Railway Industry News
News Release from news.ontario.ca
Ontario Completes Construction of New Confederation GO Station
Province expanding fast, reliable train service across the Greater Golden Horseshoe
September 29, 2025
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NOVEMBER 28, 2025
Ontario Tech University Launches Canada’s First English-Language Railway Engineering Program
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On Friday, November 28, Ontario Tech University officially launched Canada’s first English-language undergraduate Railway Engineering Specialization — a significant step forward for Canada’s growing passenger rail and transit sector. Supported by industry partners Alstom and AtkinsRéalis, the program is designed to prepare students for the full lifecycle of modern rail systems, including infrastructure development, track design, signalling, rolling stock management, transportation planning, and safety protocols.
The launch event brought together academic leaders and key industry representatives, including Laurence Lebel (AtkinsRéalis) and Vincent-Pierre Giroux (Alstom), underscoring the strong partnership between education and industry.
TRACCS was grateful to be invited, and we were pleased to see Sarah El Kontar, Program Director at CMAI, in attendance to welcome the new cohort and connect with potential partners for their bursary program supporting students pursuing careers in the railway sector.
This milestone reflects a shared commitment to strengthening Canada’s rail talent pipeline and supporting the next generation of industry leaders.​​
TRACCS in the News
DECEMBER 3, 2025
CP24 BREAKFAST
Advocating for a National Framework in Transit Rail Construction
TRACCS has officially launched its media campaign calling for a National Framework on Transit Rail Construction—an essential step toward building faster, more affordable transit across Canada. As part of this effort, our Chair Mark Salsberg appeared on CP24’s morning program with veteran anchor Nick Dixon to highlight the stark cost differences between Canada and global leaders: while Canadian projects can reach $1.2 billion per kilometre, comparable European systems are built for roughly $250 million.
With nearly $150 billion in new transit rail projects on the horizon, TRACCS and our 100-plus member organizations are urging the federal government to establish consistent national guidelines that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen delivery across jurisdictions. We are grateful to CP24 for the opportunity to bring these solutions to a national audience and to advance this important conversation.
DECEMBER 3, 2025
THE BEN MULRONEY SHOW
Ben Mulroney Shines Light on TRACCS’ Call for Transit Rail National Framework
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TRACCS continues to advance its national media campaign advocating for a National Framework in Transit Rail Construction. As part of this effort, TRACCS participated in a national radio interview with Ben Mulroney on the Global News Network to discuss the urgent need to modernize how Canada delivers multi-billion-dollar transit projects. The conversation underscored a shared concern among taxpayers and industry leaders: Canada is preparing for more than $150 billion in transit rail investments, yet still lacks a unified federal approach to cost containment and project delivery.
TRACCS and its 100 member organizations are calling for a National Framework grounded in proven international best practices—models that consistently deliver on-time, on-budget transit systems in Europe and Asia at a fraction of Canadian costs. We appreciate the opportunity to bring this message to a cross-country audience and to highlight the policy solutions required to strengthen Canada’s infrastructure future.​
DECEMBER 4, 2025
PRESS RELEASE
TRACCS Urges National Framework as Canada Spends Up to $1.2 Billion Per Kilometer on Transit Rail
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Newswire.ca - Thu Dec 4, 5:00AM CST
"We don't have to be spending four times more than other countries…"
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TORONTO, Dec. 4, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada risks overspending and under-delivering on passenger rail projects as it embarks on one of the largest infrastructure investments in its history. TRACCS (Transit Rail Association for Canadian Construction Standards) is calling for a national regulatory framework to guide how passenger rail is planned, built, and maintained.
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TRACCS News
The Canadian Passenger Rail Road Tour
Launch of the STAR Workshops: Discussions about Standards, Training, and Assurance in Passenger Rail
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We are excited to announce the launch of the first of several Workshops with Canadian Transit Agencies.
These workshops bring together a wide range of stakeholders to address key issues, find common ground, and work together on solutions. The resulting reports are designed to be actionable, offering not just analysis but a clear, expert-driven roadmap for improvement from both industry and government viewpoints.
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Our goal is to move past simply observing challenges and instead develop practical, industry-informed recommendations that drive real progress.
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Coming Soon:
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October 21st, 2025 - Calgary SOLD OUT!
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January 19th, 2026 - Vancouver
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TRACCS members and non-members are invited to join these in-person sessions.
Tickets are on sale here.​
STAR Online Workshops with Canadian Transit Agencies
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On Friday, September 26th, 2025 TRACCS held the first monthly workshop with representatives from several Canadian Transit Agencies.
It was an exciting and promising first step in the right direction.
Starting next month, these workshops will include the participation from TRACCS Members.
