Case Study: Development of Operator and Maintenance Training Curriculum for a Transportation Equipment Manufacturer

The Rise of Alternative Transportation

Over the past several years, discussion about alternative transportation options has increased. Alternative transportation refers to commuting in any way other than driving alone, including public transportation. The numbers back this up: according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), since 1995, public transit ridership in the U.S. has increased by 37% — a growth rate that outpaced both population growth and highway use over the same period. In fact, Americans now take more than 10 billion trips annually using rail, bus, trolley, streetcar, and other public transportation systems.

As ridership grows, so does the need for a highly trained workforce to keep these systems running safely and efficiently — and that's where EDSI comes in.

Developing a Comprehensive Curriculum for the Liberty Streetcar

Brookville hired EDSI in partnership with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) training department in Texas to develop a training curriculum for the Liberty Streetcar. The training included 25 modules with both instructor and trainee guides. The modules described in detail everything operators and maintenance professionals needed to know in order to repair and maintain 13 subsystems within the streetcar.

For example: the doors on a streetcar are opened thousands of times a day and are the most common part needing repair. In order to assist repair technicians with troubleshooting the doors, EDSI developed hundreds of pages of comprehensive information, with detailed illustrations, to make the repair process easier and more efficient.

Historically, in the transit industry, most training documents consisted of basic PowerPoint presentations that were prepared on the fly, with limited visuals and information. Brookville agreed that these weren't helpful for anyone needing to understand how to make repairs or perform routine maintenance on these massive machines and subsystems.

Results: Industry-Standard Materials Making an Impact Nationwide

Once EDSI successfully completed the customized training curriculum for Brookville, the company was thrilled to start using the industry-accepted training modules for all of their clients.

EDSI-designed streetcar training manuals are now being used across the United States, from right here in Detroit, Michigan all the way to Dallas, Texas and beyond. Brookville shared that they often include the newly created training manuals when they respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs), in essence helping them gain new business opportunities. Recently, the Detroit developer of the QLINE spoke highly of Brookville's thorough and professional training materials — which was ultimately a compliment to EDSI.

By working with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) — Brookville — to develop an industry-standard training curriculum, we continue to demonstrate our ability to expand our portfolio of services to meet the evolving needs of the transit industry.

Partner with EDSI for Your Training Needs

Whether you're a transit agency, a quasi-governmental authority, a municipality, a state workforce agency, or a private sector employer, EDSI has the expertise to design and deliver training that makes a real difference. With more than 20 years of experience in the transit industry and deep roots in workforce development across dozens of sectors — including transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and government — we bring the customized, technical, and professional approach your organization deserves.

We don't believe in off-the-shelf solutions. We believe in building the right training for your workforce, your equipment, and your goals.