MxV Rail

MxV Rail (full legal name: Transportation Technology Center, Inc.) is a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) which conducts railroad equipment testing and training for member railroads.[1]

For the testing facility owned by the Federal Railroad Administration, see Transportation Technology Center.

MxV Rail
IndustryRailroad equipment testing and training
PredecessorTransportation Technology Center, Inc.
Founded1998 (1998)
Headquarters
Pueblo, Colorado
,
United States
Area served
North America
Key people
Kari Gonzales, CEO and President
Number of employees
300
ParentAssociation of American Railroads
Websitewww.ttci.tech

From 1982 until October 2022, AAR managed operations at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) as part of public-private partnership between AAR and the TTC's owner, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The TTC is a railroad equipment testing facility located northeast of Pueblo, Colorado. AAR formed its Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) subsidiary in 1998, and TTCI assumed the contract.

In March 2021, TTCI lost the contract to operate the TTC, effective October 2022. In March 2022, AAR rebranded TTCI as MxV Rail, as it works to establish its own testing facility in Pueblo.

History

The facility operations and maintenance for TTC has been the responsibility of a contractor since July 1972.[2]: 89–92  Due to reduced funding that threatened to close TTC, the FRA entered a public-private partnership with AAR in 1982, who would take over "care, custody, and control" of the facility.[3] AAR formed its TTCI subsidiary to administer the contract in 1998[4] and the contract was renewed periodically as a single-source award.[5][6]

In March 2021, the FRA awarded the operations and maintenance contract to ENSCO, Inc., who assumed responsibility for research and development, testing, engineering, and training services at TTC from TTCI starting in October 2022. In addition, ENSCO plans to expand the use of TTC to support more general ground transportation research.[7]

In April, TTCI announced plans to build a new, independent research facility in Pueblo after reaching an agreement with the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation (PEDCO).[8] The new facility would be in the PuebloPlex industrial park (site of the former Pueblo Chemical Depot), just south of the TTC.[9]

In March 2022, the AAR announced that TTCI would be rebranded into MxV Rail, a name based on the mathematical formula for momentum: mass x velocity.[10]

Facilities

At the PuebloPlex, MxV Rail plans to build a high-tonnage loop for accelerated service testing and curve negotiation loops, along with related infrastructure to support certification testing by the AAR.[11]

References
  1. "Testing Facilities & Equipment". Federal Railroad Administration. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  2. Secretary of Transportation (1977). The Tenth and Final Report on the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965 (Report). U.S. Department of Transportation. hdl:2027/ien.35556029490174. Retrieved September 16, 2021. alternative PDF link
  3. Holmes, Nathan D. (April 19, 2008). "A Look Inside the Transportation Test Center". Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  4. "TTCI Is Evolving" (Press release). Transportation Technology Center, Inc. March 5, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  5. "Federal Railroad Administration Announces Contract Agreement with the Transportation Technology Center, Inc" (Press release). Federal Railroad Administration. September 15, 2000. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  6. Luczak, Marybeth (March 8, 2021). "TTC Management Transitioning to 'DOT-Wide' Contract". Railway Age. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  7. "ENSCO awarded contract to manage Transportation Technology Center". Progressive Railroading. March 9, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  8. Luczak, Marybeth (April 27, 2021). "TTCI to Start 'Next Chapter' at New Pueblo Facility". Railway Age. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  9. "Celebrating the Past, Present and Future of Rail Research, Testing and Development in Pueblo!" (Press release). Pueblo Economic Development Corporation. April 26, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  10. "Building Momentum: Railroad Industry Introduces MxV Rail". Association of American Railroads. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  11. "TTCI changes name to MxV Rail, prepares for new campus". Progressive Railroading. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.

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