Michigan Tech's Rail Transportation Program is one of seven members of a research university consortium that focuses on rail transportation. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) leads the consortium. Michigan Tech and UIUC are partnered with MIT, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. These seven form the National University Rail Center (NURail) which aims to develop rail related research, education, and technology transfer.

Michigan Tech Tapped for National Rail Research, Education Center The $3.5 million grant is part of a $77 million USDOT initiative to advance research and education programs that address critical transportation challenges facing the nation. (see MTU article)

The Center is funded with a total of $3.5 million in federal funding, matched 1:1 from non-federal sources. The official project website can be viewed here.

Michigan Tech’s non-federal collaborators in the grant include the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Rail Transportation Program industry partners. Additional inquiries for collaborations for research projects are encouraged. Please contact Dr. Pasi Lautala with such interests.

The NURail activities at Michigan Tech extend to several departments and topic areas. Key faculty members participating in NURail include:

• Dr. Pasi Lautala - Director of the Rail Transportation Program (NURail lead)
• Dr. Devin Harris - Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Dr. Paul Sanders - Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
• Dr. John Hill - Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

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Official NURail Project Website