As we consider the state of rail education in the United States, the extent to which it is at best piecemeal and insufficient even to current needs cannot be overstated. To date, moreover, no institution is responding on any significant scale to the need for instruction and research in the more specific field of HSR. This is perhaps best illustrated with the fact that only a handful of college professors in the nation specialize in rail education; however, a number of programs situated in a variety of settings may comprise either models for future development or the basis for expanded capacity.
Existing rail-related education in the United States is presently delivered by one or more of four mechanisms: (a) colleges and universities, (b) rail industry administered trainings, (c) fixed location private rail academies featuring test railroads, and (d) independent “road shows” led by consultants. What is to be determined is a workable balance of expanded education responsibilities of governmental bodies, private industry, and academia in preparing a generation of workers knowledgeable in rail construction, management, and engineering principles. Although this exploratory study will offer no definitive answers, a review of existing resources and capabilities is included in this section.
69 The most comprehensive examples of university training programs include a few rail concentrations within civil engineering programs and advanced degrees in railroad engineering, and those that actively conduct rail research. However, more commonly, transportation engineering concentrations may feature a limited number of courses or labs addressing rail specifically. A small number of universities offer short courses (modules), typically two to five days in length, which are contracted by the railroad industry to address specific technical-knowledge shortfalls. Universities and community colleges may partner with industry and/or unions in administering rail operation training and internship programs. Industry-administered training generally takes the form of hands-on internships. Succession planning mechanisms present within the industry include peer mentorship, contracted professional development, and education stipends for employees seeking degrees in management.54 A minute number of private rail academies offer intensive sessions throughout the year to individuals seeking certificates in conducting and locomotive engineering (at hefty cost to participant).55 Institutes such as Modoc Rail Academy
(California) boast high placement rates for graduates. Independent consultants with extensive rail experience offer hands-on instruction in mechanics of Class 1-5 railroads, including exam preparation. These services are contracted by rail operators.56
At the California state level, apprenticeship training programs for a variety of specific jobs and skills that may be related to HSR (or could be fitted or created to support it) are routinely offered, including such job categories as pile driver, surveyor, and machine operator. Specifically, the California Apprenticeship Council lists well over 40 specific apprenticeships, delivered and overseen by seven regional Apprenticeship Coordinators Associations.57
A uniform characteristic of these mechanisms is the education content catering to freight railroad operation and maintenance. The United States continues to be among world leaders in freight operations, with industry typically devoting 15 to 20 percent of annual capital investment to the maintenance and improvement of freight capacity,58 and it is
only sensible from a business perspective that training offered for profit addresses this increasing demand. However, they are not necessarily geared to the technological needs associated with a new HSR passenger network; because they are private and profit- oriented enterprises, they instead focus on their core freight business.
Questions remain about how to obtain the information needed to design and construct the complex HSR system: Do any of these mechanisms currently have significant HSR knowledge or the capacity to acquire and disseminate it? Our review suggests that in terms of technology transfer and research capacity, existing relationships, and costs, (a) colleges and universities and (b) the rail industry are the most likely candidates.
On an extremely limited scale, some American-university professors are beginning to develop partnerships with professors at institutions in HSR-equipped nations, such as the partnership between Dr. Chris Barkan at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and Dr. Tsung-Chung (T.C.) Kao at National Taiwan University, and parts of Amtrak’s operations (e.g., the University of Tennessee contracting its course on FRA 213 Subpart G detailing higher speed track inspection specifications to Amtrak’s Acela), and are receiving research grants directly from industry.
M i n e t a Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n I n s t i t u t e
Private industry also has been successful in developing partnerships with other nations’ research institutions and firms. With respect to the CHSR project, Parsons Brinkerhoff has worked with foreign entities to receive input from Japanese and European high-speed train engineers to confirm the CHSR approach to design and operations planning,59 and
the list of private firms with the capability to provide such HSR-connected services is extensive. Further, private-industry giants such as AECOM finance research products that acknowledge the need for greater investment in rail education and promotion in public schools in addressing anticipated personnel shortfalls, particularly in the area of signaling technology engineers.60
University and industry are not always mutually exclusive in function, in that the two types of institutions interact in a number of ways in exposing students to the elements of rail training. This makes sense, as firms regularly identify potential candidates throughout their time in school, both through project research and existing industry-specific social channels such as industry-sponsored events. This overview will point to areas of crucial overlap between university and industry, with the hope that best practices can be explored in California, if not elsewhere across the nation.