Canada is investing hundreds of billions of dollars in new transit and passenger rail projects—but until now, there’s been no unified national standards framework to guide how those systems are designed and built.

In this episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort sits down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic and Cross-Sector Programs at CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association), to explore how Canada is working to change that.

Ana-Maria shares how CSA Group—Canada’s national standards organization—is developing a four-part national code for transit and passenger rail systems, covering everything from urban transit and conventional rail to future high-speed rail projects. The goal: reduce risk, improve consistency, and bring greater predictability to some of the most complex infrastructure projects in the country.

The conversation explores:

• Why Canada lacks a unified transit and rail standards framework today
• How other regions (Europe, Australia, Japan, and the U.S.) approach rail standards
• The difference between voluntary standards and regulation—and how standards often become codified
• How CSA plans to integrate existing international standards while addressing major gaps
• What transit agencies, consultants, contractors, and governments can expect next
• How industry professionals can get involved in shaping the code
• A brief update on Canada’s emerging high-speed rail ambitions, including the Toronto–Québec City corridor

This is a rare look behind the scenes at how the “rules of the road” for transit systems are created—and why they matter long before the first train ever runs.

Host: Paul Comfort

Executive Producer: Julie Gates

Producer: Paul Comfort

Editor: Patrick Emile

Associate Producer: Cyndi Raskin

Brand design: Tina Olagundoye

Social Media: Tatyana Mechkarova

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