Remarks given at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the official opening of RailTEC's new innovation laboratory at the University of Illinois.

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ASSISTANT SECRETARY WINFREE | REMARKS
Research and Innovation Laboratory (RAIL) Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony, 10 Minutes
 First, I’d like to thank Christopher (RailTEC Executive Director), Marcus (RailTEC Senior
Engineer) and the rest of the RailTEC team for being terrific hosts and giving me the
opportunity to tour this amazing laboratory and some of the other state-of-the-art facilities
here at the University of Illinois.
 Chris and the staff here have gone out of their way to show me the cutting edge technologies
used by the students and faculty at the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center to
conduct research.
 The young men and women here I had the chance to meet are truly impressive and what
they are doing here is a great example of why the smartest investment the United States can
make is in the capacity of its best and brightest to make a difference.
 Today we are all here to celebrate the official opening of the Rail and Innovation
Laboratory—a world class facility that simply underscores RailTEC’s status as national leader
for rail transportation research and innovation.

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 Rail transportation is the lifeblood of industry in this country; countless businesses depend
on America’s 140,000 mile freight rail network to keep their supply chains moving safely and
efficiently.
 Rail is one of the fundamental reasons why the United States became a global economic
power, and ensuring its dynamism and vitality will be essential to remaining competitive in
the global economy of the 21st
Century.
 The Rail and Innovation Laboratory is exactly what this country needs to prepare for the
future.
 Cutting edge technologies like the Track Loading System and Rapid Component Degradation
System housed in this laboratory give researchers here the means to develop safer and more
resilient track designs; and inform rail industry standards and best practices.
 As impressed as I was by the technologies housed in the facility, I was even more impressed
by the people.

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 The Rail and Innovation Laboratory is just a building without people—without their ideas and
tireless dedication to making rail transportation a continuing force for enduring economic
prosperity, and a more environmentally sustainable component of our supply chains.
 One of the most challenging aspects of making the case for why this country needs to do
more to support transportation research is that the value of research is often easy to
acknowledge but difficult to articulate.
 Research doesn’t necessarily produce results on a timeline that demands the attention of
decision-makers juggling transportation funding priorities.
 But, what research can do is find the best solution; one that often extends far beyond its
original purpose.
 Research leads to new technologies and industries, which in turn, create jobs and other new
opportunities.

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 The U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers program is
fundamentally designed around this idea—supporting critical transportation research at
competitively selected colleges and universities around the country.
 As the lead UTC for rail research, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers so
much more than just expertise in its partnership with USDOT—it offers the ability to do far
more than what is possible from the UTC grant alone.
 RailTEC has long-established ties with rail industry leaders and state organizations, which
ensure that the research areas and curriculum are relevant and timely.
 UTCs like the University of Illinois do a much better job of telling the story about the value of
transportation research, than I ever could—because they are living examples of what is
possible.
 The Research and Innovation Laboratory makes the most powerful argument for why every
dollar spent on priority transportation research can ultimately pay huge dividends.

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 Look around you—the students here have access to the most advanced research facilities in
the world and they're learning from leading experts in the field.
 UTCs like RailTEC are providing students with a hands-on education while offering a real
opportunity to be a game changer before they even graduate.
 UTCs are preparing the next generation of transportation leaders and innovators--men and
women who will go on and be difference-makers for a lifetime.
 And the stakes couldn’t be higher.
 What is being accomplished here should serve as a wakeup call for the rest of the country,
because our transportation workforce will be undergoing fundamental changes in the years
ahead.
 These changes not only threaten the long-term vitality of the nation’s transportation system,
but ultimately, the ability of the United States to compete in the global economy.

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 As the baby boom generation retires, up to fifty percent of the current transportation
workforce could leave over the next decade.
 With fewer people entering transportation-related fields, replacing these experienced
retirees will be a tremendous challenge.
 Encouraging more Science, Technology, Engineering and Math students to choose a career in
transportation will not solve this problem alone.
 We need to train more operators, managers, support personnel, and other skilled workers
who are crucial to ensuring that our transportation system remains safe and efficient.
 Advancements like high speed rail and the continuing growth of rail transport underscore the
focus on railway safety and efficiency and highlight the needs of an industry that will need
men and women with specific skill-sets in the years ahead.
 The opening of the Rail and Innovation Laboratory cements the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign as a premier institute of higher learning for rail and transportation
professionals and as a globally recognized leader for rail transportation research.

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 The United States wins when it invests in its people—in their capacity for achieving greater
things through ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to scientific progress.
 If you need more evidence, just look around you.
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