The American railroad industry continues to change dramatically. Freight railroads have merged and consolidated, rationalizing their assets and workforce. Further, both the freight and passenger railroad labor pools have aged and have decreased in size with the retirement of their members. It is widely perceived that, in the face of expanding demand and potential growth, the railroad industry will be unable to attract and maintain a sufficient number of new, qualified employees at all levels. Without major changes in programs to maintain and enhance workforce capacity, trends suggest that the future will continue to present significant challenges for both freight and passenger rail services. An educated and effectively trained workforce is necessary to respond to increased demand for rail service, to implement new developments in technology and logistics, and to offset a continued loss of institutional knowledge as a result of retirements. A lack of concerted attention to address this problem will make it difficult to maintain and build sufficient workforce capacity with the required skills, and the inability to meet workforce needs may ultimately constrain future industry growth. While this growth is generally considered in the context of intercity freight and passenger systems, there is also recognition that states and other public and private agencies developing new passenger and commuter rail services will need to draw from a pool of well-trained workers. In addition, it will be necessary to continue to develop strategic and business planning skills. By accurately forecasting ridership and service levels, institutions at all levels can identify market demand and select optimal routes to ensure the success of transportation services offered. To accomplish this goal, it is essential that the workforce have the expertise necessary to plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain quality freight and passenger rail systems. A limited number of universities and community colleges in the United States provide railroad engineering and operations curricula. These institutions have relied on grants and other forms of support from the railroads and the public sector to produce graduates who are employable by the industry, as well as research results of interest to the industry. In addition, railroads have existing programs to train employees for field maintenance, construction trades, and operations. Many of these programs are associated with community colleges. Without continuing, expanding, and supplementing these programs, it is not clear that the potential supply of a qualified workforce will be sufficient to meet future demands of the railroad industry.

The objective of this research was to identify and evaluate current and future workforce capacity issues and to develop effective strategies for meeting future workforce capacity requirements. The research addressed the following elements:

While contributing to an understanding of why there is a need for greater attention to workforce development and retention, the focus of this research was on determining current and future needs facing both professional and technical employment. This research presented ideas on what kinds of education and training tools can and should be implemented (such as university studies, technical schools, apprenticeships, co-op and internships, and on-the-job training), ideas for communicating opportunities, and possible approaches for expanding programs to meet estimated demand. The research plan addressed the following steps:

STATUS: The report has been completed and is now available online as NCRRP Report 2.