Getting Started

Transit asset management is the strategic and systematic practice of procuring, operating, inspecting, maintaining, rehabilitating, and replacing transit capital assets to manage their performance, risks, and costs over their life cycles, for the purpose of providing safe, cost-effective, and reliable public transportation

The 2012 Asset Management Guide specifies that in general, an asset management plan outlines the activities that will be implemented and resources applied to address the asset management policy and strategy. For many transit agencies, the plan will address the activities and changes to be implemented to increase the maturity of asset management practice.

Primarily, asset management plans have two major components:

• Enterprise-wide implementation actions that provide enabling support and direction for asset management across all asset classes and services.
• Direction and expectations for asset class owners and department managers regarding lifecycle management planning and processes—with a focus on the lifecycle management plans (see later in this section).

Plans should outline how people, processes, and tools come together to address the asset management policy and goals. They also provide accountability and visibility for increasing the maturity of asset management practices, and can be used to support planning and budgeting activities, communicating to internal and external stakeholders, and as an accountability mechanism.

The purpose of the FTA rulemaking is to help achieve and maintain a state of good repair (SGR) for the nation’s public transportation assets.  Currently, there is an estimated $85.9 billion transit SGR backlog. The rule develops a framework for transit agencies to monitor and manage public transportation assets, improve safety, increase reliability and performance, and establish performance measures

If a transit provider is new to TAM and/or unfamiliar with the requirements of the TAM Rule, the FTA recommends starting TAM research with the following checklists. These checklists provide tools intended for transit providers to determine how to comply with the TAM rulemaking and better understand how the rule relates to their agencies. After completing the series of checklists, they should have a better understanding of which steps to undertake next, associated timelines, and online resources to help them reach compliance.

 

• Checklist 1: Am I a tier I or tier II agency? is to be used to determine whether a transit agency is tier I or tier II and includes definitions from the rule.
• Checklist 2: This one has two parts, both related to TAM group plans. The checklists will assist agencies in understanding their role and expectations related to group plans, and the associated implications. The checklists also include relevant definitions.
  • Checklist 2a: Am I required to be a TAM group plan sponsor? 
  • Checklist 2b: Am I going to be a participant in a TAM group plan? 
• Checklist 3: Am I in compliance with the TAM Rulemaking? should be completed after the first two, and covers more detail for determining overall compliance with the rulemaking. It includes resources for getting more information.

After completing the checklist, it may be best to obtain more information about the rulemaking process. The rulemaking page provides context and lists useful documents relating to the asset management systems and rule compliance.

 

In addition, more information is available in the resources tabs. These documents are organized by topical areas and come in a variety of formats ranging from formal report to case study presentation.

 

To stay up to date with new TAM information and to recieve TAMNews articles, subscribe to FTA's email updates (choose Transit Asset Management and State of Good Reapir categories). 

 

FTA is committed to providing technical assistance to the transit community through training courses, resource development and peer exchanges. To receive more information or assistance with a specific TAM topic, contact TAMNews@dot.gov.