The Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) stands at the edge of an exciting new chapter as long-time director, Dr. Christopher P.L. Barkan, has retired and transitioned to a part-time research faculty position, and J. Riley Edwards, Ph.D., P.E., CEE Associate Professor and Senior Associate Director of the NURail CoE, has assumed the role as George Krambles Director of RailTEC effective August 16. Riley was recently promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with indefinite tenure and appointed as the Sergio A. Pecori Faculty Scholar in Civil Engineering.
The Sergio A. Pecori Faculty Scholar in Civil Engineering position is a prestigious endowed honorary title at Illinois within The Grainger College of Engineering. It is awarded to an outstanding faculty member, typically within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) or closely tied to RailTEC. It is personally funded and named after Sergio “Satch” Pecori, a prominent Illinois alumnus (BS ’73, MS ’74) and the Chairman and CEO of Hanson Professional Services Inc., who is known for his major philanthropic contributions, leadership in civil engineering, and support of RailTEC and CEE at Illinois. Riley is the first recipient of this award.
Looking to the future of RailTEC brings excitement for new growth, stronger teamwork, and fresh goals. Riley’s vision includes:
Research – Combine faculty expertise with emerging rail sector opportunities in data science, AI, automation, and onboard instrumentation for vehicle and track condition assessment. Disseminate results through further engagement of rail industry experts by hosting research results exchanges on campus at Illinois and at railroad and supplier headquarters.
Education – Expansion of RailTEC’s educational offerings to broaden the breadth and depth of coverage – especially through the addition of vehicle-track interaction and graduate-level course content.
Service – Continued faculty, staff, and student involvement in service opportunities to strengthen the rail industry and facilitate technology transfer – such as AREMA, TRB, APTA, and others.
“We are at a critical and exciting point in the rail transportation sector. We have increased access to new inspection methods and novel inspection data, increased inspection frequencies, and opportunities to answer questions with data we never dreamed of a decade ago. I am excited for the future of RailTEC, and our opportunities to provide both students educated in rail fundamentals and actionable research results. We have a tremendous opportunity to further advance safe and efficient rail transport by drawing upon the collective expertise of faculty at Illinois and through our NURail Center of Excellence partners.”
– Dr. J. Riley Edwards, CEE Associate Professor, George Krambles Director of RailTEC, and Senior Associate Director of the NURail CoE
Riley obtained his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and a Masters and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Illinois. He oversees research and advises graduate and undergraduate students concentrating in Railway Engineering. His research interests are railway track and component design and performance and span from rail transit to heavy axle load freight railroad applications.
Yuanchen Zeng
In addition to Riley, RailTEC’s latest faculty member, Yuanchen Zeng, Ph.D., will be joining Illinois this fall as an Assistant Professor in CEE. Yuanchen had been at Delft University of Technology where he held a postdoctoral research position in their Railway Engineering section since completing his Ph.D. there in December 2023. He also holds a Ph.D. in Vehicle Operation Engineering from the State Key Laboratory of Rail Vehicle Systems at Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, China. For more information on Yuanchen, click here to read the RailTEC article announcing his hire. Yuanchen will initially be taking over instruction of CEE 408, Railroad Transportation Engineering, and will be developing his own course in the future.
Additionally, RailTEC is fortunate to have adjunct instructors Conrad Ruppert, Jr. and Min-Ja “James” Shi partnering to teach CEE 412, High Speed Rail Engineering. Both Ruppert and Shi have extensive knowledge of rail engineering through their prior careers in industry.
Chris quote about confidence in future of RailTEC.
RailTEC’s strong research staff continue being led by Marcus Dersch, Ph.D., P.E., Senior Principal Research Engineer, and Arthur de Oliveira Lima, Senior Research Engineer.
Marcus DerschArthur de O. Lima
Marcus joined RailTEC in 2011 and holds a B.S. (2009), M.S. (2010) and Ph.D (2022) in civil engineering from Illinois. While pursuing his degrees, he completed research focusing on fouled railroad ballast performance and ballast performance improvement techniques. Marcus worked for Union Pacific Railroad as an engineering intern in 2008, obtained his Professional Engineer’s License in 2015, and is the former Chairman of AREMA Committee 30 (Ties and Fasteners) (2020-2023). His current research interests are railway crosstie and fastener design, longitudinal rail stress management, and railroad ballast performance.
