It’s the engine to move rail industry careers ahead. Last year, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded a $17 million grant to the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) to advance rail industry careers through education and workforce development.
At the beginning of 2025, the FRA approved the initial project management plan for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Initiative (CRISI) program, allowing work to begin on 13 related projects.
Railroad careers have been on the slow track across the country. The U.S. Surface Transportation Board says the railroad workforce has shrunk 28 percent over the last decade, dropping from 167,000 to 121,000 employees, according to a 2024 USF press release. This grant, the largest ever awarded to CUTR and its first from the FRA, looks to address the issue through a
comprehensive approach that promotes railroad careers and develops the current rail industry workforce.
“Our approach for outreach and workforce development initiatives available across the U.S by CUTR and our partners targets primary and secondary students to introduce them to railroading careers; university students, including internship programs within each of the C-STTAR universities and deployed at the TTC; and existing railroad employees, expanding and developing both technical and managerial capabilities across the rail industry landscape,” explains Associate Director of the USF Center for Urban Transportation Lisa Staes, the project manager for the CRISI grant.
CUTR’s mission
The Florida Legislature established CUTR in 1988 as an ongoing resource for the Legislature, the Department of Transportation, local governments, metropolitan regions across the nation, and the private sector, focusing on transportation research.
“Since our inception, CUTR has become one of the most successful and recognized university-based transportation research centers in the country, and we are making great strides globally, leading the way in transportation innovation and research," says Staes, who has been with USF for almost 27 years. "USF is a proud member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group of prominent universities in the United States and Canada that are at the leading edge of innovation, scholarships, and solutions that contribute to scientific progress, economic development, safety, and security. This designation further sets us apart.”
“Our faculty and students combine academic knowledge and extensive ‘real world’
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USF CUTR Associate Director of the USF Center for Urban Transportation Lisa Staesexperience in developing innovative, implementable solutions for all modes of transportation," Staes continues. "The multidisciplinary research faculty includes experts in engineering, planning, computer science, economics, public policy, public health, geography, and other disciplines. We conduct relevant, actionable research in topics such as connected and autonomous vehicles, transportation innovation, transportation safety and security, workforce development and bicycle, motorcycle, and pedestrian safety, and so many more topics of national significance and impact. We are providing technical assistance and training to industry professionals and are dedicated to educating and preparing the next generation of transportation professionals, something we are especially proud of.”
CRISI grant
USF is a member of the Center for Surface Transportation Testing and Academic Research (C-STTAR). C-STTAR, Staes says, was primarily formed to support the mission and strategic initiatives of the Federal Railroad Administration, other USDOT operating administrations, and other federal and state agencies through research, testing, engineering services, workforce development, and technical training conducted at the USDOT Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo and across partners’ service areas.
“In December 2022, CUTR submitted our application," Staes says. "In 2024, we were awarded our CRISI grant, a milestone achievement that gave CUTR its largest work program in our history."
CUTR will invest just over $6 million, or 35 percent, of the program budget in a rail education and inspiration program focused on children, youth, and young adults; a national experiential learning internship program; and immersive workforce training programs for railway operations and safety that use virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. The remaining budget has been awarded to CUTR's partners for 10 projects.
“CUTR is exceptional, our people and our partners," Staes says. "But we know that our clients and sponsors are vital to our success and our long-term relevance, something we all recognize and are ever-grateful for. We cannot wait to see the fruits of our labors on this CRISI project. The industry engagement and the work has begun. Stay tuned!”
For more information, go to CUTR