By Elijah Noriega

EDINBURG, TEXAS – APRIL 23, 2026 – The sharp clink of metal on metal echoed through the lab as students at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley stepped into the role of field engineers – bringing a full-scale railroad track to life with their own hands.

Twenty-five students assembled a 40-foot track panel for a railway safety research initiative, part of a collaboration between UTRGV’s University Transportation Center for Railway Safety and BNSF Railway, one of North America’s largest freight railroad networks.

Working late into the evenings at the Engineering Hi-Bay Area on the UTRGV Edinburg Campus this spring, the students prepared materials, coordinated logistics and executed a project designed to mirror real-world industry conditions.

UTRGV students debrief with Greg on improving efficiency and communication before moving the second section of the railway as a few other students passing through the engineering bay look over the progress they have made in admiration. (UTRGV Photo by Silver Salas)

For Teresa Salazar Flores, a UTRGV senior majoring in civil engineering, the experience was deeply personal. Inspired by her father, a welder, she once found engineering intimidating but soon discovered her passion for it. 

“Now I’m looking at this thing being built to life,” she said. “I helped design this from the bottom up.”

Dr. Constantine Tarawneh, mechanical engineering professor, director of UTCRS and principal investigator, said the track panel will replicate real conditions and pave the way for more advanced safety testing.

“The hands-on experience students get is almost impossible to replicate in a classroom setting,” he said. “Instead of sending them out into the field, we bring the field experts here. This is an important and unique experience for our students.”  

Funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation through its University Transportation Centers Program, the project supports UTCRS’s mission to advance railway safety research and prepare students for careers in the industry. In addition, the program receives in-kind support from BNSF Railway and MxV Rail.

Tarawneh said the track panel was built to meet industry demand for more realistic rail anchor testing, expanding from a single-rail rig to a full panel constructed to Association of American Railroads standards for ongoing research. The project also included AI-based monitoring of rail components.

Charity Duran, director of engineering data and analysis at BNSF Railway, said the collaboration was exciting and rewarding for everyone involved.

“We’re helping the students by donating material and making sure they are installing this new track panel to specification, so they can continue their research and learn more about the railroad industry,” she said. “These UTRGV students are amazing. They will make great future railroaders.”

Tarawneh said the build required intense commitment and credited the students for their dedication. 

“The students stayed almost until midnight every day for a week working on the preassembly preparations,” he said.

Beyond constructing the track panel, the project strengthens the UTCRS’s broader mission: improving railway safety while training the next generation of engineers.

“At the end of the day our focus is to help railroads operate more safely,” Tarawneh said. “Our students have embraced that.”

To learn more about the University Transportation Center for Railway Safety, visit https://www.utrgv.edu/railwaysafety.