and equipment. The determination of this type of investment is based on vulnerability and risk analyses, with projects prioritized in terms of safety, probability of the event, cost impacts of service delays on the route and the system, within a matrix of options and projected costs. The vulnerability and risk assessment informs the asset management and sustainability planning, both short and long term. These plans are critical components to capital investment and programming projects and systems decisions. Climate conditions in the near and longer term are considered by sustainability analysis. At this time, SEPTA has not mapped the agency's infrastructure and services in terms of vulnerability to natural disasters and weather‐related events or engaged in interagency mapping. Consequently SEPTA has not engaged with other system providers on systems interdependencies. (NOTE: Vulnerability is addressed systematically as State of Good Repair initiatives. No specific interagency projects or cost estimates have been analyzed.) SEPTA system vulnerabilities have and will continue to be identified and analyzed in terms of their transit impacts and costs. These analyses have been communicated to SEPTA's decision makers in the form of vulnerability assessments, capital and emergency planning, and capital programming. The critical measure for system performance is: how fast can a service be safely restored? Read the entire page →
From page 404... ... B‐108 SEPTA is in the process of developing an asset management program, which will include projects that mitigate the effects of natural disasters and severe weather events. The Transportation Asset Management program (TAM) involves three elements:  Vehicle and infrastructure maintenance management systems with inventories, life cycle and maintenance management  A decision‐support tool  Asset management plan that includes policies on how assets are to be maintained through the assets' life cycle The TAM has identified seven major high risk/vulnerabilities that are being addressed; a key one is flooding. SEPTA is building its inventory system that is based on conversations with front‐line staff and the chief engineering officers responsible for maintenance and renewal; the inventory is structured by critical areas. Inventory is updated as needed. The database includes categories for critical areas, such as rail with sub classification tracks, or signals or switches. SEPTA's severe weather protocol, as well as the asset management program, identifies vulnerabilities and risks, where individual assets and systems are impacted by disasters and severe weather issues. SEPTA does not have an Office of Resiliency; that concept is incorporated into the organization's strategic business processes. Adaptation to climate is one of the several parameters that are evaluated as part of the capital decision‐making process. SEPTA's capital improvement program is funded through federal and state sources. In 2013, the Pennsylvania State Legislature signed Act 89, which significantly increased the size of SEPTA's capital improvement program. SEPTA also received an FTA grant to harden core infrastructure in 2014. SEPTA is now able to advance several programs to both address state of good repair needs, as well as bolster resiliency to extreme weather events. Examples of such projects include: soil and rock stabilization on the Regional Rail; flood mitigation on both the Regional Rail and the trolley lines, and the construction of an ancillary control center. SEPTA is also experimenting with technology pilots for advanced flood warnings, with information sent to the control center, which captures disruption occurrences. Capital Planning, Programming and Finance Funding for SEPTA, as with all transit agencies, is limited and requires a commitment to target resources to high priorities. SEPTA's 12‐year capital program plans have critical projects and investments to provide SEPTA with sustainable capabilities. Resiliency is incorporated into the sustainability assessment and program from which projects or systems are prioritized, using APTA's sustainability guidance. SEPTA's approach to weather resiliency and capital investments can be summarized by two key points: 1) Read the entire page →
From page 405... ... K Figure 2. Res SEP ilience Lesso TA's Funded B‐109 ns for Projec Resiliency Pr t Developme ojects nt EY E Read the entire page →
From page 406... ... B‐110 NGINING TAKEAWAYS: RESILIENCE IS THE NEW REALITY3 SEPTA's asset management program is one of the key factors for moving a new capital project forward. Asset management includes assessments for weather resiliency and sustainability. SEPTA's Capital Planning Committee uses a variety of factors to prioritize capital investments and new projects, and criticality is a consideration. For example, a key SEPTA goal is keep the Broad Street Line operating in severe weather events. Investments that provide for that goal would be viewed as critical. The time horizon for new projects is from 12 years to 50 years, with 15 years for buses. Cost‐benefit analyses are not used to prioritize new projects, but event readiness is. Disasters and severe weather events, while challenging and devastating, can also provide capital funding opportunities. SEPTA received $86.8 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Emergency Relief Program (the federal 75 percent match) Read the entire page →
From page 407... ... B‐111 and its ability to resist service failure/disruptions. New materials are considered to the extent that their use will enhance safety or the investments' life cycle and/or limit/prevent service disruption, or is more cost effective. Environmental review analyses consider sustainability, which includes severe weather events and disasters. This includes the location of new facilities and equipment as an element of assessment. SEPTA explores opportunities when repairing or replacing existing infrastructure to consider making the investment more sustainable. Knowing where risks and vulnerabilities are provides SEPTA with critical information on the consequences for safety and service disruptions caused by severe weather events; this in turn helps make the investment decision on whether to mitigate the problem or not. Examples of action are the slope stabilization and raising the signal huts to resolve operational and safety problems. Plans are to continue to elevate infrastructure above future flood levels where beneficial and where SEPTA deems it is prudent. In cases where rail tracks cannot be elevated, SEPTA investigates alternative approaches that include track turn around investment before the flood zone. For drainage systems and pumping, SEPTA has made and will continue to make these types of investments when prudent. With respect to bridge scour FHWA and FTA have a strong set of regulations and protocols for bridge scour and their remediation. SEPTA follows those regulations and procedures. To the extent that green infrastructure solutions work and prove to be more cost effective for the useful life of the investment SEPTA will make such investments. Operations and Maintenance (O&M) SEPTA has in place plans and procedures for temporarily hardening assets, re‐routing contingency plans during an event, redundant communications, and some redundant power.. Communication with customers is considered critical to readiness, and SEPTA uses available communication tools (social media, press releases to TV and radio outlets, text messages and emails) Read the entire page →
From page 408... ... B‐112 SEPTA also has developed emergency weather plans that address preparedness, response and recovery for extreme weather events. In the context of these emergency weather plans, SEPTA works with its partner agencies to inform them of what to expect from SEPTA in the case of a weather emergency; and, to coordinate preparedness, response and recovery. SEPTA's Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) identifies essential management and staff and identifies clear lines of succession for decision making. The plan has specific protocols for canceling service(s) Read the entire page →

