Historic opportunities in passenger and freight rail have the potential to make tremendous progress in the way we move goods and people all across the country, but only if we educate, train, and recruit the workers who will make it happen.
The National and State-Level Multisector Working Groups assist the NNTW research team by providing frontline insights and years of professional experience. Additionally, our working groups bring together a varied range of perspectives from across the passenger and freight rail industries and from the public and private sectors.
Project researchers at Montana State University, University of Memphis, and California State University, Long Beach are each convening regional, multi-sector rail working groups to guide project implementation. These groups bring together representatives from across the rail ecosystem including freight and passenger rail, Class I, II, and III operators, intercity passenger carriers, and related industry partners, alongside education and workforce stakeholders.
Industry partners play a central role in:
- Defining current and future workforce needs
- Identifying critical skills gaps and emerging occupations
- Informing practical, industry-relevant problem statements
- Shaping education and training strategies that are realistic, scalable, and impactful
Working groups will meet at least semi-annually from 2026–2030, ensuring sustained engagement and alignment as strategies are implemented and refined.
Each regional cohort is grounded in:
- Existing and planned rail operations and expansions within the state or region
- An inventory of current education and training assets, along with identified gaps and opportunities for improvement