Extreme Heat and Its Impacts on Transit Systems (Emerging Leaders Program)

Climate change is underway and extreme heat events are becoming increasingly frequent and severe. These events affect many aspects of transit systems, from infrastructure to worker safety, operating costs, and customer experience. Through research and interviews, this project will examine what transit agencies are doing today to cope with extreme heat events, and the plans and procedures they are developing to adapt to future events. Based on the information collected, the project will offer recommendations for transit agencies to consider as they prepare to meet their customers’ and workforces’ needs in a hotter future.

Presenters:

• Frank Alarcon, Metro Transit
• Pierre-Yves Ponsonnet, Kiewit
• Betty Seifu, Gannett Fleming
• Bryce Shields, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
• Sarah Stentz, Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation