The use of focus groups to foster stakeholder engagement in intercity passenger rail planning

Abstract Recent changes in the United States (U.S.) passenger rail policies have affected a number of National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) corridors. One of the major changes is that, since the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) of 2008 was passed, all short-distance Amtrak corridors should become state-supported. Stakeholder and public involvement is strongly advocated by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a fundamental component of the transportation planning process and an important step to keep the public informed and engaged in decision making. Thus, states should attempt to engage the public in any funding decisions that might affect passenger rail service changes (such as line discontinuance). In addition, states should seek the input of the stakeholder and public to evaluate the alternative transportation investment options available in case such service changes occur. Nevertheless, both literature and practice of stakeholder engagement on policy making and planning of strategic operational changes and/or other broader decision making is scarce. This article presents a case study of stakeholder engagement in transportation decision making pertaining to decisions of investments in passenger rail and state and local fund allocation, using a focus group approach. This engagement aimed to (1) consult stakeholders in a group setting in an attempt to produce shared knowledge and (2) explore how the transportation investment decision-making process can incorporate public preferences and community values in a participatory manner via the assessment of potential investment directions. The goals of the study are to explore whether stakeholder engagement at a smaller-size projects and/or broader policy and planning decision making can be beneficial, and whether focus groups are suitable to facilitate such engagement. The findings verify that stakeholder involvement can provide states and other decision-makers with valuable insights on several topics supporting future policy and funding decisions. For example, in the case explored, the engagement of the stakeholders revealed that public investments towards the continuation and potentially improvement of the intercity passenger rail services are in line with the communities’ goals and are viewed as more beneficial than alternative transportation investments that can enable mobility in the area. In addition, the findings suggest that the benefits of engaging stakeholders in transportation decision making go beyond the act of gathering stakeholders’ input; focus groups or similar dynamic forums can facilitate the production of innovative ideas and shared knowledge while fostering collegiality among stakeholders. Finally, the findings of the case study also verify that focus groups can be a suitable approach to engage and consult a small group of stakeholders for higher-level transportation investment decision making. Overall, the case study results indicate that stakeholder engagement can benefit smaller-size projects and/or broader policy and planning decision making, such as decisions involving the financing of an intercity passenger rail line and investment directions towards operational changes of the line and/or alternative transportation modes and infrastructure.