Summary: Proposed SFY 2018 Transit Asset Management Targets for the Boston Region

 

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the Cape Ann Transportation Authority (CATA), and the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) have established state fiscal year (SFY) 2018 targets for federally required Transit Asset Management (TAM) performance measures. The proposed TAM targets for the Boston Region, listed in Tables 1 through 4 below, follow those targets set by the MBTA, MWRTA, and CATA, except for cases where targets for subgroups of transit assets have been aggregated or disaggregated. For more information on TAM requirements and performance measures and these targets, see the Boston Region MPO staff memorandum titled “Proposed SFY 2018 Transit Asset Management Targets for the Boston Region” (as updated on April 27, 2018).

 

TABLE 1
Baseline Performance Measure Values and Proposed Targets for Equipment: Percentage of Non-Revenue Vehicles that have Met or Exceeded their Useful Life Benchmark, by Agency

Agency

Vehicle Category

SFY 2017 (Baseline): Number of Assets

SFY 2017 (Baseline): Percent of Assets ≥ Useful Life Benchmark

SFY 2018: Anticipated Number of Assets

SFY 2018:Target Percent of Baseline Assets ≥ Useful Life Benchmark

Change Compared to Baseline

MBTA

Non-revenue vehicles

1,822

35%

1,824

37%
(red)

Increase (undesirable change)

CATA

Non-revenue vehicles

3

0%

3

0%

No change

MWRTA

Non-revenue vehicles

13

62%

14

50%
(green)

Decrease (desirable change)

 

Note: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) defines Useful Life Benchmark (ULB) as the expected lifecycle of a capital asset for a particular transit provider’s operating environment, or the acceptable period of use in service for a particular transit provider’s operating environment. For example, FTA’s default ULB of a bus is 14 years. Green shading in the “Target Percent of Baseline Assets ≥ ULB” column indicates a change in a desirable direction; red shading indicates a change in an undesirable direction.

CATA = Cape Ann Transportation Authority. MBTA = Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. MWRTA = MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. ULB = Useful Life Benchmark.

 

TABLE 2
Baseline Performance Measure Values and Proposed Targets for Rolling Stock: Percentage of Revenue Vehicles that have Met or Exceeded their Useful Life Benchmark, by Agency and Rolling Stock Type

 

Agency

Rolling Stock Type

SFY 2017 (Baseline): Number of Assets

SFY 2017 (Baseline): Percent of Assets ≥ Useful Life Benchmark

SFY 2018: Anticipated Number of Assets

SFY 2018:Target Percent of Baseline Assets ≥ Useful Life Benchmark

Change Compared to Baseline

Notes

MBTA

Buses

1,027

3%

1,023

25%
(red)

Increase (undesirable change)

No notes

MBTA

THE RIDE Vans and Sedans

647

29%

647

14%
(green)

Decrease (desirable change)

No notes

MBTA

Light Rail Vehicles

203

45%

206

45%

No change

No notes

MBTA

Heavy Rail Vehicles

424

45%

430

58%
(red)

Increase (undesirable change)

No notes

MBTA

Commuter Rail Locomotives

87

23%

90

20%
(green)

Decrease (desirable change)

No notes

MBTA

Commuter Rail Coaches

443

13%

443

13%

No change

No notes

MBTA

Ferries

2

0%

4

0%

No change

No notes

CATA

Bus

7

14%

7

14%

No change

No notes

CATA

Cutaway Vehicles

24

0%

24

0%

No change

The NTD defines a cutaway vehicle as a vehicle in which a bus body is mounted on a van or light-duty truck chassis, which may be reinforced or extended. CATA uses these eight of these vehicles to provide fixed route services, and 16 vehicles to provide demand response service.

CATA

Trolley (simulated)

2

100%

2

100%

No change

Simulated trolleys, also known as trolley-replica buses, have rubber tires and internal combustion engines, as opposed to steel-wheeled trolley vehicles or rubber-tire trolley buses with rubber tires that draw power from overhead wires.

MWRTA

Cutaway Vehicles

82

13%

87

0%
(green)

Decrease (desirable change)

MWRTA uses cutaway vehicles to provide fixed route and demand response service, and uses autos to provide demand response service. In April 2018, MWRTA updated its SFY 2017 cutaway vehicle count from 83 to 82 and updated the SFY 2017 percentage of vehicles exceeding their ULB from 14 to 13.

MWRTA

Autos

9

0%

9

0%

No change

MWRTA uses cutaway vehicles to provide fixed route and demand response service, and uses autos to provide demand response service.

Note: Green shading in the “Target Percent of Baseline Assets ≥ ULB” column indicates a change in a desirable direction; red shading indicates a change in an undesirable direction.

CATA = Cape Ann Transportation Authority. MBTA = Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. MWRTA = MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. ULB = Useful Life Benchmark.

 

TABLE 3
Baseline Performance Measure Values and Proposed Targets for Facilities: Percentage of Assets with Condition Rating Lower than 3.0 (FTA TERM Scale), by Agency and Facility Type

 

Agency

Facility Type

SFY 2017 (Baseline): Number of Assets

SFY 2017 (Baseline): Percent of Assets with Condition Rating < 3.0

SFY 2018: Anticipated Number of Assets

SFY 2018:Target Percent of Assets with Condition Rating < 3.0

Change Compared to Baseline

Notes

MBTA

Administrative, Maintenance, and Other Facilities

141

46%

141

46%

No change

The MBTA includes commuter rail layover yards and subway power substations in the category of “administrative, maintenance, and other facilities.”

MBTA

Stations

277

54%

277

54%

No change

No notes.

MBTA

Parking

99

65%

99

65%

No change

No notes.

CATA

Administrative, Maintenance, and Other Facilities

1

0%

1

0%

No change

Parking facilities include garages and surface lots.

MWRTA

Administrative, Maintenance, and Other Facilities

1

0%

1

0%

No change

No notes.

Note: The FTA Transit Economic Requirements Model (TERM) Scale is a rating system used to describe asset condition. The scale values are 1 (poor), 2 (marginal), 3 (adequate), 4 (good), and 5 (excellent).

CATA = Cape Ann Transportation Authority. FTA = Federal Transit Administration. MBTA = Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. MWRTA = MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. TERM = Transit Economic Requirements Model.

 

 

TABLE 4
Baseline Performance Measure Values and Proposed Targets for Infrastructure (Rail Fixed Guideway): Percentage of Track Segments with Performance (Speed) Restrictions, by Mode (System), MBTA

Agency

System

SFY 2017 (Baseline): Directional
Track Miles

SFY 2017 (Baseline): Percent of  Track Miles with Performance Restrictions

SFY 2018: Anticipated Directional Track Miles

SFY 2018:Target Percent of  Track Miles with Performance Restrictions

Change Compared to Baseline

MBTA

Light Rail

45.68

8.58%

45.68

8.58%

No change

MBTA

Heavy Rail (including Mattapan High Speed Line)

84.55

5.62%

84.55

5.62%

No change

MBTA

Commuter Rail

663.84

0.35%

663.84

0.35%

No change

 

 

Note: The term “directional track miles” represents the miles managed and maintained by the MBTA with respect to each direction of travel (for example, northbound and southbound), and excludes non-revenue tracks such as yards, turnarounds, and storage tracks. The baseline and target percentages represent the annual average number of miles meeting this criterion during the 12-month reporting period.

MBTA = Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.