The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is establishing a national railway research center

The center in Illinois will cover a wide range of research topics, including railway network technology verification and resilience, as reported by the railway portal Railway Supply.

The FRA has selected the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as the hub for its new National University Rail Center of Excellence (NURCoE).

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The FRA has allocated $5 million for its creation under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

FRA funding will cover half of the costs for establishing and operating the center, while the remaining required investments will come from nine universities forming the NURCoE consortium.

The center will operate for three years, researching a broad spectrum of issues, such as rolling stock development, railway infrastructure improvement, grade-crossing safety enhancement, and energy efficiency.

In addition to UIUC, the consortium includes universities from Delaware, Kansas, Michigan, Morgan State, Rutgers, Tuskegee, and Texas.

Photo: UIUC will lead the consortium of nine universities at the center. Author: tzm23/Shutterstock

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