AAR launches Freight Rail Research Consortium to advance research and policy

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced the launch of the Freight Rail Research Consortium, an AAR-led network of academic partnerships designed to strengthen the freight rail industry's long-term research and analytical capabilities through collaborative, data-driven research and policy research.

Through the consortium, AAR has established new research partnerships with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of California, Berkeley, and Rutgers University, while expanding its longstanding relationship with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Together, these partnerships establish a long-term platform for research on the economic, operational, technological, and policy issues shaping the future of freight rail.

"Industries don't remain competitive simply because they invest in physical infrastructure. They also invest in ideas, research, talent, and institutions that continuously improve how they understand and respond to change. As freight rail approaches its 200th anniversary next year, this initiative reflects AAR's longstanding commitment to building a strong intellectual foundation for the industry’s next 200 years”, said Rand Ghayad, Senior Vice President, Policy & Economics and Chief Economist at the AAR. “By bringing together leading universities, industry experts, and policymakers, we're investing in the ideas, evidence and manpower that will help the freight rail industry better anticipate change, inform public policy and solve the complex challenges of the future."

Freight rail is one of the nation's most enduring and most critical industries, supporting economic growth, supply chain performance, industrial development, and global competitiveness. Yet despite its importance, many questions surrounding rail economics, freight markets, infrastructure investment, and transportation policy remain understudied. AAR's initiative seeks to help address that gap by encouraging new academic research, expanding engagement with leading scholars, and promoting a deeper understanding of the industry's role in the modern economy.

Research supported through these partnerships will explore a range of critical topics, including:

• Rail economics and freight transportation markets
• Supply chain resilience and system performance
• Infrastructure investment and economic growth
• Freight demand, productivity, and competitiveness
• Transportation policy and regulatory issues
• Trade, industrial development, and freight flows
• Emerging technologies and innovation
• The economic value of freight rail to businesses, consumers and communities

The consortium brings together leading centers of excellence whose expertise spans economics, transportation, logistics, engineering and public policy:

MIT Mobility Initiative

AAR is partnering with the MIT Mobility Initiative, an interdisciplinary effort that examines the movement of people and goods and the systems that support economic activity. Research will focus on freight rail's role in supply chain resilience, economic performance, and the efficient movement of goods across the economy.

Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley

Through a partnership with the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) at UC Berkeley, AAR will support research on freight demand, transportation economics, network performance, modal competition, and the broader economic value freight rail delivers to shippers and the national economy.

Rutgers Rail and Transit Program

AAR's collaboration with the Rutgers Rail and Transit Program will support research on freight transportation, rail policy, and the responsible application of artificial intelligence to improve industry performance, strengthen safety, and advance innovation across the rail sector.

RailTEC, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Building on a longstanding collaboration, AAR will build upon its work with RailTEC on research spanning rail operations, engineering, safety, workforce development, and emerging technologies.

Beyond individual research projects, the consortium seeks to strengthen the field of rail economics and transportation research by fostering greater engagement between academia and industry. Through conferences, workshops, collaborative research, and ongoing dialogue, AAR aims to create new opportunities for researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to exchange ideas and generate insights on the future of freight transportation.

"A stronger body of research leads to better decisions,” said Ghayad. “By expanding the industry's research capacity and fostering long-term collaboration between academia and freight rail, we're helping build the knowledge base that will support better policy, stronger innovation, and a more competitive freight transportation system for decades to come."