Climate resilience and safety in transportation

In recent decades, the ground transportation sector has been affected by significant challenges brought on by emerging technologies and extreme weather conditions. The adoption of new solutions to mitigate the impacts of these changes on the supply chain is critical to maintain the safety and efficiency of passenger and freight transportation.

Our expertise

Continued research, development and testing is critical to ensure the ground transportation sector evolves in a resilient and safe way. Through the Resilient Ground Transportation program, experts from the NRC's Automotive and Surface Transportation Research Centre are playing a significant role in supporting industry and regulators who face challenges related to climate change and the digitalization of the transportation sector. With expertise and facilities across Canada, NRC ground transportation researchers, engineers and scientists support clients through technology development, evaluation and demonstration, and provide evidence-based guidance to support the development and modernization of Canada's related policies and regulations.

Our work can provide operators and government departments with ground transportation system expertise and solutions to improve economic prosperity and the well-being of Canadians in the following ways:

• Developing, adopting and evaluating new technologies and capabilities to predict climate-related risks around key transportation routes to improve efficiency, safety and climate resilience
• Developing industry best practices and guidelines to increase supply chain efficiency and improve the passenger travel experience
• Operating as a centre of excellence to help regulators keep pace with the advancement in innovation and accelerate technology adoption
• Assisting fleet operators in the selection and deployment of more sustainable vehicles
• Assisting medium and heavy haul and bus manufacturers to improve vehicle performance in the Canadian climate environment
• Improving mobility in soft soils and snow through advanced modelling and simulation

Programs

Discover other NRC programs that support Canada's climate resilience transportation goals:

Facilities and labs

Learn more about the NRC's facilities and labs that can help you develop, test and validate your climate and safety-related ground transportation challenges and technologies:

• Climatic testing research facility
• Compression and tension testing facility
• Instrumented wheelsets for rails cars
• Heavy structural dynamics lab research facility
• Heavy vehicle tilt research facilities
• Rail vehicle impact ramp research facility
• Wheel bearing and brake research facility

Success stories

Learn more about our significant milestones and accomplishments in the field of resilient ground transportation:

• New NRC technology helps VIA Rail increase passenger comfort
• Wheel/rail optimization keeps transit systems on track
• On track to better performance with the NRC’s instrumented wheelsets

Why work with us

Our experts and facilities are dedicated to ground transportation. Our specialized advisory services range from modeling, testing prototyping, demonstrations, data analysis and consulting:

• Collaborative R&D: In a joint effort, our research expertise and capabilities can help you advance your R&D projects
• Technical services: Our technical expertise can help you test and mature your technology to take it to the next level