The Grainger College of Engineering

Christopher P. L. Barkan

Christopher P. L. Barkan
Christopher P. L. Barkan
  • Professor
  • George Krambles Faculty Fellow
  • Executive Director, Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC)
(217) 244-6338
1245 Newmark Civil Engineering Bldg

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Education

  • Ph.D. Biology State University of New York at Albany, 1987
  • M.S. Biology State University of New York at Albany, 1984
  • B.A. Liberal Arts Goddard College, 1977

Biography

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.

Dr. Barkan's research interests are in railroad transportation safety and risk analysis, hazardous materials transport, energy efficiency, rail capacity, railroad infrastructure and operating economics, and the development and cost-effectiveness of new rail technologies.  In his role as Director of the University of Illinois rail program, he has principal responsibility for the railroad engineering research and academic activities and coordinates and supports faculty and students, conducting research on a wide range of topics to improve rail safety, reliability and efficiency.

He has extensive contacts in the railroad and rail supply industries and at the railroad regulatory agencies in both the U.S. and Canada.  Dr. Barkan serves as the Director of the AAR Affiliated Laboratory at the University of Illinois and Deputy Director of the Railway Supply Institute (RSI)-AAR Railroad Tank Car Safety Research and Test Project, a cooperative program of the tank car and railroad industries conducting research on improving tank car safety.  He maintains frequent contact, coordination and collaboration with the railroad research staff at the Transportation Technology Center Inc. in Pueblo, Colo., and with Association of American Railroads (AAR) headquarters staff in Washington, D.C., as well as senior engineering and technical staff at major North American railroads.

Dr. Barkan is a former member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Transportation of Hazardous Materials and the Committee on Railroad Track Structure System Design.  More recently he served as Chairman of the TRB Railway Systems Section from 2000 to 2003 and the TRB Rail Executive Board from 2004 to 2007.  He also served as a member of the TRB Group 2 and Technical Activities Councils from 2000 through 2007.  He was a member of the TRB Committees studying the Feasibility of a Hazardous Materials Transportation Cooperative Research Program, and Reviewing the U.S. DOT Strategic Plan for Research & Development.  He is currently a member of the TRB Committee for Review of the Federal Railroad Administration Research and Development Program. Dr. Barkan also serves as an academic member of the AAR Railway Technology Working Committee, the principal committee with oversight responsibility for the North American rail industry's cooperative research program. He is Chairman of the Rail Transportation Committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Transportation and Development Institute, and is Chair of the 2010 Joint Rail Conference, a cooperative effort of ASCE, ASME, IEEE, AREMA and TRB whose theme is "High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail."

Before coming to the University of Illinois, Dr. Barkan was Director of Risk Engineering in the Safety and Operations Division of the AAR, and prior to that was Senior Manager in the AAR's Research & Test Department. In these positions he had principal responsibility for directing the railroad industry's cooperative research programs on risk analysis, tank car and hazardous materials transportation safety, and railroad pollution prevention and environmental remediation and waste management technologies.

Dr. Barkan is an author or editor of more than 100 railroad-engineering papers, reports, chapters or books on a range of topics. He and his students have won several awards for research presented at international conferences and papers in peer-reviewed journals.  He has been an invited speaker at conferences, universities and corporations throughout North America, as well as Europe and Asia.

Academic Positions

  • Director, US DOT Federal Railroad Administration, National University Rail Center of Excellence, 2024 - present
  • Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, UIUC, 2009 - Present
  • George Krambles Director, Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC), 2010 - Present
  • Director, Association of American Railroads Research Program, UIUC, 1998 - Present
  • Deputy Director, Railway Supply Institute - Association of American Railroads: Railroad Tank Car Safety Research and Test Project, 1989 - Present

Major Consulting Activities

  • Association of American Railroads, 1999-2001, 2005-present

Continuing Education

  • Railroad Environmental Conference - Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits for attendees (see above) Annually
  • Railway Engineering Education Symposium - Teach the Teacher Event to Introduce University Faculty to Railway Engineering

Research Statement

Dr. Barkan's research interests are focused on risk assessment and management, railroad transportation safety and accident prevention analysis, optimization modeling of rail safety improvement, environmental and human health risk of hazardous materials transport, railroad freight train aerodynamics and energy efficiency strategies, rail capacity analysis and enhancement, railroad infrastructure and operating economics and development and cost-effectiveness of new rail technologies. For more information, visit the RailTEC and NURail Center websites.