From page 397...

... B‐101 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Case Study: Philadelphia, PA‐NJ‐DE‐MD Highlights: Resilience and sustainability are part of SEPTA's corporate culture, which is evident in how the agency approaches extreme weather response, safety, project development, and overall day‐to‐day operations. Primary hazards include flooding, high heat, winter storms and power loss due to extreme weather. SEPTA is particularly focused on "event readiness" and restoration of service after weather‐ related service disruptions. They are investing in infrastructure protection where feasible and cost effective (flood proofing, bank stabilization, bridge scour protection)

Read the entire page →

From page 398...

... B‐102  Building a cross‐functional team with committed executive support, recognizing that all of the SEPTA family has a stake in ensuring the safety, event readiness, vigilance of SEPTA in severe weather events.  Regional support from other partners in emergency management  Communications with timely, effective outreach and listening to customers, SEPTA employees, federal, state and local partners, press, legislature, Mayor's and Governor's offices, Penn DOT, unions, public emergency management offices, etc.

Read the entire page →

From page 399...

... B‐103 Agency Details Geographic Location Northeast Modes Operated Bus, heavy rail, commuter rail, streetcar, trolley bus, demand response System Size Large Typical Hazards Heavy rain, riverine flooding, blizzards, extreme heat, high winds, extreme cold and ice; earthquakes The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) is the sixth largest transit system in the United States. In the mid‐Atlantic region, SEPTA serves Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania, with services to Newark, Delaware and Trenton, New Jersey, and interfaces with Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor. The 2013‐2014 annual ridership was: Bus: 184 million passenger trips Heavy Rail: 101 million trips Commuter Rail: 37 million trips Street Car Rail: 27 million trips Trolley Buses: 6 million trips Demand Response: 1.7 million SEPTA is a Commonwealth‐ chartered authority charged with funding and operating public transportation in the city of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery. Its organizational mission is "dedicated to delivering safe, reliable, sustainable, accessible and customer focused public transit services, contributing to the region's economic vitality and enhanced quality of life." It is governed by a 15‐member board of directors: two members appointed by the City of Philadelphia, five from the state, eight from the suburban counties. SEPTA's internal management team is led by the General Manager, a dedicated director, and an interdisciplinary SEPTA team. SEPTA is part of and works throughout the year with the state and city offices of emergency management and the regional MPO‐ DVRPC. Given the multistate transit service, SEPTA also coordinates with other transit systems, such as New Jersey Transit, PATCO, DART and Amtrak.

Read the entire page →

From page 400...

... B‐104 SEPTA as part of FTA's "Transit Climate Change Adaptation Assessment Pilot" (2013) SEPTA does not emphasize the term "resiliency," but rather prefers to talk about the sub components that lead to a resilient system, including event preparedness, response, and recovery. The National Academy definition of resilience is broad enough to encompass their goal of event readiness, asset management and infrastructure sustainability. SEPTA's approach was pragmatic. SEPTA understands the vulnerabilities of the aged infrastructure and the impacts of decades of weather‐related service issues. For the past 12 years, the Deputy General Manager (now the General Manager)

Read the entire page →

From page 401...

