December 1, 2016
Contact: Kyle Roerink
Phone: 202-657-3219

Today Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) selected the University of Nevada Las Vegas to participate in a research consortium to examine effective design, construction, and maintenance of future high-speed rail projects. 
The DOT will initially fund the consortium, which also includes the University of Delaware and Virginia Tech, with a $1.4 million grant for FY16. 
UNLV will focus on studying bridge building near areas of seismic activity, track alignment, rail foundations, and more. Congresswoman Titus voted to support the program in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act and advocated with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx for UNLV to be a participant. 

“Our nation’s deteriorating rail infrastructure is threatening our economy, security, and safety,” Rep. Titus said. “This consortium will reverse course by helping advance the development of high-speed rail projects that meet the demands of the 21st Century. With its longstanding rail program, UNLV is well positioned to galvanize high-speed railways in the desert Southwest and partner with academic institutions that have the common goal of deploying safe and innovative projects across the nation.”  

BACKGROUND

This grant is one of 35 that will be awarded to lead consortia under the University Transportation Centers (UTC) program, reauthorized by Sec. 6016 of the FAST Act. Subsequent funding will be subject to availability and appropriations. Assoc. Professor Hualiang “Harry” Teng of UNLV’s Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering will lead the effort.
Rep. Titus has long been a champion of high-speed rail and served on the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission for over a decade. She is currently advocating for the expansion of Amtrak from Las Vegas to Southern California in the interim while continuing to work to link the two destinations with a major super-speed train.