VTCA Becomes First Industry Partner with CART

VTCA's Aggregate Producer Leadership Committee (APLC) has unanimously voted to become the first industry partner of the newly formed Center for Aggregate & Rail Track Research (CART). 

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), working alongside Virginia Tech's Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, is proud to announce the launch of the Commonwealth's first research laboratory dedicated exclusively to aggregate materials and railroad track research. Led by Dr. Deb Mishra, CART connects fundamental material science with real-world, large-scale infrastructure performance. 

CART draws on Virginia Tech's established expertise in both aggregate materials and railroad track research. While aggregates form the literal foundation of our transportation systems, focused research into their mechanical and chemical properties has historically received little attention. The same holds true for railroad track research — until now, Virginia Tech had no laboratory dedicated to the subject. CART fills that gap as the first center of its kind in Virginia, and quite possibly in the entire country. 

To support its work, CART will draw on expertise from across Virginia Tech's academic disciplines connected to aggregate products, including Geoscience, Mining & Mineral Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Agriculture, among others. 

Despite what the name suggests, aggregate research and rail track research will operate as separate tracks (pun intended) within the center — though there will likely be opportunities for the two to intersect and inform one another. 

VTCA has committed to a two-year partnership with CART. Although the center's governance structure is still being finalized, VTCA will hold a seat on the committee responsible for guiding research priorities and shaping how that committee itself is organized. 

CART and VTCA are now looking to bring additional industry partners on board. Signing on as a partner comes with a seat on the research committee in exchange for a minimum level of financial support. Companies can also get involved at a deeper level — as strategic partners, equipment sponsors, or research collaborators — helping shape the future of Virginia's transportation infrastructure. 

For more information, contact Rob Lanham at rob@vtca.org or 540-229-9662