“If the driver doesn't take action, then [the system] will take action,” said Hualiang Teng of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction at University of Nevada Las Vegas and a commissioner of the Nevada High-Speed Rail Authority, adding that the onboard computer basically “becomes the brain of the train.”

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.