Research Interests

  • Rail transportation safety and risk analysis

Research Areas

Books Edited or Co-Edited (Original Editions)

  • Reis, H. and C.P.L. Barkan 2002. (Eds.) Nondestructive Testing for the Railroad Industry, Topics on Nondestructive Evaluation (TONE) Series -Volume 5, The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Columbus, Ohio. 267 pp.
  • Andes, R.P., C.P.L. Barkan, P.T. Kostecki, and E.J. Calabrese (Eds.) 1998. Principles and Practices for Diesel Contaminated Soils: Volume VII. Amherst Scientific Publishers, Amherst, MA. 182 pp.
  • Barkan, C.P.L., P.T. Kostecki, and E.J. Calabrese (Eds.) 1997. Principles and Practices for Diesel Contaminated Soils: Volume VI. Amherst Scientific Publishers, Amherst, MA. 121 pp.
  • Barkan, C.P.L., E.J. Calabrese, and P.T. Kostecki (Eds.) 1996. Principles and Practices for Diesel Contaminated Soils: Volume V. Amherst Scientific Publishers, Amherst, MA. 204 pp.
  • Barkan, C.P.L., P.T. Kostecki, and E.J. Calabrese (Eds.) 1995. Principles and Practices for Diesel Contaminated Soils: Volume IV. Amherst Scientific Publishers, Amherst, MA. 208 pp
  • Kostecki, P.T., E.J. Calabrese, Barkan, C.P.L (Eds.) 1994. Principles and Practices for Diesel Contaminated Soils: Volume III. Amherst Scientific Publishers, Amherst, MA. 241 pp.
  • Kostecki, P.T., E.J. Calabrese, Barkan, C.P.L (Eds.) 1994. Principles and Practices for Diesel Contaminated Soils: Volume II. Amherst Scientific Publishers, Amherst, MA. 157 pp.

Chapters in Books

  • Chuang, S.L. Hsu, A., Young, E., Barkan, C. Reiff, R., Schroeder, M. Williams, D. & Johnson, T. 2002. Fiber-optic sensor technology for railroad technologies. In, H.L. Reis and C.P.L. Barkan, Eds. Nondestructive Testing for the Railroad Industry, Topics on Nondestructive Evaluation (TONE) Series -Volume 5, The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Columbus, OH, pp. 89-100.
  • Flaherty, J.M., Geiger, S.C., Sowko, D.M., Jones, B.H., Andes, R.P., and C.P.L. Barkan 1998. TPH analytical verification protocol for multiple field sites. In R.P. Andes, C.P.L. Barkan, P.T. Kostecki, and E.J. Calabrese, eds. Principles and Practices for Diesel Contaminated Soils: Volume VII. Amherst Scientific Publishers, Amherst, MA, pp. 109-172.
  • Flaherty, J.M., Jones, B.H., Nakles, D.V., Andes, R.P. and C.P.L. Barkan 1997. Comparison of analytical methods for use in evaluating the risk from petroleum hydrocarbons in soil. In C.P.L. Barkan, P.T. Kostecki, and E.J. Calabrese, eds. Principles and Practices for Diesel Contaminated Soils: Volume VI. Amherst Scientific Publishers, Amherst, MA, pp. 41-79.
  • Hockensmith, E., J.E. Waggener, and C.P.L. Barkan 1994. The environmental impact of lubricating railroad rails. In P.T. Kostecki, E.J. Calabrese and C.P.L. Barkan, eds. Principles and Practices for Diesel Contaminated Soils: Volume II . Amherst Scientific Publishers, Amherst, MA, pp. 43-69.

