Media Advisory: Canada's first English-language undergraduate Railway Engineering Specialization launched at Ontario Tech University

• Prior to the launch of the program, Canada was the only G7 country without undergraduate rail engineering training

OSHAWA, ON, Nov. 26, 2025 /CNW/ - AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear company with offices around the world, Alstom, and Ontario Tech University have launched Canada's first English-language undergraduate Railway Engineering Specialization program. Members of the inaugural cohort of railway engineering students at Ontario Tech University, senior faculty and staff, Ontario's Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation, Hardeep Singh Grewal, Lorne Coe, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, and Hossam Kishawy, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Ontario Tech University, will be in attendance for a launch event at Ontario Tech University's campus on November 28^th, 2025.

Courses for the undergraduate Railway Engineering Specialization were created by a group of over 20 industry partners supporting the program's co-founders, AtkinsRéalis and Alstom, and received input from more than 90 experts thanks to support from the AQTr (Quebec Association of Transportation) to address the demand for rail engineers required to support the growing number of rail projects across Canada.

Event Details: 

Friday, November 28, 2025
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Ontario Tech University – ACE core research and testing facility 
60 Founders Drive, Oshawa, ON
Refreshments and a light lunch will be offered. 

Following opening remarks from Ontario Tech University, a panel discussion featuring representatives from AtkinsRéalis and Alstom will address the industry's demand for skilled professionals, demonstrating the value of collaborative efforts between industry and academia to further workforce development. Bursaries for students participating in the program will also be announced.

Media RSVP:

• On-site: Please confirm attendance and security access by contacting Jennifer Alsop, Director, External Relations and Partnerships, Ontario Tech University: [email protected]
  
  
• Virtual: For virtual interview opportunities, contact Daniela Pizzuto, Director of External Communications at AtkinsRéalis: [email protected] or [email protected]

Background on Ontario Tech University's Railway Engineering Specialization

Canada's rail sector is undergoing transformative growth, with the federal government identifying passenger and freight rail projects as a priority of nation-building infrastructure investment. From the Alto high-speed rail corridor linking Toronto and Quebec City, to major regional and network expansion rail projects across the Greater Toronto Area such as the Ontario Line and GO Expansion projects, the rail industry urgently needs a new generation of highly skilled engineers to both replace retiring talent, and establish net new capacity nationwide.

The Ontario government is investing $70 billion over the next decade to build the largest transit expansion in North America. These projects will require a workforce over decades to design, build, and maintain the new rail systems. The Railway Engineering Specialization aims to ensure this talent can be sourced from Canada, at a time when the country finds itself in an unprecedented nation-building infrastructure boom and with a renewed desire to rely on domestic goods and services, including engineering talent. Prior to the launch of the program in September 2025, running jointly in English at Ontario Tech University and in French at Polytechnique Montréal, Canada was the only G7 country without undergraduate rail engineering training.

The Railway Engineering Specialization program was created in close collaboration with practicing rail engineers. This industry-driven approach ensures students gain fundamental competencies in rolling stock, passenger rail infrastructure and systems design, systems safety, and concepts of operations and maintenance. By integrating real-world expertise and industry perspectives, the program prepares graduates to contribute immediately to Canada's rapidly evolving rail sector and its major infrastructure projects.

The Railway Engineering Specialization curriculum incorporates industry site visits, and guest lectures from experienced railway engineers working in the industry. Students will leave the program equipped with a strong foundation in systems thinking, and collaborative problem-solving across technical disciplines. This will prepare them to contribute effectively to complex rail projects and to thrive in a dynamic, multi-disciplinary industry, establishing a foothold for a well-paying and secure career of building the future of Canadian infrastructure.

About AtkinsRéalis
Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear and Capital.  News and information are available at www.atkinsrealis.com or follow us LinkedIn. 

SOURCE AtkinsRéalis

For more information: Media: Daniela Pizzuto, Director, External Communications, [email protected]