Arthur joined RailTEC in 2018 as a Research Engineer. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Federal University of Vicosa (2015) in Brazil with a portion of his studies conducted at the University of Waterloo in Canada. He holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Illinois (2017) focusing on railroad infrastructure related research. Arthur’s research interests involve all aspects of rail civil infrastructure, from either the materials, components, or structures perspective.
After 28 rewarding years at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) and 38 years working with the rail industry, Professor Christopher P.L. Barkan, George Krambles Director of the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) and Director of the National University Rail Center of Excellence (NURail CoE), will be retiring effective August 15 and transitioning to a part-time research faculty position. In conjunction with this, J. Riley Edwards, Associate Professor and Senior Associate Director of the NURail CoE, will assume the role of George Krambles Director of RailTEC effective August 16. Riley was recently promoted to the rank of Associate Professor and appointed as the Sergio A. Pecori Faculty Scholar in Civil Engineering, which also takes effect August 16.
When Chris arrived in 1998, he built on the solid foundation provided by the late CEE Professor Ernest Barenberg, Ph.D. during his tenure as Director of the AAR Affiliated Lab at Illinois. Chris pursued a joint mandate of AAR and the university to expand the railway engineering education and research programs as the new director of the program.
“Rail engineering had long been a distinctive strength at Illinois, but by the early 2000s it is fair to say we had reached a critical switch! One track led toward continued decline and the likely disappearance of the program; the other required a commitment to invest, rebuild, and reclaim national leadership in the field. We chose the latter course, largely because of Chris Barkan’s vision, determination, and conviction about what Illinois could become. He more than fulfilled that promise. We are grateful that thanks to his leadership, rail engineering is once again firmly on the map at Illinois and recognized as a national leader. The results have exceeded even our highest expectations.”
– Dr. Nicholas Jones, Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of Illinois System, Head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department at Illinois from 2002-04
Chris’ vision for the program included:
Broadening the rail research program by engaging new faculty,
Increasing the amount and sources of funding for rail research,
Expanding the rail curriculum to attract top-quality students, and
Strengthening Illinois’ service to the rail industry, government, academia, and the public.
He was able to achieve these goals and more. By the early 2000s, he had added two new rail classes plus a graduate seminar to the Illinois rail curriculum. That growth continued as new staff and faculty joined RailTEC and the joint rail education program with KTH was developed. RailTEC now has the largest and most comprehensive academic rail engineering curriculum in North America. RailTEC also stands out for the expanse of its rail research, which includes civil, mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering, rail infrastructure, rolling stock, operations, economics, and policy in both transit and freight environments. (For more information about the history of the Illinois rail program, please see RailTEC’s history page.)
“Since joining the department, Chris has led the railroad program with outstanding strategic vision, enthusiasm, and integrity. He has mentored students and younger colleagues with exceptional generosity, wisdom, and encouragement, helping shape the next generation of railroad engineers. Their successful careers may be his most enduring legacy.”
– Dr. Robert H. Dodds, Jr., M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Endowed Chair (Emeritus) and Department Head (Emeritus) of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2004-2009)
During his years of service at Illinois, Chris supervised 15 Ph.D. students and over 80 M.S. students. Many of these students have gone on to excellent positions in the rail industry, academia and government both domestically and internationally. Since Spring 1999, he has taught 69 courses (not including seminar, independent study, and thesis sections) with 1,057 total students enrolled, plus an additional 364 students enrolled in his seminar, independent study, and thesis classes. Chris developed and taught two new upper-level undergraduate courses, CEE 408 (Railroad Transportation Engineering) and CEE 410 (Railway Signaling and Control). He also taught numerous special topics courses over the years and was named to the “Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students” list 14 times for four different courses taught.
“I came to the University of Illinois as a graduate student in 2002 because of the opportunity to take railway engineering courses, carry out rail related research, and to work with Dr. Barkan, whose unrivaled enthusiasm for railways and the rail engineering program is unparalleled. It was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only was Chris an amazing advisor, he also provided access to his wide-ranging network of colleagues, which enhanced my research efforts and created many employment opportunities that never would have existed without him.”