... B‐105  Downed catenary and power lines due to high winds and ice that disrupted service, with challenging conditions for customers and employees.  Damaged infrastructure from ice jams against rail bridges, or scouring of rail bridges due to high water or flooding conditions; repair or replacement of catenary power lines due to falling trees/tree limbs, high winds, extreme heat, ice and sleet; rail switches and signals, retaining walls, SEPTA building, shelters, and equipment. Extreme heat that buckled rail tracks.

Read the entire page →

From page 402...

... Policy and SEPTA is a investmen managem are prude For more addressin and with t services. "Resilienc Within th SEPTA's a performa funding. S and positi such as a alternativ For antici that are c Administra ctively engag ts. The term ent and deliv nt. than a decad g disasters an heir partners y" is an integ ose elements bility to prov nce measure EPTA has bee oning of equ tree falling o e bus service pated storm e oordinated w tion ed in policie "resiliency" ering service e, the Gener d severe we to develop a ral part of SE is the need t ide mobility a for SEPTA is n successful ipment and s nto the caten to customer vents, SEPTA ith the with s, planning, f is part of larg s and project al Manager a ather events culture that PTA's strateg o address ho nd economic event readine in bouncing taff; and by t ary lines, by s. has establis emergency m B‐106 inancing and er program e s that are eff nd executive . They have w includes saf ic planning in w severe we opportuniti ss. This requ back from se he ability to providing inf hed procedu anagement funding their fforts, such a icient, effect staffs have b orked consis ety and even terms of as ather events es to the regi ires organiza vere weathe quickly respo ormation to c res and proto partners. The operations a s safety, sus ive, provide t een invested tently within t readiness fo set managem and natural on and state tional comm r events due nd to unexpe ustomers an cols for susp agency uses nd capital tainability, as he long haul in meeting a the organiza r all of SEPTA ent and safe disasters affe . A key policy itment and to preplannin cted problem d getting ension of se a wide varie set , and nd tion 's ty. ct and g s, rvices ty of

Read the entire page →

From page 403...

... B‐107 social media tools, TV announcements, public presentations, and radio shows to inform their customers and the public. Transparency is a key element in the agency's communication. Systems Planning Both asset management and the sustainability units in conjunction with operations look at system planning to assess what is working and what needs analysis; what climate threats are affecting service and how can they be addressed. SEPTA has considerable inherent historic and current knowledge about service operations and how weather affects those services, and, using that knowledge, has developed strategic investment decisions and changes to operations. For example, in rail corridors prone to flooding and disrupted service and increasing safety concerns of wash outs or slope slides, SEPTA has invested in turn backs before flood zones to ensure the safety of the customers, employees and equipment. The determination of this type of investment is based on vulnerability and risk analyses, with projects prioritized in terms of safety, probability of the event, cost impacts of service delays on the route and the system, within a matrix of options and projected costs. The vulnerability and risk assessment informs the asset management and sustainability planning, both short and long term. These plans are critical components to capital investment and programming projects and systems decisions. Climate conditions in the near and longer term are considered by sustainability analysis. At this time, SEPTA has not mapped the agency's infrastructure and services in terms of vulnerability to natural disasters and weather‐related events or engaged in interagency mapping. Consequently SEPTA has not engaged with other system providers on systems interdependencies. (NOTE: Vulnerability is addressed systematically as State of Good Repair initiatives. No specific interagency projects or cost estimates have been analyzed.) SEPTA system vulnerabilities have and will continue to be identified and analyzed in terms of their transit impacts and costs. These analyses have been communicated to SEPTA's decision makers in the form of vulnerability assessments, capital and emergency planning, and capital programming. The critical measure for system performance is: how fast can a service be safely restored?

Read the entire page →

From page 404...

