The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded a contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff to develop and document a transit asset management framework and implementation guide that will support the FTA’s State of Good Repair and Asset Management Programs.

The FTA estimates there is a nationwide backlog of $50 billion to $80 billion in deferred maintenance and replacement needs, the vast majority of which are rail related.

The project will result in the creation of a conceptual framework for asset management and provide guidance and tools that transit agency managers can use to enhance asset management and positively impact reliability, safety, cost management and customer relations. The Parsons Brinckerhoff team will be responsible for researching best practices within transit and other industries, creating a framework and implementation guide, and developing training materials that can be used to disseminate this information.

The team includes three partner transit agencies — New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Utah Transit Authority — that have agreed to collaborate in the development and validation of the research and participate in facilitated work sessions to document their practices, implementation issues, and other considerations.

The project is scheduled for completion in spring 2012.