– Kevin Day, Vice President, Track Infrastructure/Maintenance, Herzog
“Professor Barkan has been a mentor who has influenced not only my academic journey, but also my life. From my years as a graduate student and researcher to becoming a faculty member and educator, his guidance, encouragement, and passion for rail transportation have continued to shape my work and the way I inspire the next generation of railway professionals in Taiwan and beyond.”
– Dr. Yung-Cheng (Rex) Lai, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taiwan; Professor, Railway Technology Research Center, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
“Under Chris’s mentorship, first as my undergraduate advisor, then as my graduate and Ph.D. advisor, and later as a colleague at RailTEC, I participated in numerous research projects that delivered meaningful benefits to both the industry and the public. Much of this impact was made possible through Chris’s strong connections with industry partners and his ability to bridge academia and practice. Chris is a true teacher, mentor, and friend.”
– Dr. Rapik Saat, Senior Manager, Regulatory Costing, CN Railway
“Chris leaves RailTEC with an incredible legacy of education, scholarship, and industry impact. From teaching the basics of railway engineering to solving real rail industry challenges through high-quality research, Chris built a program that both prepares the next generation of railroaders and moves rail industry technology and practice forward. My rail career certainly would not have been possible without his efforts.“
– Tom Roadcap, Senior Project Engineer at AECOM
A few of the many career highlights for Chris include:
Organizing the first Railroad Environmental Conference (RREC) in 1999 and serving as its leader since. This conference is held annually and is the principal annual gathering of the North American railroad environmental community with over 450 attendees.
Organizing and leading a seven-university consortium to form the first rail-focused US DOT University Transportation Center, the National University Rail (NURail) Center, and serving as its director from 2012-2020. He also leads its successor, the National University Rail Center of Excellence (NURail CoE), a nine-university consortium, which is the first academic research and education center to be supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration.
His research accomplishments include:
Developing a comprehensive quantitative risk analysis (QRA) model for transportation of hazardous materials and using it with his students to conduct numerous risk analyses that helped informed risk management decisions by AAR, individual railroads, chemical and petroleum shippers, tank car companies, and others.
Developing the first quantitative model to optimize tank car safety design. This model was used to establish new, safer design standards for tank cars transporting toxic inhalation hazard (TIH) materials, petroleum crude oil, ethanol, and other flammable liquids.
Working with his students to develop a probabilistic multiple-tank-car train derailment and release model to calculate the distribution of spill sizes in unit-train derailments.
Conducting research with his students developing an optimization model to minimize aerodynamic resistance and improve energy efficiency of intermodal trains.
Launching a new research program in rail line capacity analysis that supported numerous graduate student research projects leading to many new insights.
In addition to his academic roles, he has served as Deputy Director of the RSI-AAR Railroad Tank Car Safety Research and Test Project since 1990 working with railroads and tank car companies, conducting research on the most effective approaches to improve railroad tank car safety.
“Chris Barkan’s impact on RailTEC, the University of Illinois, and rail engineering throughout the U.S. is remarkable. Chris is a gifted teacher, rigorous researcher, and passionate champion for rail transportation and engineering. He has mentored and influenced hundreds of students – including myself – in the fundamentals of railway engineering, importance of critical thinking, and systems-level approach to rail transport. I wish him the very best as he retires and assumes a part-time role. I also look forward to seeing his positive workforce development impact ripple through the rail industry for many decades.”
– Dr. J. Riley Edwards, Associate Professor and Senior Associate Director of the NURail CoE
Chris will continue to be involved in RailTEC research and the Railroad Environmental Conference but hopes to find more time enjoying his family, hobby interests, and the abundant wildlife at his new home in western Massachusetts. RailTEC wants to thank Chris for his many years of service and wish him a happy retirement.
Please enjoy the photo gallery below for a trip down memory lane of Chris’ career at Illinois.
1998/1999 – In the days before cell phones and video calls, Chris participated in meetings by any means possible. Here he is seen on a payphone in a park in western Pennsylvania planning the program for the first Railroad Environmental Conference.
2003 – Showing off his new office in Newmark Civil Engineering Lab.
