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Rail Research at TRB
 The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. This page highlights recently released TRB reports, meeting announcements, requests for proposals, and other announcements related to railroads. In addition, it includes links to selected railroad research-related activities taking place at the federal and state levels, and within the academic and international transportation communities. Finally, this page also highlights and provides links to TRB railroads-related programs and activities, which are the source of most of TRB’s railroad-related research products. |
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What's New
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TRB Railroad-Related Programs and Activities
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U.S. DOT job opening: Electronics Engineer, OST-RFebruary 26, 2021 The Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking an Electronics Engineer within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology's (OST-R) Positioning, Navigation, and Timing and Spectrum Management Program. Applications accepted through March 9, 2021. |
 Watch: Equity and the Black Experience Webinar February 26, 2021 The first episode of a webinar series on equity and the Black experience in transportation is now available to view online . TRB Executive Director Neil Pedersen moderated the event, which was hosted by the Council of University Transportation Centers - CUTC and included speakers Dorval Carter, Jr., President, Chicago Transit Authority; Jackie Grimshaw, Vice President, Government Affairs, Cente... |
 The Era of Smart Infrastructure Demands Strong Data, Technology ManagementFebruary 25, 2021 Asset management is necessary to keep transportation moving. Generally, it’s a process of maintaining, upgrading, and expanding physical assets. And we are on the verge of using technology to make it even more exciting. With limited staff and budgets, advanced technology appeals to managers in airports, sea ports, rail systems, transit agencies, and state departments of transportation alike. U... |
 A Safe, Healthy Workforce Keeps Our Transportation MovingFebruary 22, 2021 Public transit, ridehailing, and airport employees are risking their health during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Even before the pandemic, transportation operators experienced more health and safety problems than the general workforce, primarily as a result of a combination of physical demands, environmental factors, and stresses related to their jobs. Decision-makers in the ind... |
 TR News 330 November-December 2020: Living with Transformational Technologies and Other SurprisesFebruary 19, 2021 British–Hungarian Nobel Prize physicist Dennis Gabor wrote: “The future cannot be predicted, but futures can be invented." Considering in a reasonable and logical way what the implications of new technologies may be and acting on our conclusions is how the future is invented. This is the focus of a feature article in the November-December 2020 issue of TRB's magazine, TR News (Issue 330). TR Ne... |
Top 10 Sessions from the 100th TRB Annual MeetingFebruary 18, 2021 Dorval Carter, Jr. and Marcia McNutt's featured sessions are topping the list so far of most viewed/attended events during the TRB Annual Meeting , which took place in January. The sessions are all still available online to attendees through March 18. |
Propose New Topics for the 2021 TCRP Synthesis Program: Submissions due March 19February 18, 2021 TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) is seeking potential synthesis study topics for the 2021 TCRP Synthesis Program. TCRP will fund seven (7) new synthesis topics. Anyone may propose topics. A synthesis study documents current practice and experience for specific public transportation topics. The following factors are considered in the selection process for new topics. The ... |
 Fifth Episode of TRB's Transportation Explorers Podcast Features Chris HendricksonFebruary 17, 2021 In the latest episode of TRB's Transportation Explorers podcast, Chris Hendrickson discusses how transportation, still dependent on petroleum, is now the single-largest sector for greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Dr. Hendrickson is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Listen to the podc... |
TRB Webinar: Measuring Resiliency – Tools for Analyzing Resilient Transportation SystemsFebruary 17, 2021 Investing in the resilience of our transportation networks and systems is a practice of continuity of operations through daily and extreme hazard conditions. TRB will host a webinar on Thursday, March 18, 2021 from 2:00-4:00 PM Eastern that will provide ways to accurately assess the value of resilience in future infrastructure investments. To achieve this, all stakeholders need to be able to u... |
National Academies - Advising the Nation on Economic Recovery for AllFebruary 17, 2021 The nation is facing several serious challenges that the Biden administration has identified as top priorities — the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recovery, racial equity, and climate change. A new series of articles explores how the National Academies are providing timely, actionable advice to inform the new administration’s efforts on these multiple crises. https://www.nationalacademies.o... |
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Technical Activities Standing Committees
TRB's Technical Activities Division provides a forum for transportation professionals in all modes and functions to identify research needs and to share information on research and issues of interest. The Division's staff of specialists in each mode and discipline work with a network of volunteers to carry out activities on behalf of TRB sponsors and the transportation community, including the TRB Annual Meeting, conferences and workshops, publications, visits to each state, and responses to inquiries. This network includes members and friends of over 200 standing committees, supplemented by designated TRB representatives in each state, over 150 universities, and 35 transit agencies. |
Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2)
Congress established the SHRP 2 in 2006 to find strategic solutions to three national transportation challenges: improving highway safety, reducing congestion, and improving methods for renewing roads and bridges. Research was focused in four areas, which are described below. The program carried out 145 research projects and produced 130 products as well as 132 research reports. |
Safety Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) Program
TRB's Safety Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) Program is designed to provide an opportunity to investigate new and unproven concepts or to evaluate novel applications of technologies that have been tried, tested or used for safety systems practice.
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Research in Progress in this Subject Area
TRB's Research in Progress (RiP) Database now contains more than 11,900 current or recently completed transportation research projects. Most of the RiP records are projects funded by federal and state departments of transportation. University transportation research is also included. The RiP Database also serves as a clearinghouse of University Transportation Centers ongoing research. |
Research Needs in this Subject Area
An important function of TRB is to stimulate research that addresses concerns, issues, or problems facing the transportation community. In support of this function, TRB Technical Activities standing committees identify, develop, and disseminate research need statements (RNS) for use by practitioners, researchers, and others.
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Research Completed in this Subject Area
TRB's TRID is integrated database that combines the records from TRB's Transportation Research Information Services ( TRIS) Database and the OECD's Joint Transport Research Centre’s International Transport Research Documentation ( ITRD) Database. TRID provides access to over 900,000 records of transportation research worldwide. |
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