Convening Transportation Leaders to Exchange Best Practices in Transit Project Delivery
The goal of this symposium is to share findings from Eno’s transit cost and delivery report, and foster discussion and exchange of best practices in project delivery among transportation professionals, policymakers, and researchers. Sessions will focus both on broader challenges and opportunities in project delivery, as well as specific themes related to governance, processes, and standards at the national, state, and local levels. The registration fee for this event is $20.
2021 VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM DATES:
October 18 to October 21
The registration deadline has now passed.
WHY COME TO THE SYMPOSIUM
Participants of the symposium will walk away with information and resources they can use, as well as a rich network of peers in the industry for continued knowledge and innovation sharing.
- Learn About Costs and Timeline Drivers for U.S. Transit Projects — On day one of the symposium, you will learn about the findings of Eno’s 18-month long research investigation into the high costs and long timelines of U.S. rail transit construction directly from the report’s authors.
- Discover Peer Research — During the symposium, you will be able to attend presentations and panel discussions that highlight the important work currently being undertaken to examine transit costs and delivery issues from various researchers around the country.
- Exchange Best Practices and Reform Ideas — You will hear directly from representatives from several European cities profiled in Eno’s international project delivery case studies, who will share best practices from their respective regions. Expert panels will also allow you to learn about best practices in staff capacity building, environmental permitting reform, and community engagement at the federal, state, and local levels.
- Participate in Regionally-Focused Discussion — On the final day of the symposium, you will learn about major capital expansion programs underway across the country and how project delivery practices have evolved in major cities over time. These panels will also include discussions of how recommendations and takeaways from Eno’s research can help improve outcomes for current and future projects.
- Network with Peers and Speakers — Throughout the symposium, virtual networking lounges and chat rooms will be available for you to meet and network with fellow attendees, speakers, researchers, and Eno staff.
SESSION ANNOUNCEMENTS
We’re excited to announce sessions for the symposium! Check out some of the 40+ speakers below.
October 18: Welcoming Keynote Address with Administrator Nuria Fernandez
FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez will deliver an opening address to officially begin Eno’s Transit Cost and Project Delivery Symposium.
October 18: Presentation of Eno Work
Eno’s research team will present findings, takeaways, and recommendations from Eno’s report investigating the high cost and long timelines of rail transit in the United States.
October 19: Peer Research Sessions
The Symposium will feature three concurrent presentations from researchers who have conducted work in project delivery, with an opportunity for Q&A.
October 19: Project Delivery Affinity Group Panel
Several concurrent project delivery research initiatives have been underway over the past two years. In this moderated discussion, members of each research team will discuss common themes and differences that emerged from their respective projects, some of the challenges and opportunities inherent in investigating transit project delivery, and areas for future research.
October 20: International Best Practices Panel
Eno’s case studies identified best practices for effective project delivery in peer regions in Europe. This keynote session will feature a pre-recorded discussion with Spanish, French, and Danish stakeholders to discuss some of the best practices that have emerged from their countries’ respective projects, as well as recommendations identified through Eno and other team’s research. These include standardization of contracts, station design, rolling stock, and creativity in meeting fire codes in Denmark, and other governance/management best practices in France and Spain.
October 20: Staff Capacity and Training Panel
Among the most important considerations in delivering major transit projects is the need for skilled, experienced staff. This discussion will focus on how project sponsors can build staff capacity and train their workforce for more effective management of transit projects.
October 20: Environmental Permitting Panel
Environmental reviews and permitting requirements are a major element of planning and executing major transit projects, and are frequently cited as a cost and timeline driver. There have been numerous proposals to reform and streamline NEPA and other permitting processes, though few major changes have been made. This session will discuss some of the findings and recommendations on permitting from Eno’s report.
October 20: Community Engagement Panel
Community engagement is a critical element of the project planning process, and can help ensure communities impacted by transit projects have the opportunity to weigh in and shape the project. However, community engagement can be fraught with confrontation, pushback, and overwhelming requests for betterments from municipalities. This panel discussion will discuss challenges and opportunities to strengthen and re-imagine the community engagement and planning process (including scoping, betterments, and tolerance of disruption) for transit projects.
October 21: Federal Policy Panel
While transit project delivery is primarily handled by local agencies and governments, the federal government plays a large role in funding, overseeing, and permitting major transit projects. This panel will discuss best practices in federal permitting and project delivery reforms, as well as opportunities for federal action and funding to catalyze reform at the local level.
October 21: Austin,TX Project Connect Panel
In 2020, Austin voters approved Project Connect, an historic $7 billion expansion of the city’s transit system, including new light rail lines and a downtown tunnel. With an independent delivery vehicle created to execute Project Connect and planning underway, representatives from Austin will discuss the current state of the project, and how the region can utilize best practices to ensure Project Connect is delivered on-time and on-budget.
October 21: Los Angeles Panel
In this session, representatives from Los Angeles will discuss the history and evolution of transit project delivery in the region, including challenges delivering early subway lines, best practices that have emerged from recent transit projects, the cultivation of strong in-house expertise, and plans for future capital expansions.
October 21: Seattle Panel
In this session, representatives from the region will discuss the history and rapid growth of Sound Transit and its capital program, including but not limited to its initial light rail line, lessons learned from its three successful voter-approved transit measures, COVID-era budget realignment, and numerous extensions underway.
October 21: Preview of Forthcoming Eno Research
The Eno team will discuss and preview the additional research reports examining project delivery and governance both domestically and abroad that are currently underway.
