Lofgren Announces Over $4.6 Million in Federal Rail Safety Research Funding for San Jose State University

SAN JOSE, CA – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) announced that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will provide San Jose State University (SJSU) with a total of $4,666,011 in funding to establish a Climate Change and Extreme Events Training and Research (CCEETR) program.

The CCEETR program will conduct research and education to improve passenger and freight rail networks' resilience against extreme weather events caused by climate change.

"SJSU does vital and groundbreaking work developing innovative solutions to the challenges of climate change and extreme weather," said Rep. Lofgren. "I'm proud to celebrate the establishment of the CCEETR program, which will utilize SJSU's expertise to improve rail safety and harden our rail network against the effects of climate change."

This funding comes from the FRA's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. Government funding legislation for Fiscal Year 2021, which Rep. Lofgren supported, provided $375 million for the CRISI program. Under the grant, the CCEETR program will develop five projects to research and demonstrate new technologies to mitigate the effects of extreme events and to advance workforce training and development programs for railway personnel.

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