“The evolution of the courses has reflected the changing needs of the industry and the need to bring new generations of professionals…” – Mike Loehr, Global Principal Rail & Transit, Jacobs Engineering
In November 2021, Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness. The legislation positions rail to play a central role in our transportation and economic future, investing $66 billion in additional rail funding to eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernize the Northeast Corridor, and bring world-class rail service to areas outside the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. This is the largest investment in passenger rail since Amtrak’s creation 50 years ago, and will create safe, efficient, and climate-friendly alternatives for moving people and freight.
The legislation also includes $39 billion of new investment to modernize transit, in addition to continuing existing transit programs for five years as part of surface transportation reauthorization. In total, the new investments and reauthorization in this deal provide $89.9 billion in guaranteed funding for public transit over the next five years – the largest Federal investment in public transit history. The legislation will expand public transit options across every state in the country and replace thousands of deficient transit vehicles.
This deal marks a shift in interest towards public transportation. It is becoming more common to expect large cities to invest in light rail in order to meet demands and catch up on the large backlog of maintenance. Rail engineers tackling what this new investment entails will continue to learn on the job, but continued education from Professional Development opportunities offers a way to explore the latest trends, new techniques, and discuss problem-solving with industry experts and peers.
UW–Madison’s Interdisciplinary Professional Programs (InterPro) has been serving the freight rail, passenger rail, and rail transit industries for over 30 years and is well positioned to assist the rail and transit industries invest these funds with a diverse suite of Rail Engineering and Operations professional development courses. Let’s take a look at the history of these offerings and how they have shifted to adapt to industry needs throughout the years.
Filling a Gap in Professional Learning
In the 1970s, InterPro (at the time called Engineering Professional Development) offered courses on rail maintenance and bridge rehab and inspection for both highways and railroads. Don Walker, a former Program Director at Engineering Professional Development, offered a course titled Railroad Track Maintenance for Branch Line, Regional, and Industrial Railroads in the 1980s to serve local and regional industry as well as support economic development. At the time, the lack of investment in rail infrastructure threatened the ability to serve Wisconsin and other U.S. industries with rail service. Don Walker said, “It was about the only course of its nature being offered anywhere. We often had employees from the major railroads and companies attend.”
Professor C. Allen Wortley took over the course in the early 1990’s, and throughout the decade, noticed an increase in interest in general rail education. Sensing a need, he put together a general course titled Fundamentals of Railroad Engineering. Average course attendance at the time was about 35 people, but this course brought in over 130 enrollees.
A Growing Interest
Professor Wortley spent the 2000s gradually expanding UW–Madison’s rail professional development course lineup. By 2010, approximately 12 different courses on rail were offered, covering many specific topics such as bridges, highway-rail crossing safety, signaling, track maintenance, rail yards, high-speed rail, and transit rail. Professor Wortley also brought together more than 20 different industry experts and professionals to teach these courses, including Ron Batory who later became the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.
Dave Peterson, Program Director and current Department Administrator for InterPro, took over the Rail Engineering and Operations courses after Professor Wortley’s retirement in 2010. Peterson has continued to evolve these offerings and has gradually seen a shift in interest, reflecting the transit and passenger industries. This change brought about the creation of new transit programs including Fundamentals of Electric Rail Vehicle Systems and Fundamentals of Traction Power Systems and Overhead Contact Systems.
Quality Courses for an Evolving Industry
Mike Loehr, Global Principal Rail & Transit with Jacobs Engineering, has been teaching in UW’s rail program for over 20 years. Regarding these professional development offerings and their impact in the rail industry, Loehr believes, “The UW courses are broadly viewed within the rail industry as providing excellent information that matches the needs of new, developing, and experienced rail practitioners. The iconic course binders are a staple in rail engineering office bookshelves across North America. The UW courses have complimented and often set the standard for the efforts of other professional rail industry organizations.” Mike Loehr goes on to say, “The evolution of the courses has reflected the changing needs of the industry and the need to bring new generations of professionals into the field to offset the loss of experience and knowledge through the retirement of current railroad leaders.”
Modernizing Professional Development
Today, Dave Peterson strives to broaden the reach of these programs by offering courses on-site for companies and agencies from coast to coast. “We typically offer each course once a year publicly in Madison, and then in another part of the country in alternate years,” Peterson explains. “We have taken courses on-site to companies, federal agencies, and local transit agencies in Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois, Washington, and California.”
The infrastructure funding and general interest in rail transit due to favorable environmental and sustainability attributes will continue to provide a healthy demand for professional development in the rail industry. With decades of experience leading the forefront of continued education in this field, InterPro is well positioned to continue serving this growing need with the help of industry experts, tailored content, and diverse methods of distribution.
Learn More
If you’d like to learn more about InterPro’s Railroad Engineering program and to see a list of upcoming courses, visit our website or reach out to Dave Peterson.