The Tren Urbano UPR-MIT Professional Development Program is in operation since the summer of 1994.  The project was funded under a contract that ended in December 31, 2003, between the University of Puerto Rico and Frederic R. Harris, Inc.

During the ten (10) years, of the Tren Urbano UPR/MIT Professional Development Program at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez (UPRM) has emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of the Tren Urbano, the largest transportation infrastructure project constructed in the San Juan Metropolitan Area (SJMA), so that students from different disciplines learned the importance of analyzing and evaluating all the aspects of a project, such as engineering, transportation systems, architecture, social factors, urban planning, safety, and public participation.

Both undergraduate and graduate students learned about the interaction among professionals and focus to see the project as a whole.  In the process, the students were able to apply in a multidisciplinary setting the knowledge gained in math, science and engineering, conduct experiments, identify, formulate and solve engineering, architectural and planning problems, exposed to latest technologies, broaden their education, addressing global impacts, improve their communication skills, exposed continually to ethics and professionalism and contemporary issues engaging in a life long learning experience.  Furthermore, the dynamics of this program resulted in highly trained motivated professionals sensible to environment and to needs of their constituents on a short, medium and long-term horizon that are ready to face similar challenges of mega projects in their future professionals careers.

The Professional Development Program UPR/PUPR/ATI covered the period of July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2008.  The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) participated in a contract with the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority (PRHTA), that was administered through the Transportation Technology Transfer Center (TTTC) at the UPRM and focus on public transportation to address the importance of the intermodal component needed for the success of the Tren Urbano System in the San Juan Metropolitan Area (SJMA).