August 2015: The Research And Innovation Lab (RAIL) held its Grand Opening on Wednesday, August 19, 2015. Gregory Winfree, Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology for the United States Department of Transportation, and Joseph Leader, Senior Vice President for New York City Transit, both gave brief remarks and had the honors of ribbon cutting. Approximately 70 people attended the event and had the opportunity to tour the 3,500 square foot facility. RAIL is quickly gaining attention and support from both the public and private sector. Additional media coverage can be found here: Engineering at Illinois, RT&S, University of Illinois Federal Relations newsletter, The News-Gazette