The CRR will be dedicated to education and information sharing through formal initiatives, and will recruit students to enter rail transportation fields, TTI officials said in a prepared statement. The center will focus research activities on rail infrastructure, including the mechanical systems of trains, tracks and bridges, and safety and performance through innovation, such as creating longer lasting and more efficient components and systems.
“Having this center is a very positive step in our plans to increase the breadth and volume of initiatives that we pursue with our partners and sponsors in railway research,” said TTI Gary Fry, an associate research engineer and associate professor in Texas A&M's Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, who will serve as CCR’s director. “It will certainly position the university and TTI to become a more impactful leader in railway research.”
Since 1995, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) has provided TTI $200,000 annually in seed money to operate Texas A&M’s Affiliated Laboratory for Railway Research, which is one of three college-based railway research programs in the nation. The AAR will continue to provide support under the new administrative structure the CRR provides, TTI officials said.
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