ICRI Online Workshop for Contact Benchmark, April 14, 2026; 7:00 AM PST, 10:00 AM EST, 3:00 PM CET, 10:00 PM CST

Please join us for a collaborative ICRI Online Workshop to discuss an ICRI benchmark on wheel-rail contact evaluation, led by Edwin Vollebregt (Vtech CMCC), Binbin Liu (Dresden University of Technology), Saeed Hossein Nia (NRC), and Ren Luo (Southwest Jiaotong University). Please contact ICRI to get an invite to this workshop.

31st Annual Wheel Rail Interaction Conference 2026 (WRI 2026 Heavy Haul) – Dallas, Texas, April 22-24, 2026

Welcome to the 31st annual Wheel Rail Interaction Conference. The WRI 2026 Heavy Haul Conference is specifically tailored for the heavy haul (freight) sector, focusing on the challenges and advancements unique to the wheel/rail interface on heavy haul freight and shared-track passenger systems. The WRI 2026 Heavy Haul Conference will be held in Dallas, TX from April 22-24, 2026, and will focus on practical applications. Attendees will be from class 1 railroads, shortlines, suppliers, contractors, government regulators, researchers and consultants.

For more information please see here.

ICRI Webinar: Modelling Top-of-Rail Friction Modifiers, May 6, 2026; 7:00 AM PST, 10:00 AM EST, 2:00 PM GMT, 3:00 PM CET

Presenters: Gerald Trummer (Virtual Vehicle Research) and William Skipper (University of Sheffield).

Top-of-rail friction modifiers have long been used as a means of producing intermediate friction for reduced energy consumption and mitigating against the effects of rolling contact fatigue (RCF) and corrugation in curves. Friction modifier is applied via trackside applicators, which dispense a quantity to the railhead. The product is then picked up by the wheel and carried down the railhead through subsequent rotations.

Previous work with the Federal Railroad Administration, undertaken by the University of Sheffield and Virtual Vehicle Research GmbH, created a model to study the pick-up, carry-down, and product consumption where this was validated by experimental testing. This model has now been expanded to include the changing lateral contact patch positions on wheel and rail and the lateral squeezing and redistribution of the friction modifier product through wheel passes. As before, the updates to the model have been calibrated and validated by experimental work on a full-scale rig, which included: changes in friction as a function of lateral wheel position, changes in pick-up and carry-down behaviour, and changes in the friction modifier spread and squeeze behaviour. This project has resulted in a tool that integrates into multi-body simulation software and will allow for studies of the spreading of friction modifiers on the surfaces of wheel and rails, and of the evolution of wheel/rail interface friction in complex railway operation scenarios.

Joint RCRS and ICRI Symposium on Squats and Squat-type defects 2026, Graz/Austria – May 26-27, 2026

RCRS (Research Cluster Railway Systems), in cooperation with the ICRI (International Collaborative Research Initiative on Rolling Contact Fatigue and Wear of Rails and Wheels) is pleased to announce a two-day symposium on Squats and Squat-type defects. The symposium aims to bring together manufacturers, infrastructure managers, railway operators, and researchers to establish a common understanding of Squats and Squat type defects, exchange current developments, and discuss future challenges.

For more information see here.

31st Annual Wheel Rail Interaction Conference 2026 (WRI 2026 Transit) – Boston, MA, September 1–3, 2026

Welcome to the 31st annual Wheel Rail Interaction Conference. The WRI 2026 Rail Transit Conference is devoted to examining wheel/rail and vehicle/track interaction on light rail and subway operations. The conference will be held in Boston, MA from September 1-3, 2026. The event includes a 1-day Principles Course (September 1) and a 2-day Rail Transit Seminar (September 2-3). Attendees will be from commuter rail systems, contractors, government regulators, researchers and consultants..

For more information please see here.

2026 ICRI IN-PERSON WORKSHOP, Sheffield/UK – September 16-18, 2026

An multi-day ICRI in-person workshop is being planned for September 16 to 18, 2026, at the University of Sheffield in the UK! The ICRI conference aims to bring together researchers, suppliers and railways for practical discussions on topics having significant cost and safety implications for the railway industry. More details will follow, but meanwhile please add this event to your calendars.