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Christopher Barkan

Christopher P.L. Barkan is Professor and George Krambles Director of the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his B.A. (1977) from Goddard College and his M.S. (1984) and Ph.D. (1987) from the State University of New York at Albany. He held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center before joining the Association of American Railroads (AAR) in 1988 where he worked for 10 years in the Research & Test and the Safety & Operations departments in Washington, D.C. He joined the faculty at the University of Illinois in 1998. Dr. Barkan teaches courses in railroad transportation engineering, railway signaling and operation, advances in rail technology and graduate seminars in various rail transportation topics. Since coming to the University of Illinois, he and his colleagues have expanded the rail curriculum from one course to ten, the largest of any North American university. He is also working with colleagues at other colleges and universities, leading efforts to expand rail transportation and engineering academic programs and opportunities nationwide.

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Contributor Brief·Christopher Barkan · 1 article
Updated Sep 6, 2023

Rail technology can recapture freight from trucking through operational innovation

Barkan argues that emerging rail systems can compete directly with long-haul trucking by addressing the operational constraints that have made rail uncompetitive for time-sensitive freight. He advocates for technology-driven infrastructure modernization as the path to revitalizing rail's role in the freight network, not as a niche alternative but as a primary competitor to trucking.

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emerging system Georgia preparing to test for reshaping freight movement

“New technology could reshape how goods move by rail and compete with trucking.”

New Rail Technology is Aiming to Revitalize More Rail Infrastructure as an Alternative to Trucking

Rail's competitive challenge against trucking in freight movement

Speed and schedule reliability3
Flexibility for time-sensitive freight2
Infrastructure modernization readiness5
Potential market capture from trucking6

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19%Speed and
Speed and schedule reliability
Flexibility for time-sensitive freight
Infrastructure modernization readiness
Potential market capture from trucking

Long-haul trucking

the primary competitive target for emerging rail technology systems

Georgia is preparing to test an emerging system that could reshape freight competition.

New Rail Technology is Aiming to Revitalize More Rail Infrastructure as an Alternative to Trucking

Rail infrastructure modernization offers a direct alternative pathway to trucking dominance.

New Rail Technology is Aiming to Revitalize More Rail Infrastructure as an Alternative to Trucking

“Emerging systems position rail as competitive freight option against established trucking networks.”

Themes:Rail technology as direct trucking competitionInfrastructure modernization as strategic freight network priorityOperational innovation driving modal shift in logistics

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