Case Study

Community of Metros News:  2025 Virtual Events

The TSC continues to host virtual events throughout the year ensuring timely sharing of research findings with COMET members. The virtual events are regularly held following the annual work programme.

Virtual General Meetings (VGMs)

Two VGMs were held in 2025, one in February and another in July, each comprising general and business sessions. The February VGM featured updates on supply and demand, with members sharing insights on major projects or strategic priorities for the year. The July VGM provided an overview of COMET activities, membership developments, and future expert workshops.

Case Study Webinars

These webinars showcase key findings from ongoing studies. This year, the TSC has hosted the study webinars on Real-Time Monitoring of Track Equipment (February), Reducing Impact of Major Projects (April), Air Quality (May), Reducing Passenger Safety Incidents (July), Intelligent Video Analytics for Safety Management (July), and Decarbonisation (August).

Example slide from Reducing Impact of Major Projects Webinar

Data-Oriented Webinars

Three data-related webinars were held this year, covering the Virtual Data Clinic (March), Customer Satisfaction Survey Results (September), and Data Insights Webinar (September).

Research: Non-Fare Revenue

Non-fare revenue has become even more important due to the steep decline in metro ridership and fare revenue related to the pandemic and subsequent economic downturn. Given the uncertain financial situation, COMET members have shown growing interest in topics related to funding and revenue.

The study explores the changes in non-fare revenue generation amongst COMET metros, in a post-pandemic world of financial uncertainties. It covers contextual information including organisational structures for non-fare revenue generation, along with details including targets, long-term plans, and strategic approaches. It delves into the categories of non-fare revenue in the COMET KPI ecosystem including advertising, retail, telecommunications, and other sources. Good practices and lessons learned by COMET members are highlighted for each of these categories.

Example of non-fare revenue: Berlin BVG U-Bahn Subway Tour

Research: Real-Time Monitoring of Track Equipment

Real-time track monitoring is a technology that offers continuous monitoring and quick detection of defects, enabling better preventative maintenance, and allowing for more effective trend analysis of precursors, incidents, and high-risk areas.

The study explores how COMET members utilise real-time monitoring technologies for track equipment. It sheds light on the monitoring of four components of track equipment: tracks, rails, power systems, and switches and crossings machines.

The research highlights the technologies in use for monitoring these assets and examines the challenges faced and the best practices to enhance monitoring accuracy.

Research: Reducing Impact of Major Projects

Delivering major projects while maintaining reliable metro service is a critical challenge for metro operators. These projects often demand extensive resources and long-term planning, which can strain organisational capacity and divert attention from day-to-day operations. As a result, metros must carefully manage the impacts of major project works on service reliability, financial sustainability, and the overall customer experience.

The study explores how metros can plan and deliver major infrastructure projects while minimising disruption to operations, staff, and budgets. It draws on lessons from both past and planned major projects across COMET metros. It examines how metros plan and coordinate major projects and maintain service continuity during delivery. It also explores how metros assess and communicate the impacts of major works on performance and customer satisfaction.

Example of communication for major projects: Atlanta MARTA Airport Station closure outreach

Research: Employee Satisfaction

Keeping metro staff satisfied is essential to the successful operation of metro systems. Metros face the unique challenge of managing a diverse range of job roles, both operational and office-based, which shapes staff expectations and the types of employee satisfaction initiatives that are possible.

The research provides an overview of employee satisfaction initiatives that were successfully conducted by metros, exploring approaches for improving collaboration and communication within metro organisations. It also provides an update on the status of flexible working options that are offered by metros as well as good practices to engage newer and younger employees.

Examples of employee satisfaction initiatives

Research: Performance of New Fleets

Rolling stock performance typically follows a ‘bathtub curve’ throughout a vehicle’s ~40-year lifecycle. This is characterised by higher rates of failures in the early stages due to design or assembly defects or staff unfamiliar with the equipment, which falls to a lower, relatively stable rate of failures during the normal operating period. We would then expect failure rates to increase again towards mid-life or end of life.

The study analyses rolling stock failure rates of individual vehicles within a metro fleet relative to their time in service, allowing members to compare the bathtub curve for new fleet failures across metros and within fleets.

Factors impacting failure rates of new fleets

Research: Metro-Oriented Property Development

There are many benefits of engaging in metro-oriented property development. Some benefits accrue directly to the metro operator e.g. generating ridership, while other externalities benefit the city and local economy more widely e.g. creating employment. In the post-pandemic context, some metros identified that property development offers opportunities in generating more non-transportation related revenue, which can then bridge funding gaps when declines in ridership happen.

The study reviewed the status of property development activities and development rights across member metros, as well as different models and strategies used by metros to engage in property development including collaboration with government, developers and other stakeholders. It also compiles the examples of metro experiences creating and operating established property development models including best practices and lessons learnt.

Examples of established property development models that are covered in the report

Research: Energy Efficiency

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant economic downturns have had a steep impact on global energy production and supply chains. Inevitably COMET members, who are often one of the largest consumers of energy in their cities, were deeply affected by the energy crisis.

The study collected information from 32 metros, reviewing where metros procured their energy from and their trends in consumption, as well as benchmarking metros’ performance regarding energy efficiency and energy costs. The key objective of the study is to understand the impacts of energy crisis on metro operations, and the energy saving measures that have been successfully undertaken by members – which covers multiple areas such as lighting, HVAC, regenerative braking, escalators, driving modes and stabling, etc. An overview of pilot initiatives and technologies that are considered by metros in the future was also included in the report to explore further in future.

New Seoul Metro train with zero-speed regenerative braking

Research: Operational Impacts of New Fleets

Introducing new fleets is a major, transformative project for metro operators, so managing these projects and mitigating their impact on existing operations has been of interest to COMET members. The study proposer, Newcastle Nexus, has been replacing its entire fleet in recent years and thus is keen to discover metros’ experiences in this area to deploy best practices and minimise impacts.

Based on responses from 32 metros, the study explored key tasks, typical time periods, common issues, and implemented solutions during different stages of fleet introduction phase, starting from pre-commissioning stage to final acceptance. Examples of best practices for each stage were presented, along with a summary of metros’ recommendations for future fleet introductions with a focus on project planning, risk management, and quality control.

Research: Recruitment and Retention

The entire recruiting environment has changed greatly since the COVID-19 outbreak therefore many metros have experienced new issues in recruitment and retention. In addition to the pandemic impacts, other factors, such as rising cost of living, expectations of younger generation, and aging workforce, make recruitment and retention more challenging than ever before. The study looked at the extent of recruitment and retention issues that are experienced by metros, identifying reginal difference, key drivers, and most affected roles. It also reviewed staff turnover rate and average time to fill in vacancies in recent years, and the COVID impact on both indicators.

Regional difference in recruitment issues faced by metros

The report outlined implemented improvements and initiatives, with a summary of the emerging trends in improving recruitment and retention performance. Metros’ long-term plans for recruitment and retention and their advice based on their own experience are also covered in the report.

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