2004 – Chris posing aboard CSX locomotive 4848 on display at Railway Interchange at the AREMA annual Conference in Chicago.
2005 – Chris and RailTEC students, Riley Edwards, Dan Peltier and Travis Painter, at the wedding of classmate Pooja Anand and her husband, Ravi. Chris was asked to stand-in as the father in the traditional Hindu wedding ceremony.
2005 – For many years Chris and his students traveled by train to attend the AAR Research Review in Pueblo, CO and they would often arrange visits to rail facilities on the day before the conference. In this photo they are visiting the RTA maintenance facilities in Denver.
2006 – Chris in regalia celebrating the graduation of M.S. students, Riley Edwards and Jeremiah Dirnberger, and his second Ph.D. student, Pooja Anand.
2007 – The RailTEC group with William W. Hay Alumnus, Larry Etherton, who visited campus to give a presentation in the William W. Hay Railroad Engineering Seminar in the Grainger Engineering Library on the Illinois campus.
2008 – Chris with Athaphon (Kwan) Kawprasert, Darwin Schafer and Yung-Cheng (Rex) Lai at the 8th World Congress on Railway Research (WCRR) in Seoul, Korea where they presented several papers on RailTEC research. Darwin (second from right) won the Young Researcher Prize for his paper.
2009 – Chris (far right) and a group of RailTEC students in Colorado for the AAR Research Review in Pueblo.
2010 – Chris and RailTEC faculty member T.C. Kao riding a Taiwan High Speed Rail train and discussing the content of the new high-speed rail engineering class that T.C. will be teaching at Illinois.
2011 – RailTEC employees March Dersch (L) and J. Riley Edwards (R) flank Chris at Heritage Park in Calgary, AB during the International Heavy Haul Association Conference.
2012 – The RailTEC team poses for their annual holiday card photo.
2013 – (L-R) Yung-Cheng (Rex) Lai, Tyler Dick; Chris, Brennan Caughron and Samuel Sogin at the International Association for Railway Operations Research conference in Copenhagen. Two of RailTEC’s three papers were among the five nominated for the best young researcher prize at the conference.
2014 – As part of the CEE 408 and CEE 409 classes, students undertake a track work project at the local Monticello Railway Museum to gain hands-on experience learning about track design, construction, and maintenance.
2015 – Chris and M.S. student Aaron Cook discuss the Railroad Track Construction activity designed to introduce K-12 students to STEM principles using basic components to build railroad tracks and understand and measure their performance.
2016 – Chris and the winners of the AREMA Collegiate Quiz Bowl (L-R) Chen-Yu Lin, Samantha Chadwick, Bradford Kippen III, Darkhan Mussanov and Aaron Cook.
2017 – (Foreground) LaChaundra Graham, NURail Center Grant Manager from the USDOT Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research & Technology, poses for a selfie with Chris and other members of the RailTEC research team.
2018 – Chris and RailTEC M.S. student Tom Roadcap explaining freight car design at a K-12 summer STEAM camp.
2019 – Chris lecturing in CEE 410 – Railway Signaling and Control.
2020 – Chris explaining different railway signal aspects and indications while teaching CEE 410 from home during the COVID lockdown.
2021 – At an NS grade crossing in Illinois celebrating #RedOutForRailSafety, part of See Tracks? Think Train® Week (formerly Rail Safety Week) sponsored by Operation Lifesaver.
2022 – (L-R) Chris; Paula Pienton, CN; scholarship recipients Tommy Stogin, Jake Wagoner and Liam Bots; and Michael and Jean Franke.
2023 – Students, faculty, alumni and friends celebrating the 25th anniversary of RailTEC.
2023 – Chris discusses tank car safety research with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (left) as Grainger College of Engineering Dean Rashid Bashir looks on.
2024 – The National University Rail Center of Excellence leadership team assemble in person for the first time at the TRB Annual meeting in Washington DC. NURail CoE is a nine-university consortium led by Illinois and is the first academic research and education center to be supported by the FRA.
2025 – One of the many yearly graduation parties for current students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends held at the house of Chris and his wife, Libby.
2026 – Chris was presented with the Robert E. Skinner, Jr. Distinguished Transportation Research Management Award by TRB recognizing his outstanding lifetime achievement in management, administration, promotion, fostering, and implementation of transportation research, one of a number of awards he and his students have received over the course of his career.
