| 
            U of I NURail Center receives $1.4M federal grant Grant to 
			advance rail research, education programs at Urbana campus 
			 Send a link to a friend 
			
            
            [October 10, 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." 
			
			 
            [to top of second column] | 
            
			 
            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] |