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December 11, 2025|Passenger

TRACCS Presents Canada Rail Achievement Awards (UPDATED 12/11)

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
(Image Courtesy of TRACCS)
(Image Courtesy of TRACCS)
The Transit Rail Association for Canadian Contractors, Maintainers, Operators and Standards (TRACCS) last month recognized “outstanding contributions and achievements within Canada’s rail sector” through its inaugural Rail Achievement Awards.

The awards honored the groundbreaking projects; exemplary leadership; and dedication to safety, sustainability, and innovation that are driving progress and shaping the future of passenger rail in Canada, according to TRACCS, a nonprofit that advocates for the growth and sustainability of the industry and promotes the national standards for training and safety to build, operate, and maintain rail/transit systems across Canada.

Industry professionals were invited to nominate leaders in 11 award categories. And the winners are:

  1. Outstanding Apprentice Award: 1st Place Winner: Dayi Cheng, from Graham. Highly Commended: Albert Lin, AtkinsRéalis Group Inc.
  2. Best Graduate Award: 1st Place Winner: Adam Rosenblum, CPCS. Highly Commended: Sampada Sharma, Graham. Commended: Max Care, CPCS
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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)
  6. Best Canadian Transit Agency: 1st Place Winner: GO Transit / Metrolinx. Highly Commended: Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Commended: TransLink.
  7. 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.
  8. Outstanding Personal Railway Contribution: 1st Place Winner: Laurence Lebel, AtkinsRéalis Group Inc. Highly Commended: Scott Pryer, Graham. Commended: Selvaraj Ramasamy, Marigold Infrastructure Partners.
  9. 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.
  10. Great Company to Work for in Canadian Rail: 1st Place Winner: WSP Canada. Highly Commended: Aecon Group Inc. Commended: Stantec Consulting Ltd.
  11. Environmental Excellence in Canadian Rail: 1st Place Winner: CN’s Milton Logistics Hub — Darren Reynolds, CN. Highly Commended: Chris Kearns, K2C Rail. Commended: Hazel McCallion LRT (Hurontario LRT) — Karl van Kessel, Mobilinx.

According to TRACCS, the judges selecting the honorees included senior professionals from transit agencies, government bodies, engineering consultancies, Indigenous business leaders, training and safety experts, and sustainability advocates to ensure “a balanced perspective on performance, innovation, and impact across the Canadian rail landscape.”

Presenting the awards at the Nov. 13 ceremony, which was held in Toronto’s Chelsea Hotel, were:

  • MPP Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, Ontario
  • Mario Péloquin, CEO, VIA Rail Canada
  • Michael Lindsay, CEO, Metrolinx
  • Dr. Joel Moody, Chief Prevention Officer/ ADM, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
  • Fouzia Younis MBE, British Consul General in Toronto
  • Francesca Santella, President, Toronto Railway Club
  • Sarah Currie, President, WTS

“We are on the cusp of transforming the Canadian urban and regional landscape, connecting communities and people with massive investment across Canada,” said Mark Salsberg, Chair and Co-Founder of TRACCS and Principal of WGD Consulting, Inc., who served as a speaker at Railway Age’s Next-Gen Rail Systems Conference, which was held Oct. 30-31 in Jersey City, N.J. “To be successful, we need to improve the way we build, operate and maintain passenger rail. Now more than ever is a time to celebrate our achievements, the industry, and award those who have made a difference to the communities across the country. This event will only get bigger over time and we look forward to celebrating our accomplishments every year.”

“CN is honored to be the 1st place winner of the 2025 TRACCS Rail Achievement Award for Environmental Excellence in Canadian Rail,” the Class I reported via social media on Dec. 10. “This recognition highlights the dedication of the CN railroaders working on the Milton Logistics Hub project. Their leadership, innovation, and commitment to environmental practices helped us demonstrate what responsible rail development can achieve. Congratulations to everyone involved for helping advance a more resilient and sustainable future for rail!”

(Courtesy of CN)