Selected Articles in Journals

Articles in Conference Proceedings

  • Liu, X., M.R. Saat, C-Y. Lin, C.T. Dick and C.P.L. Barkan 2025. Empirical Analysis of Longer Train Derailment Rates and Causes.. In: RailDresden 2025 - The 11th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis (ICROMA), Dresden, Germany, April 2025.
  • Lin, C-Y., C. Song and C.P.L. Barkan 2024. Quantitative Analysis of Railroad Train Collisions in the United States. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C., United States. January 2024.
  • Lin, C-Y., X. Liu and C.P.L. Barkan 2023. Quantitative Comparative Analysis of Conventional and Distributed Power Train Derailment Characteristics. In: Proceedings of the 12th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 2023.
  • Lin, C-Y., C. Song and C.P.L. Barkan 2023. Quantitative Analysis of North American Railroad Train Collisions In: Proceedings of the 12th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 2023.
  • Lin C-Y., X. Liu and C.P.L. Barkan 2023. Probabilistic Modelling of Optimal Placement Strategies of Hazardous Materials Railcars in Freight Trains. In: RailBelgrade 2023 - The 10th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis (ICROMA), Belgrade, Serbia, April 2023.
  • Liu, X., C-Y. Lin and C.P.L. Barkan 2023. Quantitative Comparative Analysis of Conventional and Distributed Power Train Derailment Characteristics. In: Proceedings of the 2023 International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 2023.
  • Kirkpatrick, S.W., T.T. Treichel, C.P.L. Barkan, C-Y. Lin, L. Iannacone, P. Gharzouzi and P. Gardoni 2022 Derailment Simulation Analysis of the Relationship Between Railroad Tank Car Structural Modeling, Physical Testing, and the Probability of Damage and Release. In: Proceedings of the Transportation Research Board 101st Annual Conference. Washington, D.C., January, 2022.
  • Kirkpatrick, S.W., T.T. Treichel, C.P.L. Barkan, C-Y. Lin, L. Iannacone, P. Gharzouzi and P. Gardoni 2022. Improving Understanding of Railroad Tank Wagon Performance in Accidents Through Simulation-Based Derailment Analyses. In: Proceedings of the 13th World Congress on Railway Research, Birmingham, United Kingdom, June 2022.
  • Lin, C-Y., T. Gerstein, C.P.L. Barkan 2022. Benchmarking Safety of Connected Railway Systems: An International Case Study of the United States and Canada. In: Proceedings of the 13th World Congress on Railway Research, Birmingham, United Kingdom. June 2022.
  • Lin, C-Y., T. Gerstein, C.P.L. Barkan, A. Jack., M. Blumenfeld, and U.T. Abdurrahman 2022. International Benchmarking of Railroad Safety Data Systems and Performance – A Cross-Continental Case Study of Six Countries. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C., United States, January 2022.
  • Lin, C-Y., X. Liu and C.P.L. Barkan 2022. Optimal Strategies for Dangerous-Goods Wagon Placement in Freight Trains: A Probabilistic Modeling Approach. In: Proceedings of the 13th World Congress on Railway Research, Birmingham, United Kingdom. June 2022.
  • Lin, C-Y., X. Liu, J. Kim and C.P.L. Barkan 2022. A General Model of the Effect of Hazardous Materials Car Placement in Trains and Their Probability of Derailment In: Proceedings of the Transportation Research Board 101st Annual Conference. Washington, D.C., January, 2022.
  • Lin, C-Y., M.R. Saat and C.P.L. Barkan 2020. A Risk Management Tool to Evaluate Adjacent Track Accidents on Shared-Use Rail Corridors. In: Proceedings of the 2020 AREMA Annual Virtual Conference, September 2020.
  • Lin, C-Y., B.C. Sooter and C.P.L. Barkan 2020. Effect of Automatic Train Protection Technologies on Railroad Accident Prevention. In: Proceedings of the Transportation Research Board 99th Annual Conference. Washington, D.C., January, 2020.
  • Wang, B.Z., J. Kim and C.P.L. Barkan 2020. Machine Learning Analysis of Railroad Freight Train Derailment Severity. In: Proceedings of the Transportation Research Board 99th Annual Conference. Washington, D.C., January, 2020.
  • Bastos, J.C. M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and C.P.L. Barkan Water Damage in Cracked Prestressed Concrete Sleepers. In: Proceedings of the 2019 International Heavy Haul STS Conference, Narvik, Norway, June 2019.
  • Lin C-Y. and C.P.L. Barkan 2019. Modeling the Probability of Train Presence on Adjacent Tracks in Railway Vehicle Intrusion Scenarios. In: Proceedings of the 12th World Congress of Railway Research, Tokyo, Japan. October 2019.
  • Wang, B.Z., J. Kim and C.P.L. Barkan 2019. Heavy Haul Freight Train Severity and Consequence Analysis in North America. In: Proceedings of the 2019 International Heavy Haul STS Conference, Narvik, Norway, June 2019.
  • Bastos, J.C., A. Alvarez Reyes, M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and C.P.L. Barkan 2018. Laboratory Characterization of Structural Capacity of North American Heavy Haul Concrete Crossties. In: Proceedings of Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C, January 2018.
