Those changes, he said, are going to put a premium on companies hiring engineers of a different kind, in the mechanical, electrical, chemical, civil, and industrial information technology areas.

“The railroads will need to hire, retain, and develop these people,” said Swan, who expects artificial intelligence to be central to railroads before most other industries. “They are going to need systems managers — not people managers.”

Colleges and universities are a ready source for future railroaders, particularly research institutions.

“Research attracts money, and that would help focus engineers on railroad technology, attracting pre- and post-graduates,” he said. “For blue collar trades, community colleges can provide skilled education for specific jobs.”

Immersing would-be employees in the rail milieu, at a young age, can put the field on their radar later in life. “Tracks to the Future,” for example, is a summer program hosted by colleges for high school students to investigate a career path in railroad transportation and engineering. 

“We’re a rail supplier…of talent,” said Pasi Lautala, a professor at Michigan Tech. “It’s answering the question of how we get people to the industry through the education pathway. Pre-university programs are effective.”

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) has established student chapters at 20 colleges, Lautala noted, adding that of the 1000 students who have come through his school’s rail program, half have gone on to internships or full-time jobs in railroading.

Lautala said that scholarships get younger students excited about rail, while research awards get attention from university leadership. “They say, ‘What is this rail thing?’ But, much more marketing from the industry would help.”

Educators said that it’s important to recognize that new job types  are emerging in supply chain and transportation. 

“It’s becoming an interdisciplinary field,” said Dong-Jun Min, a professor at the University of New Orleans. “A student needs an education in science, technology, and management before they can get a good job. We should have those kind of programs at colleges and universities. And grades K-12 are very, very important. We need to market ourselves better to the new generations.”

There are particular challenges for smaller railroads, many with fewer resources for training and prospecting for new applicants.

“How do we train people in the railroad ethos?” asked Amy Kraus, vice president with the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), an industry group representing non-Class 1 carriers.

What the organization did, Krause said, was win a federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant to establish a training center. The program has onboarded 800 employees from 70 railroad operators, offering a diverse disciplines ranging from locomotive operations to leadership development.

Kritika Jetley, assistant director of  public projects for BNSF Railway, recalled that in a decade at the company she has worked in track engineering, intermodal operations, network strategy, and is now back in engineering. 

“We have 37,000 employees, and there is a lot of workforce development on an annual basis after hiring,” said Jetley. “Employees frequently have to be certified in certain areas, so we train and re-train.”

The railroad, which operates in 27 states, has education partnerships with community colleges in Kansas City, Denver, Barstow, and Lincoln, Neb., which collectively have attracted 2,335 students and 12,700 participants. Said Jetley, “That helps build a workforce that is local for BNSF employees, and empowers colleges to independently build curriculum for non-BNSF employees. We are invested in that. For example, BNSF supported Montana State University’s success grant application for workforce development.” 

Moderator Kevin Keller, vice president at engineering firm HDR, suggested the rail industry would be well-served to develop a unified curriculum for higher learning. 

“It’s a critical time, the industry is transforming itself into a more preferred mode of transportation for the future,” said Keller. “The adoption of biofuels and hydrogen, and AI, are going to require specialized skill sets five years from now. The question is, how do we recruit and how do we train? It’s going to take an effort from all of us.”

The TRB’s Committee on Freight Rail Transportation is developing a Research Needs Statement (RNS) for education, as a way to attract funding.

“If we do this right there’s funding out there,” he said. “$140 million of the last round of CRISI grants was for workforce development. The federal government is willing to fund. A unified approach is what we need.”

Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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