(L-R) RailTEC summer interns Gary Bonds III, Brandi Thomas and Matthew Cheruiyot
Three undergraduates from two NURail CoE partners were interns this summer for the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. RailTEC welcomed Brandi Thomas, a rising senior at Tuskegee University, Gary Bonds III, also a rising senior at Tuskegee University, and Matthew Cheruiyot, a rising junior from Morgan State University.
As part of NURail CoE’s mission to educate a new generation of students in railway transportation engineering and provide them with the knowledge to implement these solutions, RailTEC decided to offer summer internships to students from NURail CoE partner institutions. After applying and interviewing for the job, Brandi, Gary and Matthew were offered positions, with Brandi and Matthew passing up other opportunities for the chance to work at RailTEC.
All three students have been impressed with Illinois including the facilities available, the modern technology and the overall atmosphere. They also agreed they like the communal research setting.
Brandi Thomas checking her results
“Everyone here is so kind and knowledgeable. I really appreciate the way the program is run and the way everyone knows what they need to do and how to do it. It’s impressive.” Brandi said. She also mentioned that the most interesting thing she learned was about track buckling and how important maintenance is.
This summer Brandi’s work included analyzing railroad maintenance data and conducting hands-on testing for torsional resistance research. She also developed a CAD model of the torsional resistance test setup to support future finite element method (FEM) analysis under the guidance of Kaifeng Hu, a RailTEC Ph.D. student. Because of her summer internship Brandi is thinking about a career in rail, but as an aerospace science engineering major she is torn because she said, “Propulsion is also very interesting.”
Gary Bonds III listening intently to a speaker at the 8th International Crosstie and Fastening System Symposium
Gary worked with RailTEC Ph.D. student Kamyar Kosameshan analyzing BNSF railroad tight rail event data, building a Python-based pipeline that combines weather data with rail track data to study seasonal trends and derailment risk. He also developed and refined a linearized energy balance model to predict rail temperature, which is a key factor in preventing rail buckling.
Graduating next year with a degree in aerospace science engineering, Gary will follow his family’s tradition with a future in the Air Force. According to Gary, “This internship gave me hands-on experience turning messy, real-world data into something that could actually help prevent rail failures — that’s been the most rewarding part.”
Matthew Cheruiyot carefully measuring
Spending the summer working with Ph.D. student Jose Gustavo Ramos, Matthew analyzed track images taken with a drone and identified points of interest (anchors, crossties and rail marks), so it can be determined how these features moved over time. “Rail neural temperature is a magical thing,” Matthew said. “I also enjoyed going out on the track, but not the time of day we had to get up.”
Jose Gustavo said, “Having Matthew here has been a great help for our group. Since the first day he has shown a lot of enthusiasm and interest about railroads and the specific work we are conducting. With good questions and smart work he has been helping on our data collection to better understand the longitudinal behavior of the track.”
As for Matthew’s future he hopes to have a career in rail, but hasn’t decided on what aspect. “Right now everything seems interesting”, he said.
In addition to their research responsibilities this summer the interns were also able to attend the 8th International Crosstie and Fastening System Symposium where they made industry contacts and learned about collaboration on design and performance challenges and solutions for crossties and fastening systems.
RailTEC was honored to be the host institution for the inaugural INNOVARail 2026 conference, a new multidisciplinary conference dedicated to rail research, technology, and development. It was held 26-28 May at the iHotel and Conference Center on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. Over 200 attendees had the opportunity to hear 117 different topics presented on the conference theme “Translating Innovation into Practice”. Twelve of these presentations were by Illinois students. Keynote speakers included David Fink, FRA Administrator; Kari Gonzales, MxV Rail President and CEO; and Patrick Whitehead, CN Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer. Chris Barkan, Professor, George Krambles Director of RailTEC and Director of the National University Rail Center of Excellence (NURail CoE), was one of the organizers of the event. Click here to see the conference program.