  • Li, W., G.S. Roscoe, Z. Zhang, M.R. Saat and C.P.L. Barkan 2018. Comparison of Loaded and Empty Unit Train Derailment Characteristics. In: Proceedings of Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C, January 2018.
  • Lin, C-Y., M.R. Saat and C.P.L. Barkan 2018. Major Factors Affecting Passenger Train Accident Occurrence and Severity in the United States: 1996 - 2015. In: Proceedings of Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C, January 2018.
  • Zhang, L., S.G. Chadwick and C.P.L. Barkan 2018. Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Incident Consequence Analysis. In: Proceedings of Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Conference, Washington , D.C, January 2018.
  • Chadwick, S.G., C.P.L. Barkan and M.R. Saat 2017. Quantitative Prediction of the Risk of Heavy Haul Freight Train Derailments due to Collisions at Level Crossings. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, September 2017.
  • Lin, C-Y., C.P.L. Barkan and M.R. Saat. 2017. Semi-quantitative Risk Assessment of Adjacent Track Accidents on Shared-use Rail Corridors. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, 2017.
  • Lovett, A.H., C.T. Dick and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. Predicting the Cost and Operational Impacts of Slow Orders on Rail Lines in North America. In: Proceedings of the International Association of Railway Operations Research (IAROR) 7th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis, Lille, France, April 2017.
  • Lovett, A.H., C.T. Dick and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. Predicting the Occurrence and Cost of Temporary Speed Restrictions on North American Freight Lines. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, September 2017.
  • Shih, M-C., C.T. Dick and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. A Decision Support Screening Approach for Railway Infrastructure Capacity Planning on Single-track Lines. In: Proceedings of the International Association of Railway Operations Research (IAROR) 7th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis, Lille, France, April 2017.
  • Shih, M-C., C.T. Dick and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. A Parametric Model of the Train Delay Distribution to Improve Planning of Heavy Haul Cycle Times. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, September 2017.
  • Shih, M-C., C.T. Dick, D. Mussanov and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. A Parametric Model of the Train Delay Distribution Based On Traffic Conflicts. In: Proceedings of the International Association of Railway Operations Research (IAROR) 7th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis, Lille, France, April 2017.
  • Wang, B.Z., C.P.L. Barkan and R. Saat. 2017. Principal Factors Contributing to Heavy Haul Freight Train Safety Improvements in North America: A Quantitative Analysis. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, September 2017.
  • Ghosh, A., M.J. Greve, M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and C.P.L. Barkan. 2016. Analyzing Rail Seat Load Distributions on Concrete Sleepers using Matrix Based Tactile Surface Sensors. In: Proceedings of the 11th World Congress on Railway Research, Milan, Italy, June 2016.
  • Bastos, J.C., M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and C.P.L. Barkan. 2015. Determination of Critical Track Conditions and their Impact on the Performance of Concrete Crossties and Fastening Systems. In: Proceedings of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, October 2015.
  • Greve, M.J., M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and C.P.L. Barkan. 2015. Evaluation of Laboratory and Field Experimentation Characterizing Concrete Crosstie Rail Seat Load Distributions. Accepted, In: Proceedings of the 2015 Joint Rail Conference, San Jose, CA, March 2015.
  • Lovett, A.H., C.T. Dick and C.P.L. Barkan. 2015. Determining Freight Train Delay Costs on Railroad Lines in North America. In: Proceedings of the International Association of Railway Operations Research (IAROR) 6th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis, Tokyo, Japan, March 2015.
  • Scheppe, A.J., J.R. Edwards, M.S. Dersch and C.P.L. Barkan. 2015. Quantifying Lateral Wheel Loading Variation Using Truck Performance Detectors. In: Proceedings of Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C, January 2015.
  • Tang, H., C.T. Dick, B.M. Caughron, X. Feng and C.P.L. Barkan. 2015. A Project Selection Model for Improving Running Time and Operating Cost Efficiency on a Passenger Rail Corridor. In: Proceedings of the International Association of Railway Operations Research (IAROR) 6th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis, Tokyo, Japan, March 2015.
  • Williams, B.A., M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and C.P.L. Barkan. 2015. Quantification of Lateral Forces in Concrete Crosstie Fastening Systems. In: Proceedings of Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C, January 2015.