... B‐108 SEPTA is in the process of developing an asset management program, which will include projects that mitigate the effects of natural disasters and severe weather events. The Transportation Asset Management program (TAM) involves three elements:  Vehicle and infrastructure maintenance management systems with inventories, life cycle and maintenance management  A decision‐support tool  Asset management plan that includes policies on how assets are to be maintained through the assets' life cycle The TAM has identified seven major high risk/vulnerabilities that are being addressed; a key one is flooding. SEPTA is building its inventory system that is based on conversations with front‐line staff and the chief engineering officers responsible for maintenance and renewal; the inventory is structured by critical areas. Inventory is updated as needed. The database includes categories for critical areas, such as rail with sub classification tracks, or signals or switches. SEPTA's severe weather protocol, as well as the asset management program, identifies vulnerabilities and risks, where individual assets and systems are impacted by disasters and severe weather issues. SEPTA does not have an Office of Resiliency; that concept is incorporated into the organization's strategic business processes. Adaptation to climate is one of the several parameters that are evaluated as part of the capital decision‐making process. SEPTA's capital improvement program is funded through federal and state sources. In 2013, the Pennsylvania State Legislature signed Act 89, which significantly increased the size of SEPTA's capital improvement program. SEPTA also received an FTA grant to harden core infrastructure in 2014. SEPTA is now able to advance several programs to both address state of good repair needs, as well as bolster resiliency to extreme weather events. Examples of such projects include: soil and rock stabilization on the Regional Rail; flood mitigation on both the Regional Rail and the trolley lines, and the construction of an ancillary control center. SEPTA is also experimenting with technology pilots for advanced flood warnings, with information sent to the control center, which captures disruption occurrences. Capital Planning, Programming and Finance Funding for SEPTA, as with all transit agencies, is limited and requires a commitment to target resources to high priorities. SEPTA's 12‐year capital program plans have critical projects and investments to provide SEPTA with sustainable capabilities. Resiliency is incorporated into the sustainability assessment and program from which projects or systems are prioritized, using APTA's sustainability guidance. SEPTA's approach to weather resiliency and capital investments can be summarized by two key points: 1)

Read the entire page →

From page 405...

... K Figure 2. Res SEP ilience Lesso TA's Funded B‐109 ns for Projec Resiliency Pr t Developme ojects nt EY E

Read the entire page →

From page 406...

... B‐110 NGINING TAKEAWAYS: RESILIENCE IS THE NEW REALITY3 SEPTA's asset management program is one of the key factors for moving a new capital project forward. Asset management includes assessments for weather resiliency and sustainability. SEPTA's Capital Planning Committee uses a variety of factors to prioritize capital investments and new projects, and criticality is a consideration. For example, a key SEPTA goal is keep the Broad Street Line operating in severe weather events. Investments that provide for that goal would be viewed as critical. The time horizon for new projects is from 12 years to 50 years, with 15 years for buses. Cost‐benefit analyses are not used to prioritize new projects, but event readiness is. Disasters and severe weather events, while challenging and devastating, can also provide capital funding opportunities. SEPTA received $86.8 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Emergency Relief Program (the federal 75 percent match)

Read the entire page →

From page 407...

... B‐111 and its ability to resist service failure/disruptions. New materials are considered to the extent that their use will enhance safety or the investments' life cycle and/or limit/prevent service disruption, or is more cost effective. Environmental review analyses consider sustainability, which includes severe weather events and disasters. This includes the location of new facilities and equipment as an element of assessment. SEPTA explores opportunities when repairing or replacing existing infrastructure to consider making the investment more sustainable. Knowing where risks and vulnerabilities are provides SEPTA with critical information on the consequences for safety and service disruptions caused by severe weather events; this in turn helps make the investment decision on whether to mitigate the problem or not. Examples of action are the slope stabilization and raising the signal huts to resolve operational and safety problems. Plans are to continue to elevate infrastructure above future flood levels where beneficial and where SEPTA deems it is prudent. In cases where rail tracks cannot be elevated, SEPTA investigates alternative approaches that include track turn around investment before the flood zone. For drainage systems and pumping, SEPTA has made and will continue to make these types of investments when prudent. With respect to bridge scour FHWA and FTA have a strong set of regulations and protocols for bridge scour and their remediation. SEPTA follows those regulations and procedures. To the extent that green infrastructure solutions work and prove to be more cost effective for the useful life of the investment SEPTA will make such investments. Operations and Maintenance (O&M) SEPTA has in place plans and procedures for temporarily hardening assets, re‐routing contingency plans during an event, redundant communications, and some redundant power.. Communication with customers is considered critical to readiness, and SEPTA uses available communication tools (social media, press releases to TV and radio outlets, text messages and emails)

Read the entire page →

From page 408...

... B‐112 SEPTA also has developed emergency weather plans that address preparedness, response and recovery for extreme weather events. In the context of these emergency weather plans, SEPTA works with its partner agencies to inform them of what to expect from SEPTA in the case of a weather emergency; and, to coordinate preparedness, response and recovery. SEPTA's Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) identifies essential management and staff and identifies clear lines of succession for decision making. The plan has specific protocols for canceling service(s)

Read the entire page →

Key Terms

← Previous Chapter Skim

Next Chapter Skim →

This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.