Welcome to the Tracks to the Future (T2F) program in Railroad Engineering. The program was initially developed as we came out of the Covid epidemic, andepidemic and offered as a hybrid program combining two days of virtual instruction with two days of on-campus activities. Although Michigan Tech had been running an on-campus program since 2011, the first year of the T2F hybrid program was 2022. T2F was funded through a three yearthree-year grant from the Federal Railroad Administration. The program was initially offered at three partner universities, Michigan Tech, Penn State University-Altoona, and the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign. In 2023 we added three more universities to the program, California State University-Fresno, the University of South Carolina, and the University of New Mexico. In 2024 we added four more universities, North Dakota State University, the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Oregon State University, and the University of the District of Columbia. We tweaked the curriculum each year and the materials shown on this site represent the program used in the final year, 2024.
This site was developed for faculty/teachers interested in learning more about the curricula and potentially use some of the materials/activities in their classroom. This site is divided into two basic areas:
- Modules 1-4 were included in the virtual part of the program, and include lessons, student activities and competitions in virtual environment, and hands on table-top activities.
- Modules 5 and 6 were conducted at the individual campus locations of each partner university. The campus offerings varied somewhat between the different campuses, those shown here were conducted at Michigan Tech.
Use the side bar menu to navigate to the different modules. Each module opens with a brief description of the content.
Students can also explore the materials, although we highly encourage those eligible to participate in Tracks to the Future to visit our web site and look for the next time it's being offered.
Enjoy the ride on the Tracks to the Future!! If you have further questions on the program, please visit our web site or email rail@mtu.edu.
Railroads, the high tech and environmentally sensitive transportation mode! Don’t believe us? This course will help you learn why railroads remain the most energy-efficient transportation mode and what forms modern railroad track, equipment, and communications/control systems might take. Learn how rail compares with other modes and leads the charge in reducing transportation greenhouse gas emissions! Find out how it all works: classroom/virtual sessions, hands-on activities, and plenty of field visits to all sorts of railroad facilities! See below for description of traditional (on-campus) and hybrid program options.
