Club for Those Interested in Trains and Rail Transportation
Hi everyone!
I am a mechanical engineering student and a big fan of all things railroad-related, and I realized Concordia doesn't really have a club that represents this niche. After some research, I discovered AREMA, the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association. They represent and lobby on a variety of railroad-related topics and offer membership to industry professionals and students interested in the field. They also allow students to form chapters within their universities. Quite a few of these chapters already exist; however, they're all in the United States.
I was thinking that it would be quite interesting if we started a chapter here at Concordia! Montreal is a rail hub, with a multitude of carriers such as VIA, CN, and CPKC all having a large presence in the city; the city's public transit is heavily railroad-based, with the REM, Exo, and the metro; and manufacturers such as Alstom are also present.
Starting a club could give students an opportunity to network with industry professionals and learn and research ways we could help improve the system as students hoping to make an impact! Finally, it would be a great way for people like me, who want to seek and advocate for greener and safer transport methods— with a specific focus on trains—to come together!
This club would be open to all! No specific major required. The railroad industry is far more than engineering and logistics; it is a vast entity with many layers, and I think the broader the backgrounds of this hypothetical club's members, the better.
I would be ecstatic if we could make this club a reality. I think it would be a great opportunity for students at this school to make a meaningful impact in an often-overlooked domain. If you are interested, there is a link to a Google Form below.
Please note that by no means do you commit to joining the club by filling out the form! It is simply to gauge general interest!
Thank you for reading this post, and I wish you all an excellent few weeks before the start of the fall semester!
Google Form link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYIa1z1UCe7t0RbhHRBdkomBgwwiMlyX7fDd9kxTuLTtOE7w/viewform?usp=publish-editor