Railway Construction Management

Basics of Railway Infrastructure

• Track
• Structures (including bridges, tunnels, viaducts, drainage, etc.)
• Signal systems
• Power systems
• Communications
• Stations
• Yards and maintenance facilities
• Rolling stock (not covered in this course)

Fundamental Concepts of Project and Construction Management

• Role of the Construction Manager as the Owner's Agent and Representative
• The 5 pillars of construction management: scope, schedule, budget, safety, and quality
• Overview of project phases
• Construction Manager's responsibilities in each project phase

Railway Project Planning Phase

• Collaboration with railroad end-user departments to identify project needs
• State-of-Good-Repair and system expansion projects
• Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) principles
• Selection of appropriate technologies for power, signal and train control, communications, security, and safety, etc.
• Feasibility studies
• Order-of-magnitude design and construction estimates (plus schedules)
• Project delivery methods (Design-Bid-Build [DBB] / Invitation-to-bid [IFB], Design-Build [DB], Progressive Design Build [PDB], Public-Private Partnership [P3])
• Obtaining stakeholder buy-in on design scope, applicable codes and standards, and acceptance criteria
• Relevant codes and standards (e.g., AREMA, FRA, agency-specific guidelines, engineering standards), recognizing that local building codes may not cover rail-related items
• Required useful life of the infrastructure
• Selecting the appropriate design consultant
• Defining the involvement of consultant Project Managers and Construction Managers throughout the project duration

Lunch Break

Railway Project Design Phase

• Oversight of design progress (schedule), quality, and overall buy-in at each deliverable
• Design deliverables based on delivery type:
  • 30% / 60% / 90% / 100% / Final design for DBB
  • 30% for DB
  • 0% - 15% for PDB
• Early coordination and buy-in for each design level from end-users
• Track and station outage planning
  • Service planning and rail service scheduling
  • Simulations
  • Crew and equipment manipulations
  • Public impacts
• Flagging and Force Account and Engineering in-house labor planning
  • Establish a clear division-of-labor between Contractor and Force Account
  • Ensuring proper labor levels are available or will be available (via hiring) by the time project starts
• Environmental reviews
  • Recognition of historical rail property contaminated and hazardous items
• Utilities
• Government and community relations
• Real estate acquisitions
• State and federal grants
• State and local permits
• Designing for future traffic levels (power, signal, track, and station capacity)
• Constructability reviews
• Risk evaluations
• Design over-the-shoulder reviews with rail end-users
• Development of construction contract and terms & conditions with General Counsel
• Considerations for Buy America requirements based on funding source

Railway Project Procurement Phase

• IFB (invitation for bid) vs. RFP (request for proposal)
  • Low Bid vs. Best Value
  • RFQ (request for qualifications) /RFP vs. RFP
• Qualifications requirements
• Bidders interest campaign
• Pre-proposal conference
• Q&A and addenda
• RFP and proposal type procurements:
  • Review, comment, score technical proposals
  • Alternative Technical Concepts (ATCs)
  • Involvement of end-users in RFP technical evaluation committee
  • Incentives for contractors lessening track and station outage occurrences, reduction in schedule, ATCs
  • Disincentives and liquidated damages for late return of track or schedule delay
• Selection of a Contractor and/or Design Builder