The main objective of the clean rail innovation study conducted by the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) for Transport Canada is to identify the “Top 10” feasible technology theme areas that will build Canada’s future passenger and freight mobility system. The overall goal is to conduct a preliminary scan of the state of the industry in Canada today—from both passenger and freight perspectives—in terms of technology innovation that Transport Canada could ultimately use to guide its medium- to long-term research, development and deployment (RD&D) efforts.
CUTRIC engaged in a three-step data-collection and analysis process to generate rankings for the “Top 10” rail innovation projects. The results suggest that most alternative propulsion projects are ranked at the top, while most of the alternative material projects are ranked lower by comparison. CUTRIC also conducted qualitative thematic analysis, based on feedback from the focus groups, which will help Transport Canada to identify the socioeconomic positioning of participants in specific technology theme groups throughout the consultation process.
