Cummings Elevated to AVP at TTCI

More than 50 miles of railroad track and specialized laboratories for testing locomotives, vehicles, track components and signaling devices comprise the FRA Transportation Technology Center facilities, where TTCI is headquartered. (Photo by William C. Vantuono)

The Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) has promoted Scott Cummings to Assistant Vice President-Research and Innovation.

Cummings served most recently as Senior Scientist at TTCI, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR). In his new role, he will lead the AAR Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) program, offering new approaches to advance rail safety, reliability and efficiency.

Cummings joined TTCI in 1997 as a Mechanical Engineer. He has served as a Project Manager for the SRI program since 2009 and has led the program’s Mechanical Research team since 2018. In 2013, Cummings was selected to participate in TTCI’s Railroad Exchange Program and spent a year as a visiting professional with Norfolk Southern, investigating derailment causes and maintenance-of-way topics. He has managed several industry groups, including the Wheel Defect Prevention Research Consortium, AAR Mechanical Systems Research Committee, and TTCI Research Advisory Board.

Additionally, Cummings has authored more than 100 technical research publications, and received “best paper” awards from the International Heavy Haul Association, World Congress on Railway Research, and American Society of Mechanical Engineers-Railway Transportation Division. (With TTX Co. Senior Product Development Engineer Sawan Dumbre, he recently co-authored: “TTCI R&D: Effects of Braking on Wheels.”)

“The SRI program is the cornerstone of technology advancement in the North American railroad industry,” TTCI Acting CEO Kari Gonzales said. “We are looking forward to Scott enhancing industry collaboration by engaging key stakeholders to realign research objectives and prepare the rail industry for the demands of the future.”