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A Bridge Across the Pond

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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.



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





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:




Why not let our companies be your company’s Bridge Across the Pond?