Moving the nation's transit programs forward.
For 35 years, Luster has served as the owner's advocate on the country's most complex rail and transit programs, from California High-Speed Rail to BART, Caltrain, LA Metro, and the NY MTA.
Clients & Expertise
Trusted by the agencies that move millions of riders every day, with the depth to support every phase of the program lifecycle.
Clients
- Alameda County Public Works Agency (ACPWA)
- Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART)
- California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA)
- California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
- Caltrain
- LA Metro
- Los Angeles Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority
- San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
- Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Expertise
- Strategic Consulting Services
- Program Management
- Project and Construction Management
- Enterprise-Level ISO-Based Quality Management
- Enterprise-Level Risk Management
- Program Controls
- Change Management
- Claims Management and Forensic Analysis
- Cost Reviews
- Public/Community Outreach
Featured Projects
Coast-to-coast delivery on rail, bus rapid transit, light rail, and subway programs.
California High-Speed Rail
California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA)
Role
Luster is a marquee subconsultant of the AECOM-Fluor Joint Venture (JV) hired by the Authority in Q4 2022 to provide program management services on this $110 billion program. Luster is delivering strategic consulting services, helping stand up the PMO office, ISO 9001:2015-based quality management services, program controls, and infrastructure delivery personnel, including program directors and managers on the Initial Operating Section and change control advisors overseeing the work of design-build teams.
Read more
Luster employees have helped to establish quality scope and process ownership, and reinforced the need for programmatic quality and in-field construction oversight. In addition, Luster established the Program Delivery Services (PDS) level management structure and made the recruiting process functional. This led to a headcount of 300 professionals hired and located in the Sacramento and Fresno areas within a three-month window in late 2022 and early 2023.
Luster personnel have also played a vital role in developing Workplan 01, which guides and governs the JV Team's work during the coming year. This plan defines scope of work, narrative, budget, staffing model, and organizational chart, and totals just over $100 million. Luster personnel are primary architects on the CHSR Authority Wide Business Plan and Sustainability Plan. Luster personnel also performed a three-month assessment of the design-build construction change control process, providing a report of observations and recommendations for improvement.
East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Project (Tempo)
AC Transit
Role
Led the Community Outreach and Public Engagement Consultant Team, providing community outreach, public relations, and project labor agreement administration for AC Transit's $178 million Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project. Developed the BRT Community Outreach program and the Business Impact Mitigation (BIM) Plan, and managed the BRT Information Center.
Pittsburg-Antioch Extension
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
Role
Luster developed and maintained the master schedule and reviewed the contractor's schedule to confirm completeness and accuracy. Luster also prepared progress reports, project cash flow forecasts, progress charts, and forecast reports at the end of each monthly period, provided cost estimating services, and coordinated all utility issues with Caltrans, PG&E, and Pacific Bell.
Caltrain Modernization (CalMod) Program
Caltrain
Role
Luster is responsible for providing the document control manager overseeing a four-person document management team. Luster has also conducted an independent gap analysis of the document control department to assess the existing condition of the team and what, if anything, is needed to enable it to successfully complete required responsibilities by substantial closure.
Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
Role
Luster reviewed the construction contractor's feasibility study, proposals, and other project documentation, and outlined project requirements, needs, and expectations for deliverables. Luster assisted the project team in planning a Risk Assessment Workshop involving the FTA, the City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services, and other agencies and stakeholders.
Read more
The workshop included major sessions on critical project risks, baseline assessments, schedules, costs, and contingency plans. In addition, Luster consulted on issues related to rights-of-way, project services, and financing.
Muni Metro Turnback
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Role
For this $95 million project, constructed in water-bearing soils, Luster provided comprehensive contract administration, field engineering, and quality assurance services, with staff serving as the senior project personnel in each of these areas.
Read more
Luster also developed and implemented an innovative training program to promote the preparation and employment of women and minorities in construction management. Luster had a staff of seven on the project: one deputy construction manager, one senior field engineer, one training coordinator, one contracts administrator, one contracts administrator in training, and two field engineers in training.
East Light Rail Maintenance & Operation Facility
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Role
Luster provides construction management services on this new maintenance and operations facility on the western 13 acres of a former Western Pacific Railroad site. The facility, part of the Third Street Light Rail project, must accommodate the new Breda vehicle and all historic trolley vehicles.
