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2019 14th National Light Rail & Streetcar Conference - Schedule At a Glance

This page is an overview of the conference schedule.

See Program & Committee Meetings for details.

Please note that this schedule is preliminary and subject to change. ​​​​​​​​​​

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Sunday, April 7   Monday, April 8   Tuesday, April 9   

Sunday, April 7

11:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Host Information Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • Moderators/Speakers & AV Preview Room

    Holland II, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • Registration Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • TCRP Information Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • TRB Information Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Welcome Reception and Products & Services Showcase

Manhattan, Ninth Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City

Monday, April 8

7 - 7:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
7 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
  • Host Information Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • Moderators/Speakers & AV Preview Room

    Holland II, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • Registration Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • TCRP Information Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • TRB Information Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
7:45 - 9 a.m.

OPENING GENERAL SESSION

Hudson Ballroom I, II, III, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
9:15 - 10:45 a.m.

Educational Sessions

  • Land Use and Place: How They Come Together

    Hudson Ballroom I, II, III, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
    Transportation infrastructure shapes our built environment, affecting land uses and land values. This can be planned, or not. Light rail and streetcars are both blamed and lauded for this. What does research show about the relationship between LRT and streetcars and land use? What are the most effective tools in facilitating changes, or in maintaining the status quo? How can land use planning support the goals of a rail transit project? Are there other factors that can change the equation? In this session we will look at the Hudson Bergen line from two different perspectives, take a trip to Basel in Switzerland and consider the challenges of running a tram system across two international borders, and finally hear some suggestions on methodologies for measuring the economic and land use benefits of light rail.
  • Transformational Technologies: The Coming Norms?

    Harborside, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City


11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Educational Sessions

  • Improving Operations: More, Better, Faster...

    Harborside, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
    Where streetcars and light rail vehicles share city streets with car traffic, congestion is a fact of life for transit agencies. Some cities are considering extensions into more congested areas; others have suffered through years of inefficient operations already. This session will explore some of the aspects of street and transit network design cities take into consideration as they plan extensions, analyze a wealth of data from a pilot project, or adjust their operating patterns to ease strain on the system. A broader perspective will also be offered on the potential results of these decisions, based on a wide survey of light rail operations in North America.
  • Rolling Stock: Wheels of Change

    Hudson Ballroom I, II, III, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
    Starting with a synopsis of North American LRV and streetcar procurements over the last three years, this session provides an update of the latest advances and applications in off-wire technology, discusses different strategies and lessons learned in overhauling LRVs, presents the latest advancements in 100% low floor vehicle technology applications, and concludes with a presentation that provides an overview of the operational and infrastructure factors that influence vehicle design on a legacy light rail system, how some will change, and the potential vehicle solution that will result.
12:45 - 2 p.m.

GENERAL LUNCHEON w/ Featured Speaker

Hudson Ballroom IV, V, VI, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
2:15 - 3:45 p.m.

Educational Sessions

  • Operations: Fine-Tuning the Details

    Hudson Ballroom I, II, III, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
    The importance of applying lessons learned in operating light rail or streetcar systems as we modify and upgrade them and build new ones cannot be overstated. Evolving ridership patterns; demands for better, faster, more reliable service; safely interacting with urban street traffic, pedestrians and bikes; new technologies; controlling or lowering capital and operating costs; and new ways of doing business are some of the factors that influence our planning moving forward. This session provides several examples of how such experience is being applied to light rail and streetcar systems domestically and in Europe and Australia.
  • State of Good Repair: The Endless Cycle

    Harborside, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
    The State of Good Repair (SOGR) in any asset condition-driven service is a never-ending process of maintenance, renewal and replacement.  This process is especially important in public transportation where the availability of these assets have a direct impact on the day-to-day activities of the public and serve as an economic engine for cities and local communities.  Quality is key and the condition of transit rolling stock, and infrastructure, and the process in which these assets are maintained is the foundation of SOGR.  In a time of growing transportation choices, such as ride sharing and TNCs, maximizing asset availability, increasing system safety, and providing the riding public with an experience that both builds their satisfaction and loyalty, is more important than ever. The focus of this session is to present what methods and tools, from a hardware, software and process management perspective, are being employed by the industry to maintain their state of good repair.
4 - 5:30 p.m.

Educational Sessions

  • Infrastructure Challenges: Modernizing Old, Building New

    Hudson Ballroom I, II, III, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
    Explore the challenges of renovating multiple legacy LRT stations, inspecting a tunnel while maintaining service, using a collaborative approach to design a new maintenance facility with community support, and learn new techniques for identifying and avoiding utility conflicts.
  • International Light Rail/Streetcar Perspectives: Lessons from Afar

    Harborside, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
    This session highlights important lessons gleaned from international experiences with LRT and streetcar systems. Safety, planning, and implementation issues are a particular focus of discussion.
7 - 9 p.m.

Open Forum

Hudson Ballroom I, II, III, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City

Tuesday, April 9

7 - 7:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
7 - 11:15 a.m.
  • Host Information Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • Moderators/Speakers & AV Preview Room

    Holland II, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • Registration Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • TCRP Information Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
  • TRB Information Desk

    Hudson Prefunction, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
7:45 - 9:15 a.m.

Educational Sessions

  • Planning, Policy & Regulations: Getting the Stars to Align

    Hudson Ballroom I, II, III, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
    Using examples from around the globe, this session explores the life cycle of thorough planning, development of well-founded policies, and unexpected outcomes and responses to unforeseen results.
  • Safety: Mixing Trains, Traffic, Bikes & Pedestrians...Safely

    Harborside, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City
    This session addresses the safety approach of mixing light rail and streetcar system operations with vehicle traffic, bicycles, and pedestrians from the points of view of data collection and analysis, and evaluation and implementation of mitigation solutions to develop safer systems. Presentations include perspectives from practice, both in the United States and Europe.
9:30 - 11 a.m.

Light Rail & Streetcar Developments Down-Under

Hudson Ballroom I, II, III, Third Floor, Hyatt Regency Jersey City


1 - 5 p.m.

TECHNICAL TOUR: Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Facility