Best Poster Awards were recognized from Wednesday night’s poster reception. The winners were:
1st: Samantha Garcia
2nd: Elian Cantu
3rd: Aluisio Fernando de Oliveira Filho
INNOVARail was introduced by IEEE Vehicular Technology Society (VTS) as a new conference in the VTS field of interest “Land Transportation” providing a platform for multidisciplinary discussions. Their mission statement for the conference is to enable technological advancements and transformation of the freight and passenger rail industry through a dynamic forum where the latest innovations in rail research and emerging technologies are translated into practice.
Marcus Dersch, left, discussing research done on the Pulsating Load Testing Machine
FRA Administrator David Fink examining wood ties on his tour of the RAIL facility
Arthur Lima, right, explaining the Track Loading System capabilities at the RAIL research facility
Welcoming remarks from Rashid Bashir, Dean of the Grainger College of Engineering at Illinois
One of the 117 presentations at INNOVARail
Kari Gonzales, President & CEO of MxV Rail, giving her keynote speech
Constantine Tarawneh, Professor at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, moderating the panel discussion on rail research needs
RailTEC faculty, student, staff, and alumni, pose in front of the INNOVARail conference banner
FRA Administrator David Fink giving his keynote speech
Members of the Research Needs Panel
Keynote speaker Patrick Whitehead, CN Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer
National University Rail Center of Excellence group photo
Jose Gustavo Ramos’ studies have led him far from his home in Brazil, but he plans to return to Brazil after completing his doctorate to apply his knowledge and research through teaching. He studied civil engineering in Brazil, specializing in transportation engineering, and received both his undergraduate and masters degree from the Federal University of Technology in Parana, Brazil. Ramos expects to graduate with his PhD in 2027, after which he will return to teaching in Brazil.
Before coming to the University of Illinois, Ramos taught at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Goiás (IFG), where currently he has been given leave in order to obtain his PhD. At the IFG, he worked with undergraduate students pursuing engineering degrees and gave lectures on transportation engineering, teaching courses focused on railroads. Since starting his masters, he explains, he has decided that he wanted to teach and research. Ramos’ research at the University of Illinois is on rail creep, or the longitudinal movement of rails on railway tracks. He investigates the mechanics and driving factors behind why it occurs. Rail creep can lead to maintenance and safety issues, and Ramos studies how it works and how to prevent problems from occurring.
Ramos’ describes his PhD cohort as very tight-knit, and he values the community he has built during his time here. He speaks highly of the advisors and professors’ support in his research, especially Assistant Professor J. Riley Edwards. “I believe the way he leads the group is really great. He, Marcus (Senior Research Engineer Marcus Dersch), and Arthur (Senior Research Engineer Arthur Lima) are always trying to better understand our research and how to connect with others’ research. I think it’s really a family.” In fact, Ramos’ twin brother, Augusto, is a recent graduate of RailTEC, and part of what led Gustavo to the University of Illinois.
Helping two visitors learn about rail at Engineering Open House
RailTEC has also provided Ramos with opportunities to travel to attend numerous research conferences within the railway industry. “I think I’ve been to more states in the United States than in Brazil,” he laughs. Going to conferences, he says, allows RailTEC students to “see where research currently is, to talk with other people, make these networks, and exchange experiences.” In November, Ramos will present his research on rail creep at the International Heavy Haul Association Conference.
While pursuing his master’s degree, Ramos worked at an environmental state agency working with environmental permits of hydroelectrics. “It was nice,” he says, “but I really like the teaching and research part more.” Ramos hopes to become a professor to students in his field, and “to reproduce a little of what they do here, back in Brazil.”
Dr. Christopher P.L. Barkan, Professor, George Krambles Director of RailTEC and Director of the National University Rail Center of Excellence (NURail CoE), was recently named the recipient of the 2026 Worth Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award, presented at the 31st Annual Wheel/Rail Interaction (WRI) Heavy Haul Conference in Dallas, TX on 22-24 April 2026, is named for Art Worth, the former Manager of Standards and Senior Manager of Advanced Technology at Canadian National. The Worth Award is given to someone who has made a lasting impact on operations, practices, and/or safety in the railway industry over their career and has shared their experience and knowledge with the industry.
Wheel Rail Seminars, which established the Worth Award, presented this honor to Chris and recognized his lasting impact of bridging the gap between academia and the private sector through applied research that addresses real-world railroad challenges with vision and practical timing. As a dedicated mentor, Chris oversees graduate research with an emphasis on professional standards, ensuring a new generation of engineers is prepared to advance the industry through a comprehensive systems-based approach. Click here to read an RT&S article recognizing Chris receiving the award.
