Author: Amar Dhebar

April 2018: Illinois ballast research was recently highlighted in the March 2018 issue of Railway Track & Structures (RT&S) Magazine. Supported through AAR’s Technology Outreach research program, this research developed a new approach to inspecting railroad ballast and measuring its condition in the field. This innovative technique uses cross-section digital images of ballast and a machine vision system to measure the size of ballast particles and estimate ballast degradation. Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) performed investigative field work at their Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) near Pueblo, CO. Click here to read the article.

March 2018: RailTEC is honored to have Hiroto Sunahara, an employee of Central Japan Railway Company (JRC), as a visiting scholar for the 2017 – 2018 academic year. Mr. Sunahara is an Assistant Manager with the Construction Department, Civil Engineering Section, in their Tokyo office. JRC has a plan to construct a new HSR line between Tokyo and Osaka, and to introduce a superconducting maglev system as a passenger line. In an effort to reduce construction and operation costs, JRC is developing a new method of maintaining this huge infrastructure while still securing soundness and boosting efficiency. While in the United States, Hiroto is researching ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and IoT (Internet of Things) for potential use of this technology at JRC.

February 2018: RailTEC is excited to announce that Arthur de Oliveira Lima has joined their staff. As an Experimentation Engineer, Arthur will be managing laboratory and field experimentation relating to ballast mats, under tie pads, crossties and fasteners, and other track infrastructure related components. He has his BS in Civil Engineering from Federal University of Vicosa in Brazil and received his MS in Civil Engineering from Illinois in December 2017.

February 2018: On February 1, in conjunction with a visit by BNSF, five AREMA Student Chapter presidents were in attendance at the first student chapter meeting of the year. Flanked by AREMA Student Chapter Advisor, Tyler Dick and Professor Chris Barkan, shown in order of their presidency from left to right: Brennan Caughron, Bill Lygiros (both now with BNSF), Tom Roadcap, outgoing president Nao Nishio, and incoming president Jake Branson. Jake was sworn in according to tradition by taking the oath of office with his hand on William Hay’s textbook, Railroad Engineering (also in photo).

January 2018: Weixi Li, a RailTEC graduate student, has received the WTS Greater Chicago President’s Scholarship for the 2017-2018 school year. WTS is an international organization dedicated to the professional advancement of women in transportation. Scholarships are given annually to women pursuing careers in the area of transportation. In the photo Weixi Li, left, is pictured with WTS Greater Chicago Chapter Scholarship Chair and RailTEC alumna, Carrie Desmond.