Several fatal recent accidents involving Amtrak passenger trains have raised concerns over rail safety, and one of the places most involved in helping railroads become safer is at Virginia Tech.

UNLV received a $1.4 million federal grant to research the design, construction and maintenance of future high-speed rail projects, U.S. Sen Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and Rep. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, announced on Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has selected UNLV to participate in a research consortium to examine the effective design, construction and maintenance of high-speed rail projects.