  • Wolf, H.E., S. Mattson, J.R. Edwards, M.S. Dersch and C.P.L. Barkan. 2015. Flexural Analysis of Prestressed Concrete Monoblock Crossties: Comparison of Current Methodologies and Sensitivity to Support Conditions. In: Proceedings of Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C, January 2015.
  • Atanassov, I., C.T. Dick and C.P.L. Barkan. 2014. Siding Spacing and the Incremental Capacity of the Transition From Single to Double Track. In: Proceedings of the 2014 Joint Rail Conference, Colorado Springs, USA, April 2014.
  • do Carmo, T.B., J.R. Edwards, R.G. Kernes, B.O. Andrawes and C.P.L. Barkan. 2014. Mechanistic Behavior of Concrete Crosstie Fastening System Rail Pad Assemblies. In: Proceedings of the 93rd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, January 2014.
  • do Carmo, T.B., J.R. Edwards, R.G. Kernes, B.O. Andrawes and C.P.L. Barkan. 2014. Laboratory and Field Investigation of the Rail Pad Assembly Mechanistic Behavior. In: Proceedings of the 2014 Joint Rail Conference, Colorado Springs, CO, April 2014.
  • Greve, M.J, J.R. Edwards, R.G. Kernes, M.S. Dersch, C.P.L. Barkan, J. Mediavilla and B.M. Wilson 2014. Analysis of the Relationship Between Rail Seat Load Distribution and Rail Seat Deterioration in Concrete Crossties. In: Proceedings of the 2014 Joint Rail Conference, Colorado Springs, CO, April 2014.
  • Ghosh, A., M.J. Greve, M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and C.P.L. Barkan. 2016. Analyzing Rail Seat Load Distributions on Concrete Sleepers using Matrix Based Tactile Surface Sensors. In: Proceedings of the 11th World Congress on Railway Research, Milan, Italy, June 2016.
  • Wang, B.Z., C.P.L. Barkan and R. Saat. 2017. Principal Factors Contributing to Heavy Haul Freight Train Safety Improvements in North America: A Quantitative Analysis. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, September 2017.
  • Shih, M-C., C.T. Dick, D. Mussanov and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. A Parametric Model of the Train Delay Distribution Based On Traffic Conflicts. In: Proceedings of the International Association of Railway Operations Research (IAROR) 7th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis, Lille, France, April 2017.
  • Shih, M-C., C.T. Dick and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. A Parametric Model of the Train Delay Distribution to Improve Planning of Heavy Haul Cycle Times. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, September 2017.
  • Shih, M-C., C.T. Dick and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. A Decision Support Screening Approach for Railway Infrastructure Capacity Planning on Single-track Lines. In: Proceedings of the International Association of Railway Operations Research (IAROR) 7th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis, Lille, France, April 2017.
  • Lovett, A.H., C.T. Dick and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. Predicting the Occurrence and Cost of Temporary Speed Restrictions on North American Freight Lines. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, September 2017.
  • Lovett, A.H., C.T. Dick and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. Predicting the Cost and Operational Impacts of Slow Orders on Rail Lines in North America. In: Proceedings of the International Association of Railway Operations Research (IAROR) 7th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis, Lille, France, April 2017.
  • Lin, C-Y., C.P.L. Barkan and M.R. Saat. 2017. Semi-quantitative Risk Assessment of Adjacent Track Accidents on Shared-use Rail Corridors. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, 2017.
  • Chadwick, S.G., C.P.L. Barkan and M.R. Saat. 2017. Quantitative Prediction of the Risk of Heavy Haul Freight Train Derailments due to Collisions at Level Crossings. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, September 2017.
  • Zhang, L., S.G. Chadwick and C.P.L. Barkan. 2018. Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Incident Consequence Analysis. In: Proceedings of Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C, January 2018.
  • Lin, C-Y., M.R. Saat and C.P.L. Barkan. 2018. Major Factors Affecting Passenger Train Accident Occurrence and Severity in the United States: 1996 - 2015. In: Proceedings of Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C, January 2018.
  • Li, W., G.S. Roscoe, Z. Zhang, M.R. Saat and C.P.L. Barkan. 2018. Comparison of Loaded and Empty Unit Train Derailment Characteristics. In: Proceedings of Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C, January 2018.
  • Bastos, J.C., A. Alvarez Reyes, M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and C.P.L. Barkan. 2018. Laboratory Characterization of Structural Capacity of North American Heavy Haul Concrete Crossties. In: Proceedings of Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C, January 2018.

