U of I NURail Center receives $1.4M federal grant

Grant to advance rail research, education programs at Urbana campus

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[October 05, 2013]  SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Department of Transportation today commended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's National University Rail Center on receiving a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to advance research and education programs that address rail transportation challenges facing the nation.

The grant is part of the federal University Transportation Centers program, which recognizes higher education institutions that advance transportation expertise and technology and address critical workforce needs by educating future transportation leaders.

"Illinois is a leader in rail transportation, and we are very pleased to see this funding being provided to the NURail Center, a program that emphasizes the importance of rail and develops solutions for the future of rail transportation in our state and beyond," said Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider. "The Illinois Department of Transportation fully supports the initiatives of NURail as these nascent technologies further the safe and efficient movement of people and goods throughout our infrastructure system."

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The grant will help address rail issues related to infrastructure and vehicle engineering, capacity planning and optimization, operational safety and risk mitigation, systems integration, and finance and policy, university officials said.

Established in 2012, NURail is a multi-university rail transportation and engineering research center and is the first University Transportation Center dedicated to the advancement of North American rail transportation.

[Text from Illinois Department of Transportation file received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]

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