Secretary Buttigieg with RailTEC Faculty and Staff
Tracks to the Future Summer Camp
CEE410 CN Field Visit – May 2023
RailTEC Graduates Working Around The World

Welcome to the University of Illinois Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC)

In the news

25th Annual Railroad Environmental Conference

The Railroad Environmental Conference (RREC) celebrated its 25th anniversary at the annual two-day conference on 14-15 November 2023 at the iHotel in Champaign, IL. Conference Director Professor Christopher P.L. Barkan, George Krambles Director of RailTEC, was honored for growing the conference from the first event in 1999 that had 150 attendees and 9 exhibitors to... Read More

Celebrating Illinois Railroad Engineering

On 28-29 September 2023 the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) celebrated the 25th anniversary of the resurgence of the University of Illinois Railroad Engineering Program with current students, faculty, alumni and friends. The event started with an informal welcome dinner reception the night of the 28th followed by a day of student and alumni... Read More

$5M FRA grant establishes NURail CoE

RailTEC is excited to share that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as the selected institution for the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Rail Research and Development Center of Excellence program. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative... Read More

What we do

Education

RailTEC inspires and engages students by offering the most extensive curriculum in railway engineering and transportation in North America. We offer multiple courses on rail topics and are committed to placing our graduates in rewarding public and private sector positions.  RailTEC also supports continuing education of rail professionals through seminars, short courses and conferences.

Research

RailTEC is a global leader in practical and theoretical research advancing the field in a broad range of important and timely railroad and rail transit engineering and transportation topics. Advanced research investigations are underway in railway safety, systems, and infrastructure, addressing dozens of topics that are essential to maintaining the safety, efficiency, reliability, sustainability and resiliency of railroad freight and passenger transportation.

Service

RailTEC shares its expertise with industry, government, academia, and the public helping to interpret and apply knowledge and implement solutions to advance rail transport and engineering. Our faculty and staff are well engaged as leaders and members of AREMA, TRB, AAR, ASCE, INFORMS, and IAROR committees.