Our independent testing practices support one of our core values – rigor. Confidence in our work comes from never settling and we put breakthrough technologies to the test. In partnership, we safely experiment, learn, adapt, and advance, so our clients can thrive.
With new facilities designed for today’s client needs, we can streamline project management, control costs, and reduce reporting requirements. We can meet evolving industry challenges by working in new and more efficient ways.
Introducing the latest FAST® Loop, a cornerstone of the AAR’s Strategic Research Initiative. This redesigned 2.8-mile track supports over 30 experiments annually, testing components under near-revenue conditions. By offering accelerated testing with heavier-than-standard freight cars, the FAST Loop supports impactful R&D that advances rail safety, efficiency, reliability, and sustainability.
The FAST® Loop is essential for advancing rail safety by allowing components to be rigorously tested before they are deployed in revenue service. This accelerated testing environment replicates real-world conditions, ensuring that new technologies and components are reliable and safe. The loop accumulates over 140 million gross tons of heavy axle load traffic per year, providing a robust platform for evaluating the durability and performance of rail infrastructure.
By supporting a wide range of experiments, from detecting defective wheels to testing new track structures, the FAST® Loop plays a crucial role in the rail industry’s innovation pipeline. FAST offers a tightly controlled full-scale environment, which allows testing to be conducted as efficiently as possible. Data is collected repetitively and continuously to allow direct correlation to those operating conditions. MxV Rail’s dedication to cutting-edge research ensures that the FAST® Loop remains at the forefront of rail technology advancements.
The track features specialized test zones that evaluate pitch, bounce, twist, roll, yaw, and sway. The Pitch and Bounce Zone uses parallel rail sections with controlled vertical profile changes to assess vehicle response over varying track conditions. The Twist and Roll Zone introduces cross-level deviations that excite carbody motion, while the Adjustable Test Zone allows engineers to create customized perturbations based on specific testing objectives. Together, these capabilities support AAR Chapter 11, M-976, and MSRP testing requirements while helping engineers better understand suspension behavior and vehicle-track interaction.
The SRT supports qualification testing of freight equipment and provides valuable data for passenger vehicles and locomotives. Engineers can evaluate ride quality, component durability, resonance response, and system performance before equipment enters revenue service.
Behind every test is MxV Rail’s multidisciplinary team of experts. Vehicle Track Interaction engineers, instrumentation specialists, and trackside personnel work together to collect and analyze data that helps validate designs, identify risks, and improve overall rail safety, reliability, and performance.
The Curving Performance Track (CPT) puts rail vehicles through a demanding range of curves to better understand how they perform under real-world conditions. Running between the east and west tangents of the High Speed Loop, the CPT features curves ranging from 3 to 12 degrees, giving engineers the ability to evaluate vehicle dynamics across a wide range of operating conditions.
The track is specifically designed to examine the critical trade-offs between speed, stability, resonance, and curving performance. It supports AAR Chapter 11 and M-976 test specifications, helping ensure railcars and components meet industry requirements for safe, reliable interchange service. Developed in collaboration with industry stakeholders and suppliers, the CPT includes intentional rail defects that allow engineers to evaluate vehicle response to challenging conditions in a controlled environment. Dynamic curving studies and lubrication testing further expand the track’s research capabilities.
Primarily used for freight rail testing, the CPT also provides valuable performance data for passenger equipment and locomotives. The track helps engineers understand wheel-rail interaction and validate designs before deployment.
Behind every test is MxV Rail’s specialized technical team. Through advanced instrumentation, trackside expertise, and detailed data analysis, MxV Rail transforms testing results into actionable insights that support safer, more reliable, and more efficient rail operations worldwide.
The High Speed Loop (HSL) provides a full-scale testing environment for evaluating overall vehicle and system performance at operating speeds up to 110 mph. Purpose-built to support advanced research, technology validation, and qualification testing, the HSL allows engineers to assess how vehicles, infrastructure, and systems perform together under high-speed conditions before entering revenue service.
