School's in Session: The National Academy of Railroad Sciences Assembles On-, Off-Campus Curriculum to Meet the Industry's Training Needs

The National Academy of Railroad Sciences (NARS), based in Overland Park, Kansas, at Johnson County Community College (JCCC), is expanding its offerings, as one of the largest railroad training schools in North America. NARS offers classes for newcomers to the industry as well as experienced workers seeking additional certification training in skills such as welding, signal maintenance, diesel-engine repair, freight-car maintenance, electrical repairs, telecommunications, and track and bridge inspection. In spring of 2008, it began a locomotive engineer training program for passenger railroads. It is also creating Internet-based courses to expand its accessibility. Supported jointly by BNSF and JCCC, its enrollment peaked in 2005-2006 because of a wave of retirements under the industry’s 60 years of age/30 years of service criteria. Enrollments have dropped somewhat as demand for rail service has fallen, and hiring has not risen as much as it had in the past. In 2007, it trained fewer than 2,000 students. It has 67 instructors, 60 of whom are experienced BNSF employees. It has 16 locomotive simulators, in addition to brake racks that simulate air brakes on a locomotive and two rail cars. It also operates two off-site rail yards. One has four locomotives, 14 cars, and three tracks. There are also remote-control training systems. Students also come from short line railroads. TRAX, an online training site for regionals and short lines, was begun May 1, 2008. TRAX modules address Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requirements for transportation, mechanical, and engineering, as well as information technology, courses.