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Next Online Workshop:
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October 31st, 2025 - Discussions about: Track Access for Track Maintenance During nonrevenue service, extended shutdowns and single tracking.
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November 28th, 2025 - Discussions about: TBD
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TRACCS members are invited to join these exclusive online sessions.
Registrations are available at the Members-Only page.
Celebrating Rail Excellence—Canada’s First Rail Achievement Awards
Toronto – Thursday, November 13, 2025
We were honoured to hold the inaugural TRACCS Rail Achievement Awards, a milestone initiative that recognized the individuals, teams, and organizations setting new benchmarks across the Canadian rail sector. With eleven prestigious categories, these Awards embody our commitment to driving standardization, training, assurance, and safety. By spotlighting the high achievers who excel in these domains, we reinforce our mission: to stabilize costs and ensure a qualified workforce capable of performing rail projects safely and efficiently.
Congratulations to The Winners!​​
Outstanding Apprentice Award
1st Place Winner: Dayi Cheng, from Graham
Highly Commended: Albert Lin, AtkinsRéalis Group Inc.
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New Graduate Achievement Award
1st Place Winner: Adam Rosenblum, CPCS
Highly Commended: Sampada Sharma, Graham
Commended: Max Care, CPCS
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Safety Leadership Excellence Award
1st Place Winner: Jose Pereira, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
Highly Commended: Daniel Goodfellow, Toronto Terminals Railway Co. Ltd.
Commended: Alan Hughes, ONTransit Group
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Best Rail Innovation Award
1st Place Winner: The Signals Training Lab — Mrugesh Jani and PNR RailWorks
Highly Commended: Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) project — Corine Abdelli, NouvLR
Commended: Hatch Enhanced Track Assessment (HETA) — Team includes: Patrick McGinn, Benno Sommer, Richard MacRosty, Miqdaad Fatakdwala, Susan Derrah, William Wang, Dale Pearen, Jean-Christophe Belisle
Best Safety on a Rail Project Award
1st Place Winner: The Union Station Enhancement Project (USEP), led by the ONTrack Alliance (Kiewit-Alberici Union GP, Mass. Electric Construction Co., WSP Canada Inc., and Metrolinx)
Highly Commended: Khaled Essa, Health & Safety Platform (HSP) by SYSTRA Canada under Metrolinx
Commended: Ontario Transit Group (OTG) — Transforming Safety Together (TST)
Best Canadian Transit Agency
1st Place Winner: GO Transit / Metrolinx
Highly Commended: Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
Commended: TransLink
Project Achievement of the Year in Canadian Rail
1st Place Winner: Hydro Utility Infrastructure Enhancements Scope – Union Station Enhancement Project (USEP) — Michael O'Brecht, Metrolinx
Highly Commended: Scarborough Subway Extension SSE-SRS project, delivered for Metrolinx by Scarborough Transit Connect (Aecon Group Inc. & FCC Canada Ltd.)
Commended: RSSOM Ontario Line project — Daniel Crosthwaite, P.Eng., MBA, Technical Director, Arcadis
Outstanding Personal Railway Contribution
1st Place Winner: Laurence Lebel, AtkinsRéalis Group Inc.
Highly Commended: Scott Pryer, Graham
Commended: Selvaraj Ramasamy, Marigold Infrastructure Partners
Safety Achievement of the Year in Canadian Rail
1st Place Winner: Ontario Line Southern Civil, Stations and Tunnel project — Transforming Safety Together — Ponciano Perez, ONTransit Group
Highly Commended: CG Equipment’s G.O.S. Rail Excavators — Sean Bruder, CG Equipment
Commended: Réseau express métropolitain (REM) — Rachid Amzal, Egis Group
Great Company to Work for in Canadian Rail
1st Place Winner: WSP Canada
Highly Commended: Aecon Group Inc.
Commended: Stantec Consulting Ltd.
Environmental Excellence in Canadian Rail
1st Place Winner: Canadian National Railway’s Milton Logistics Hub — Darren Reynolds, CN Rail
Highly Commended: Chris Kearns, K2C Rail
Commended: Hazel McCallion LRT (Hurontario LRT) — Karl van Kessel, Mobilinx​​​
Winners, finalists, and sponsors gathered on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 12:00 pm in Toronto with well-respected industry leaders and dignitaries from government.
Some of these leaders who trust our vision will be presenting the awards at the ceremony:
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MPP Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, Ontario
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Mario Péloquin, CEO, Via Rail
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Michael Lindsay, CEO, Metrolinx
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Dr. Joel Moody, Chief Prevention Officer/ ADM, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
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Fouzia Younis MBE, British Consul General in Toronto
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Francesca Santella, President, Toronto Railway Club
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Sarah Currie, President, WTS
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The ceremony was held in the Churchill Ballroom at Chelsea Hotel, Toronto.