PTSI Transportation

A Bridge Across the Pond

With about 45 years of consulting experience to the passenger rail and transit industries, PTSI Transportation has found its niche in areas not well served by other organizations. In the past decades we have built a bridge for railways and associated firms in Britain and other nations seeking to establish or enlarge their presence in North America or to utilize proven North American expertise. Our colleagues at On Board Solutions bring many decades of experience in railway catering, on board and customer service, largely in the United Kingdom and Europe. Together, we have formed the joint venture On Board Specialists.

Our railway professionals have extensive industry experience both in North America and overseas. Our experience began within the private sector passenger transportation industry that predated the current North American public sector intercity operators, Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada, and with British Rail, the pre-privatization national railway. Our team members have served as officers for many North American railways and several overseas. They have similarly served as officers in the current industry for Amtrak, VIA Rail Canada, and numerous public agencies and commuter rail and rail transit systems. Our experience covers the hard work of service delivery, including train operations, infrastructure, equipment operation and maintenance, and all aspects of customer and on board services. Our officers and directors have also represented the passenger viewpoint in the leading customer advocacy organizations in North America and the United Kingdom. We also bring supply industry experience, extending from vehicle manufacturers to catering provision, having played a major role in specifying many successful designs of rolling stock including Superliners, the California Cars (shown below), and the third generation “Next Gen” multi-level cars.

PTSI Transportation professionals thus bring a broad understanding of the North American industry to the table, and, with our experience on both sides of the ocean, we can provide guidance in the similarities as well as in the differences between North America and elsewhere. Our team is likewise able to provide guidance on the complex political, regulatory and safety regimes in North America. We can help design a plan and a strategy for the successful introduction of your company to the vast North American market.

Why North America and Why Now?

North America fell far behind Europe and Asia in rail passenger service in the decades following World War II while it adopted the automobile-and-airline paradigm for most transportation needs. With the futility of automobile- dominated transportation becoming clear to the growing population of young adults, and with recent security, economic, and environmental concerns making air travel less convenient and pleasant, North America is now expanding its surface transportation alternatives with major growth experienced and even more projected in both rail and coach (bus) modes.

A Few Reasons that PTSI Transportation and On Board Specialists Should be Your Bridge Across the Pond

PTSI Transportation and On Board Specialists have experience – a lot of experience – in all modes from intercity service to suburban/commuter/regional service to rapid transit, light rail and streetcar service, to bus and coach service.

PTSI Transportation and On Board Specialists have the ability to associate public agency and public policy objectives and priorities with your products, services, and expertise.

PTSI Transportation and On Board Specialists have many contacts at different levels within the North American railways and rail transit systems, and the regulatory and public agencies. We know who the real “players” are and what their policies and positions are.

PTSI Transportation is conversant with North American regulatory and safety objectives and methodologies.

PTSI Transportation is intimately familiar with the history, both commercial and institutional, of North American passenger transportation, with its attitudes, and how today’s system developed.

PTSI Transportation and On Board Specialists have the ability to translate technical terminology into North American convention, to avoid unnecessary effort or embarrassing misuse of terms, and ensure proper usage and spelling

PTSI Transportation and On Board Specialists can guide your company through the plethora of professional and trade organizations available to those in the industry, to ensure maximum value for money while extracting maximum value from membership and attendance. In many cases, we are already members and can even serve as your surrogate!

PTSI Transportation’s and On Board Specialists’ experience can reduce the time you need in order to become familiar with the North American market and its ramifications, avoiding the potential pitfalls and delays while identifying the likely prospects.

PTSI Transportation and On Board Specialists have several valuable corporate resources which are made available to clients. These are listed below

The Master Carrier List

PTSI Transportation for several years has maintained a Master Carrier List, delineating virtually all North American rail passenger services. This list, which is updated frequently, contains all such services, by sponsoring agency or company, marketing brand, operator, contract maintenance and on board service providers, and contract details as available, including duration, expiration, and value.

The list is broken down by type of service – intercity, commuter rail, light rail, streetcar, rapid transit, deluxe tourist service, and other. It will be made available to clients from overseas who may not have ready access to this information as it applies to potential North American opportunities.

The Reference Library

In the course of their decades of experience, PTSI Transportation and On Board Specialists have amassed a tremendous reference library of books, reports, files, government publications, maps, timetables, and specialist documents. Among them are operating documents (including rulebooks, track charts, and working timetables), equipment documents (including specifications, drawings, and photographs), and on board service documents (including procedures, menus, recipe collections, and foodservice and sanitation equipment information). Principal regulatory materials, including the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations as applicable to railroads and rail transit, and public health codes, are included.

The library, and the services of our Technical and Research Librarian, will be made available to overseas clients.

Our Headquarters

Our U.S. headquarters are centrally located in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, within sight of the skyscrapers of midtown Manhattan. Frequent commuter rail and suburban bus service is available, and the trip to Manhattan is just 25 minutes. Newark Liberty International Airport is less than an hour away.

Office Space

We are pleased to offer temporary office quarters to clients and associated firms. Our 1,000 square foot office houses our extensive research library, and our administrative and technical staff, but there is sufficient desk space for companies new to North America who require a New York area presence while building the relationships to engage with the railway and rail transit industry. Full communications and IT support is available.

National and International Coverage

In addition to our headquarters staff, over 40 PTSI Transportation professionals are located throughout North America (with a presence as well in the United Kingdom and Australia). Our On Board Specialists professionals are largely located in the United Kingdom.

Identification of Current Opportunities

PTSI Transportation and On Board Specialists continuously investigate opportunities which are advertised, and those known to one of our associates to be upcoming. New projects, contract rebids, requests for proposals (invitations to tender), requests for information, and other forms of project solicitations are investigated, evaluated, and as necessary, offered response (sometimes on behalf of clients who either do not wish to be publicly identified at first, or are not yet in a position to offer a response on their own).

Our Achievements for Overseas Railways and Companies

In recent years, PTSI Transportation and the principals of On Board Specialists have performed services for multiple European and Asian railways, caterers, suppliers, and operators. Among these have been:

Complete review of US railway foodservice for a British catering group

Description of the management structure of a US freight railway for the executives of a European national railway and a major consultancy which were preparing to do business with this railway

Analysis of foodservice contract services in the US and Canada for a European railway caterer

Preparation of a statement of qualifications for a US commuter rail service on behalf of a British transport owning group, including building a surrogate operating management team

Development of the criteria for implementation of a high-end luxury tour train in China for its owner, and secondment of its first General Manager

Creation of a primer on North American railway and rail transit practice and regulation for a European railway owning group

Provision of a flow of newsworthy articles and reports illustrating evolutionary changes in North American practice and happenstance for several British transport owning groups

Representation as the only North American member of the International Rail Catering Group

Facilitation of the sale of catering trolleys to a leading US commuter railway for bar service on board its trains and in stations