Pending Articles

  • Lin C-Y., C. Song and C.P.L. Barkan (submitted March 2025).Quantitative analysis of railroad train collisions in the United States. Under review in Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit.

Other Publications

Journal Editorships

  • Associate Editor – Journal of Rail Transportation Planning & Management, 2012-2016
  • Paper Review Chair - Transportation Research Board, Committee on Rail Freight Transportation (AR040) 2010-2016
  • Associate Editor – Rail Transportation – Journal of Transportation Engineering (ASCE) Special Rail Transportation issue of JTE, published 2010
  • Invited Member – Editorial Panel – Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit Special Issue on Heavy Haul and Innovative Development, 2012
  • Invited Member – Editorial Panel – Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit Special Issue on Heavy Haul and Innovative Development, 2010
  • Reviewer – Journal of Transportation Engineering (ASCE)
  • Reviewer – Accident Analysis and Prevention (Elsevier)
  • Reviewer – Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering (Blackwell)
  • Reviewer – Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board (TRB)
  • Reviewer – Transportation Research, Part B (Elsevier)

Professional Societies

  • Chairman - TRB Rail Group Executive Board, 2004-2007, Emeritus Member 2017 - present
  • Member - TRB Committee on Railroad Operating Technologies: 2011 - 2017
  • Member - TRB Committee on Railroad Freight Transportation: 2011 - 2017
  • American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association Member - Environmental Engineering Committee, 1989-present
  • American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association Member - Education Committee, 2003-present
  • Co-Chair - Joint Rail Conference (ASCE, ASME, IEEE, TRB, AREMA, INFORMS, APTA, NURail), April 15 - 18, 2013 University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
  • Co-Chair - Joint Rail Conference (ASCE, ASME, IEEE, TRB, AREMA, INFORMS, APTA, NURail), April 16 - 18, 2014, Colorado Springs, CO
  • Co-Chair - Joint Rail Conference (ASCE, ASME, IEEE, TRB, AREMA, INFORMS, APTA, NURail), April 16 - 18, 2015, Mineta Transportation Institute, San Jose State University, CA
  • Invited Member - International Association of Railway Operations Research, Scientific Advisory Committee, Rail Tokyo, 6th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis, Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan, 23-26 March 2015

Service on Department Committees

  • Organizer of the William W. Hay Railroad Engineering Seminar series, a semi-weekly, on-campus, seminar on railroad engineering topics featuring UIUC and visiting academic, industry and government speakers. 2000 - present

