Texas Engineers Receive R&D Awards for Train Tech
C. Tyler Dick and his research group are developing a rail technology platform that has been hailed as one of the top 100 innovative new technology projects by the R&D 100 Awards program.
C. Tyler Dick and his research group are working on one of the top 100 innovative new technology projects. Dick and a railway technology platform he works on received a pair of awards as part of the R&D 100, the self-stylized “Oscars of Innovation” that has recognized breakthrough emerging software, products and materials for more than 60 years.
Dick, who joined the Fariborz Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering in 2022, focuses on train energy research and operations. For several years, he has worked closely with the National Laboratory of the Rockies, Southwest Research Institute and BNSF Railway to develop the Advanced Locomotive Technology and Rail Infrastructure Optimization System (ALTRIOS), an open-source digital twin and simulation software for the freight rail system.
“Freight railroads are often perceived as old and stagnant, but there is a lot of technological innovation out of public view. ALTRIOS provides an exciting new platform for researchers to continue pushing the envelope to maximize the societal and environmental benefits of freight rail transportation,” said Dick.
The tool has been used to investigate critical research questions in railway alternative energy, operations and safety for a number of railway industry, supplier and agency sponsors. ALTRIOS was originally developed to investigate alternative-energy locomotives.
Recently, the technology has been expanded to examine railway safety, such as modeling the circumstances of train-handling derailments, like the one that occurred in downtown Austin in April 2026. The insights gained through ALTRIOS simulation can help railroads deploy new alternative energy and safety technologies more effectively, improving railway efficiency and safety and benefiting the public and the economy.
Dick and his colleagues will be honored at the R&D 100 Awards gathering on Nov. 19. In addition to the top 100 honor, the project also received a Corporate Responsibility Award.