Commuter Rail

Parsons’ professional staff has participated in all aspects of commuter rail design and implementation. They have prepared contract plans for all aspects of commuter rail projects. Typical comprehensive studies have developed master plans involving commuter rail transit systems, commuter lines and relocations, and combined freeway/rail facilities in shared right-of-way. Parsons has successfully completed work under continuous traffic conditions staged in a manner to permit normal vehicle operations and unimpeded passenger flows.

Work performed has included facility inspection, special technical studies, planning, public liaison, conceptual plans, testing of materials and equipment, procurement, scheduling, cost control, management information system reporting, preliminary and final design, contract documents, bid review, and construction engineering services.

Parsons has particular strength in the design of individual commuter system components such as electrical and mechanical systems, track work, and depots, as well as systems operations. With a large, multi-disciplined staff, we can engineer one or several transit system components in-house. This ensures compatibility of systems and a cost effective engineering effort.

Our major commuter transit system assignments include leading the engineering team for the first major commuter rail start-up in North America in more than 20 years, the South Florida Tri-County Commuter Rail Project, and as the general engineering consultant for Caltrain Commuter Rail service on the San Francisco peninsula. Other noteworthy large-scale projects include the Southern California Commuter Rail System, Chicago’s Metra North Central District Rail Service Expansion Signal System, and New York’s East Side Access Project.