Service to Federal and State Government

  • Invited Testimony - U.S. Government Accountability Office, Report to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and U.S. House of Representatives - Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Report on Electronically Controlled Pneumatic Brakes - 29 March and 7 April 2016.
  • Invited Testimony - U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Washington, DC, 18 June 2014.
  • Invited Panel Member and Testimony - National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Forum - Rail Safety: Transportation of Crude Oil and Ethanol, 22-23 April 2014 Washington, DC.
  • Invited Member - American Petroleum Institute/Association of American Railroads Joint Working Group on Crude Oil Transportation by Rail, Mitigation Sub-Group, April – July 2014
  • Invited Testimony - U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, Springfield, IL, 11 June 2013.
  • Association of American Railroads (AAR), Director - AAR Affiliated Laboratory at University of Illinois: Provide leadership, technical guidance and coordination for approximately 5-7 faculty and their students on a variety of railroad engineering and advanced technology research projects on behalf of the AAR and the railroad industry, 1998 - present
  • Association of American Railroads (AAR) Participate and advise AAR Committees: Railway Technology Working Committee, Risk Management Working Committee, Tank Car Committee, Hazardous Materials Committee, Environmental Affairs Committee, 1989 - present
  • Railway Supply Institute & Association of American Railroads (RSI-AAR) Deputy Director - Railroad Tank Car Safety Research and Test Project: Provide railroad industry technical expertise, data collection, and analysis on a cooperative, industry-funded program studying tank car safety, 1989 - present
  • Railway Supply Institute & Association of American Railroads (RSI-AAR) Participate and advise RSI-AAR Tank Car Engineering Committee, 1990 - present
  • Association of American Railroads, American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association, American Railway Development Association, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, Railway Association of Canada Principal Organizer - Annual Railroad Environmental Conference, 1999 - present
  • American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association - Education Committee Developing instructional materials on railroad engineering for use in university transportation engineering courses

Other Outside Service

  • Invited Member - American Petroleum Institute/Association of American Railroads: Joint Working Group on Crude Oil Transportation by Rail Mitigation Sub-Group, 2014
  • Invited Member - Advisory Panel: Dow Chemical-Union Pacific Railroad-Union Tank Car: Next Generation Rail Tank Car for Toxic Inhalation Hazard (TIH) Materials, Flammable Gases and Environmentally Sensitive Chemicals, Midland, MI, 2006 - 2008

Teaching Honors

  • Michael S. DeLarco Educator Award, DuPage Railroad Safety Council (2016)
  • George Krambles Faculty Fellow (2006-present)
  • Incomplete List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students (2005, 2015, 2016, 2018 )

Research Honors

  • Co-author on paper that won Best Paper award at 2024 International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (first author and presenter, Chen-Yu Lin) (2024)
  • Outstanding Paper Award from the Transportation Research Board Committee on Transportation of Hazardous Materials (2016)
  • National Association of Railroad Passengers Academic Award (2012)
  • T.A. Stewart-Dyer/Frederick Harvey Trevithick Award from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (with Ph.D. student Y.C. Lai, M.S. student J. Drapa and other coauthors) (2008)
  • Young Researcher Prize at the Eighth World Congress on Railway Research (awarded to M.S. student, Darwin Schafer, for paper coauthored with Barkan) (2008)
  • Co-recipient of the 2007 William Alexander Agnew Meritorious Award/Clarence Noel Goodall Award from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (with Y. Chen, F.V. Lawrence & J.A. Dantzig) (2007)
  • Co-author on paper that won Best Paper award in Environmental category presented at International Heavy Haul Association conference, Rio de Janeiro (first author and presenter, Ph.D. student P. Anand) (2005)
  • Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellowship (1987-1988)

Other Honors

  • Appointed Emeritus Member, Transportation Research Board - Rail Executive Board (2019)
  • Charles H. Hochman Lifetime Achievement Award, Transportation Research Board - Committee on Transportation of Hazardous Materials (2018)

Recent Courses Taught

  • CEE 408 - Railroad Transportation Engrg
  • CEE 410 - Railway Signaling & Control
  • CEE 498 RVO (CEE 498 RVT) - Rail Vehicle Technology
  • CEE 498 T3O (CEE 498 TS3, CEE 498 TS4, CEE 498 TSR) - Transportation Safety and Risk
  • CEE 498 T4O - Transportation Risk and Safety
  • CEE 595 ARO - Seminar
  • CEE 595 ART - Advanced Rail Tech Seminar
  • CEE 595 ART - Advances in Railway Technology
  • CEE 595 HAL (CEE 595 HAO) - High-Efficiency Freight Rail
  • CEE 595 PSO (CEE 595 PSR) - Prec Sched Railroad Seminar
  • CEE 598 ET (CEE 598 ETO) - Electric Traction
  • CEE 598 RVD (CEE 598 RVO) - Rail Vehicle Dynamics

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