J. Riley Edwards, left, accepting the Worth Award on Chris Barkan’s behalf from Gordon Bachinsky, founder of Advanced Rail Management Corporation (ARM) and the WRI Conferences.
Registration is open and the preliminary program is available for the 2026 International Crosstie and Fastening System Symposium. This two-day event will be held on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus on 9-10 June and is hosted by RailTEC in partnership with the Railway Tie Association and the National University Rail Center of Excellence (NURail CoE). The AREMA Committee 30 (Ties and Fasteners) spring meeting will be held directly following the symposium on 11 June.
The objective of the 8th symposium is to further international communication and collaboration on design and performance challenges and solutions for crossties and fastening systems. For more information and to register, please visit our webpage. Note that the registration fee includes symposium technical sessions, luncheon keynote addresses and dinners both nights. The Class 1 Railroad Keynote Address will be given by Eric Gehriger, Executive Vice President – Operations, Union Pacific Railroad. General sponsorships are available as well as a few limited Platinum Sponsor slots.
The 104th Engineering Open House (EOH) at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign was held on 10-11 April 2026. This is the nation’s largest student-run STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fair with 210 exhibits, 19 special events, and 15 engineering startups, most of which were designed and built entirely by current students. The theme, “Forging the Future”, highlighted the central role that the Grainger College of Engineering’s students hold in creating and shaping the technologies that define tomorrow. The EOH Central Committee was composed of 29 student leaders who spent nearly a full year transforming ideas into reality. Click here for the 2026 EOH visitor’s guide.
Each year this event draws thousands of students, families, teachers, and science-lovers to campus to partake in a truly unique experience celebrating all types of engineering. On Saturday, RailTEC hosted a group of 37 middle and high school students and their chaperones from Hanson Professional Services in Springfield, IL. This tradition originally started in 2014 and RailTEC is honored to continue it. Visitors that stopped by the Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory during EOH had the opportunity to view four different rail exhibits.
A RailTEC graduate student answers questions concerning the best train wheel shape and discusses the design of train wheels and tracks that ensure trains can stay on track even if there’s a curve.
A group of elementary school children watch as one of their classmates uses the train simulator. This virtual platform simulates real conditions with a controller based on real train controls.
EOH attendees listen as a RailTEC graduate student explains how the shape of train wheels helps guide trains safely and smoothly along the rails.
RailTEC is proud to announce that Marcus Dersch, Ph.D., P.E., Senior Principal Research Engineer and Co-Director of Research, National University Rail Center of Excellence (NURail CoE), has recently been honored for his contributions to the rail industry. The April 2026 issue of Railway Track & Structures (RT&S) magazine recognized 13 engineers who have made an impact in their respective fields or within their company in their annual Engineers Under 40 feature. Click here to read the article.
Those nominated for this honor work in the United States, Mexico, or Canada, are under the age of 40 as of January 1, 2026, and represent excellence in the railroad engineering field. RT&S editors assessed each nomination and selected those based on the following criteria: industry experience and education, leadership skills, and industry contributions. Candidates can be from any area of the railroad industry, including freight/passenger railroads, consultants, contractors, or suppliers.
The March 2026 issue of Railway Track & Structures (RT&S) magazine features an interesting article on railway engineering education and specifically highlights the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the history of Dr. William W. Hay, the RailTEC program and the National University Rail Center of Excellence (NURail CoE). The article also contains a sidebar spotlighting Dr. Christopher P.L. Barkan, RailTEC’s George Krambles Director and Illinois professor. Click here to read the article.
The 104th Engineering Open House (EOH) at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign was held on 10-11 April 2026. This is the nation’s largest student-run STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fair with 210 exhibits, 19 special events, and 15 engineering startups, most of which were designed and built entirely by current students. The theme, “Forging the Future”, highlighted the central role that the Grainger College of Engineering’s students hold in creating and shaping the technologies that define tomorrow. The EOH Central Committee was composed of 29 student leaders who spent nearly a full year transforming ideas into reality. 
