The Future of Commuter Rail in North America

By: Transportation Research Board and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Transit Cooperative Research Program and Paul Lewis and Leo Shirky

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Synopsis: Commuter rail services operate in more than 20 North American regions, connecting communities to urban downtowns. These services enjoyed decades of growth, with ridership increasing by 50 percent between 1990 and 2019. However, travel demand shifts brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and continued work-from-home patterns caused ridership to collapse and only partially recover. This sudden change also upended the traditional financial model, in which fare revenues covered more than half of operating costs. While commuter rail providers vary in size and structure, they all share an uncertain future in solidifying a long-term and financially sustainable role in serving regional transportation demands. TCRP Research Report 254: The Future of Commuter Rail in North America, from TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program, examines the history of commuter rail in North America, evaluates current trends, presents constraints, reviews case studies, and explores strategies—including alternative approaches to service schedules, simplified fare structures, and infrastructure options—to address changing goals and circumstances at the agency, regional, and national levels in the United States and Canada.

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