The nearly six-mile loop features Class 6 track, curve speeds of up to 65-69 mph, 6 inches of superelevation, and infrastructure designed to support specialized testing technologies. Engineers use the HSL to conduct high-speed stability evaluations, qualification testing, durability studies, and long-duration research projects. The track’s controlled environment provides the consistency needed to collect reliable data while evaluating vehicle performance across a range of operating conditions.
The HSL supports freight, passenger, and emerging transportation technologies, providing a proving ground where innovations can be validated before field deployment. Its flexibility allows researchers to evaluate both individual components and complete systems.
MxV Rail’s engineers, instrumentation specialists, and operations teams work closely with clients to design test programs, capture critical performance data, and translate findings into practical solutions that improve safety, reliability, and system performance.
The MxV Rail Impact Track and Wall, completed in June 2022, represent cutting-edge infrastructure for impact testing. Located at PuebloPlex, the half-mile track with a 1.5% downhill grade allows for testing at speeds up to 30 mph. The wall, reinforced with 108 tons of rebar and over 700 cubic yards of concrete, provides crucial data on impact forces. This facility enables advanced safety research to reduce risks and drive future innovations in the rail industry.
The MxV Rail Impact Track and Wall, inaugurated in June 2022, serve as a pivotal asset for testing rail impact forces, designed with insights from over two decades of experience. Situated on the south side of PuebloPlex, the newly built track spans half a mile with a 1.5% downhill grade, allowing for test speeds of up to 30 mph—an improvement of 10 mph from previous capabilities. This enhanced speed enables more comprehensive analysis of impact forces, which is critical for advancing railway safety.
108 tons of rebar and over 700 cubic yards of concrete, is key to testing train components under real conditions. With more than 3,000 tons of ballast and significant earthwork, the facility is designed to meet the needs of the rail industry for decades to come.
MxV Rail’s new infrastructure, the first of its kind completed by the team, reflects the industry’s evolving demands. Leveraging lessons learned from previous structures, the team built a modern facility that enhances testing capabilities, enabling innovation and improving safety standards for both freight and passenger rail systems.
MxV Rail laboratory services add value to any research or test plan. Clients working with our team of railroad specialists have a unique opportunity to perform pointed and specific testing for railroad components, before or after that technology meets real-world application on the track. Our new labs leverage all of the latest technologies and methodologies to solve our clients’ most challenging questions. Partnered with data collection and decades of expertise, our lab services provide groundbreaking independent research in a confidential test environment.
Our engineers use dynamic test rigs to create specific conditions in a controlled environment to deliver data and insights for our clients. In our labs you’ll find a unique tie testing frame, rolling load machine, and a multitude of two- and three-post machines that are key to definitive testing for clients. Whether it’s bolster and frame testing on the 660 machine, industry-standardized strap testing, or multiple damage and lading tests, the combination of MxV Rail engineers and test equipment creates a test environment unlike any other in the world.
Equipped with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and an automated sample polisher, our metallurgy lab offers a robust array of testing methodologies from failure analysis of rail and welds, to fatigue testing of contact surfaces and components. The lab also offers tensile testing, metallography, and hardness testing that will serve our clients and the industry’s testing needs for years to come.
MxV Rail collaborated with MTS® to create a one-of-a-kind Rolling Contact Fatigue Simulator (RCFS). The RCFS is used to improve rail and wheel performance in relation to rolling contact fatigue. The RCFS helps progress wheel and rail steel research globally.
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MxV Rail operates as an independent scientific organization and maintains a confidential research environment for clients. Any work products and data are secure through our privacy and customer data policies. Your MxV Rail project manager can discuss these in more detail.
MxV Rail’s team is diverse and interdisciplinary in its expertise. We apply a broad knowledge base to any clients in the transportation sector. We collaborate with many different clients working on emerging technologies. Contact MxV Rail’s team to see what makes us exceptional research partners.
Contact MxV Rail’s business development team at AskMxVRail@aar.com.
Yes! We continue to have a team of more than 250 rail specialists with decades of institutional knowledge. Our interdisciplinary knowledge enables us to build teams that address the complex challenges our clients encounter.
“We took the best aspects of our old test loops and designed track not only capable of supporting today’s rail industry but also an ideal test bed for proving tomorrow’s transportation innovations.”
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