Harnessing technology and the green economy to drive change in transit
Transit expert Diane Cowin, Senior Vice President, Global Transportation ESG Lead and acting Transit Market Lead for the Americas, shares about critical technology, economic, ESG and design and construction trends in global industries that will affect the future of transportation.
Tell us about your career journey and current role at AECOM.
Throughout my 30-year career, I’ve served as a principal or project director for major infrastructure projects in the transportation and energy sectors. My passion for transit kickstarted with my aspirations to improve communities by providing people mobility choices to get to school, work, access to better healthcare and to live a more sustainable life.
In my new role as acting Transit Market Lead for the Americas, I’ve leveraged my transit and rail program and project experience into a long-earned reputation for having a keen sense of industry trends in the transit and rail fields. My ability to identify and prioritize strategies that help agencies succeed and communities thrive also helps AECOM maintain its role as an industry leader.
What major trends across industries will impact the transit sector?
The rapid development and adoption of new technologies and the green economy are changing the way transit agencies address everyday tasks and how the largest transit infrastructure projects and programs are being designed and constructed.
There are shifts toward modernization such as the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), zero-emission vehicle technologies, continued rise of automation and the re-emergence of modular construction, which support the transit industries goals of improving service and driving costs of capital projects and transit operations down. The continued adoption and application of these techniques and technologies are paving the way for the transit industry’s future. For instance:
- The transit industry has started to adopt the use of building information modeling (BIM) and digital twin in major capital projects. AI will provide an opportunity for further increase in automation of BIM design by employing a process of “designing to cost”. A significant increase in the capital cost of infrastructure projects and a diminishing availability of operations funds increases the opportunity for the industry to put these new techniques and technologies to good use.
- Another trend is the re-emergence of modular design and construction or design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA). By using a manufacturing approach to infrastructure projects, this trend can drive capital and operating costs down while increasing sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint of a project.
- Last, energy transition and renewables will continue to trend with new advancements and innovations in everything from energy storage to management solutions to new renewable profiles coming to market. In my role, I’ve witnessed transit agencies in the U.S. take advantage of funding available through the bipartisan infrastructure bill for low/zero-emission vehicles to refresh their bus fleets.
Highlight your biggest achievements at AECOM and in the global transportation industry.
My passion for the everchanging industry is illuminated in my work at AECOM on transit and rail projects which led to the honor of being named as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of California for 2024.
I’ve worked on every rail line currently operating for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and helped to develop the early vision for light rail in Austin. I also helped develop the 2018 California State Rail Plan that re-oriented the plan to focus on customer outcomes first. On Valley Link, I’m helping to develop a rail service that will connect Central Valley communities to jobs in the Bay Area of California with zero-emission, green hydrogen trains.
In addition to those projects, I’ve served in operational and business development roles, supporting the executive leadership team at AECOM by driving transformation through strategy, growth, leveraging trends and future-forward thought leadership in transit and rail and the ESG space.
I’ve witnessed and felt the positive impact our projects can have on individuals, communities and the world. The tangible, positive outcomes have strengthened my ability to place myself in my clients’ shoes to assist them in reaching their goals. At AECOM, I see myself continuing to support exponential growth while mentoring the next generation of diverse leaders so they can not only succeed at AECOM but also drive technology and modern approaches to delivering transit infrastructure globally.
My best advice to aspiring leaders is to lean in, trust and bet on yourself and your ideas. Most especially in a dynamic, future-oriented industry like transit, be bold in bringing your ideas to the forefront. It takes diverse voices to truly make a meaningful and sustainable impact in any industry.