Read more
The project includes Stage I (based on 60 vehicles in 2003) and Stage II (based on an additional 45 vehicles in 2015), with phased construction of the full facility build-out. The project involves managing industrial, track, mechanical, equipment, and systems work (including catenary, signals, traction power, and communications), as well as start-up operations support.
Link21 Program
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
Role
Subject matter expertise in ISO 9001:2015-based risk and quality management services, program controls, document management, public outreach to residents, businesses, and community-based organizations in the area, diversity and equity, and supplier diversity management services.
BART Phase II
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
Role
Luster personnel provided consulting services including contract and procurement, SBE/DBE outreach and compliance, and strategic planning, and provided input on the creation and implementation of a mentor-protégé program.
Secaucus to Meadowlands Transitway
New Jersey Transit
Role
Luster supplied staff for a NJ Transit task order, providing a document control specialist to this P3 project.
Penn Station Access: Grant Writing Services
New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
Role
Luster provides grant writing services to the federal government on behalf of the MTA, with checkpoints of approval that include HNTB and the MTA. Dana Lang is Luster's lead on this effort.
ADA Accessibility Upgrade & Station Improvements
New York City MTA
Role
Luster staff perform risk management services, including supervision of the risk register and log, conducting risk workshops, and analyzing and reporting findings on threatening risks using Monte Carlo risk evaluation software. Luster staff also ensure threats are quantified and made part of integrated cost/schedule reporting. Luster's scope also includes scheduling support.
Metrorail Claims Consulting
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
Role
Luster served as a claims consultant on Washington, DC's subway line. The first assessment was a cost analysis of a $5 million claim brought by a track-section contractor, for which Luster made recommendations. The second was a time entitlement analysis for another track-section contractor claim that involved reviewing 212 proposed change orders.
A proven partner for public infrastructure
Luster National, Inc. ("Luster") has a proven and successful 35-year record of accomplishment spanning a broad spectrum of professional services in the public infrastructure sector, including Strategic Consulting services; Program, Project, and Construction Management; Stakeholder Alignment; Environmental Consulting and Compliance; Diversity Management; Public Outreach; Wellness Program Design; and Workforce Development.
As a firm, Luster and its quality management system are certified under International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015. Luster is a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and is minority-owned.
"You have Challenges. We Provide Solutions."
Our mottoLuster Mission
Luster provides superior professional services to a broad array of national and regional private sector clients and governmental agencies faced with ever-changing and complex needs. We generally serve as an "internal" advocate or "owner's representative" for our clients, and also perform more conventional Professional Services as an "external" contractor.
Read more
Regardless of the mission we are required to perform, we provide innovative, sustainable courses of action and business processes to meet our clients' unique and diverse needs and requirements. We constantly strive to achieve superlative results, utilizing exceptional people who are subject-matter experts in their respective fields. We are knowledgeable of, and certified in, industry-standard management techniques and processes.
We have the experience, the technology, and the training expertise to get the job done, no matter what the mission is. Luster places emphasis on achieving client intent and the professional development of our personnel and our clients' personnel. Our motto, "You have Challenges; We Provide Solutions," defines who we are, what we do, and how we do it.
Management & Delivery
Luster is focused on delivering high-quality projects on time and on budget. We employ a highly skilled staff of subject-matter experts with the skill sets and experience necessary to control cost, timeline, quality, and mitigation of client risk.
Read more
As the Program/Project Manager, Luster vigilantly directs and supervises work as the project proceeds through the planning, design, and construction stages. Luster works closely with our clients, regulatory agencies, and other third-party stakeholders to track and direct various types of work based on a Program Management Plan (PMP) developed prior to commencement of the work.
As the Construction Manager, Luster helps guide projects through the construction phase to ensure our clients receive the highest quality service and the best value. Our approach is often to function as the owner's representative, providing both the organizational and technical capabilities vital to achieving project goals. Providing Construction Engineering and Inspection (CEI) Services is an integral part of our Construction Management core.
With superior technical expertise, Luster's size and scalability provide the agility and ability to respond quickly to our clients' needs. We provide the most cost-effective solutions, including the development of unique and innovative measures, to deliver exceptional service and value to our clients.
You have challenges.
Luster is listening.
Whether you are planning a new corridor, standing up a PMO, or need an owner's representative to keep a program on time and on budget, our team is ready to help.
Emily Luster, Esq.
Owner, President