Center for hands-on training and learning environment for the next generation railroad technical workforce HTL

The Federal Railroad Administration awarded the University of Delaware $18,171,010 on December 1, 2025, for a Center for Hands-On Training and Learning Environment for the Next Generation Railroad Technical Workforce, a Project Grant under the Department of Transportation's assistance program. Performance runs through October 31, 2029, with work conducted across the United States.

The center delivers both research and workforce development services focused on railroad propulsion systems and safety. Michigan Technological University, as a sub-recipient, quantifies energy efficiency improvements from OptiFuel fuel-optimization technology through testing at the center's hands-on training facility, measuring mass fuel flow rate, alternator output, and propulsion system parameters during baseline testing in year one and OptiFuel system evaluation in years two and three. Michigan Tech also develops and delivers one week of locomotive propulsion systems instruction annually, comprising 2.5 days of synchronous webinar content with virtual hands-on experiments at MTU's Advanced Power Systems Research Center and 2.5 days of face-to-face instruction at the training facility with hands-on activities using center locomotives and infrastructure.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, also a sub-recipient in partnership with AP Sensing, mobilizes and tests Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors and Distributed Acoustic System technology to improve hazard mitigation and prevent trespassing at high-risk grade crossings. Virginia Tech coordinates installation of network cameras, accelerometers, and LiDAR sensors for three-dimensional imaging and develops artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically process machine vision data, identify warning signals, and detect potential near misses for safety evaluation, using conventional sensors to validate the distributed acoustic approach.