--- title: "Alstom and Université Laval’s Lab-Usine, UQAM and ÉTS collaborate on smart rail manufacturing in La Pocatière, Quebec; 11 personnel trained; testing underway." sdDatePublished: "2026-09-18T11:31:00Z" source: "https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-three-quebec-universities-join-forces-advance-smart-rail-manufacturing" topics: - name: "artificial intelligence" identifier: "medtop:20001298" - name: "railway manufacturing" identifier: "medtop:20001166" locations: - "Toronto" - "Kitchener" - "Ontario" - "Edmonton" - "Quebec" - "Lac-des-Aigles" - "Anmore" - "Canada" --- Alstom and Université Laval’s Lab-Usine, UQAM and ÉTS collaborate on smart rail manufacturing in La Pocatière, Quebec; 11 personnel trained; testing underway. Alstom and three Quebec universities join forces to advance smart rail manufacturing | Alstom Alstom and three Quebec universities join forces to advance smart rail manufacturing Facebook (Open in a new tab) Twitter (Open in a new tab) Press contact - Philippe Molitor Alstom, Université Laval’s Lab-Usine, UQAM and ÉTS will collaborate on a research program focused on artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0 technologies. The research will focus on welding, robotics, augmented reality, railcar-body design, and could support the delivery of major projects recently awarded to Alstom in Canada. The program will help train 11 highly qualified personnel and test technologies developed at Université Laval’s Lab-Usine at Alstom’s La Pocatière site in Quebec. 17 September 2026 – Alstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, announced a research partnership with Université Laval, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) to advance the use of artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0 technologies in rail design and manufacturing in Canada. "In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, partnerships between academia and industry are powerful accelerators of innovation, productivity and competitiveness." Professor Michael Morin of Université Laval’s Lab-Usine will serve as principal investigator. The team includes researchers from three Quebec universities that are members of the SDG Innovation Network. As part of this collaboration, the universities will also receive financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and research organization MITACS. Harnessing artificial intelligence for rail manufacturing Productivity is at the heart of this partnership, which will explore digital technologies designed to improve the quality, efficiency and performance of manufacturing operations. Research activities will focus on welding procedures, augmented reality support for welders and assemblers, the scheduling of robotic welding cells, and the use of artificial intelligence in railcar-body design. The objective is to better leverage data generated on the factory floor, support expert teams in their daily activities, and develop intelligent solutions that can be deployed in real industrial environments. Technologies developed through the program will be tested at Alstom’s La Pocatière facility and could contribute to the delivery of major manufacturing projects recently awarded to the company, including contracts with VIA Rail, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and the Quebec City Tramway project. “In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, partnerships between academia and industry are powerful accelerators of innovation, productivity and competitiveness,” said Éric Rondeau, Innovation Director for Alstom Canada. “By combining cutting-edge research, emerging talent and our operational needs, this enhanced collaboration with the SDG Innovation Network will help us master smarter manufacturing processes, optimize our production lines, and transform data into tangible benefits for our industry and customers. These methods and solutions can also be adapted and deployed across other Alstom sites worldwide.” “Our collaboration with Alstom and the La Pocatière facility dates back to 2019. This new milestone confirms the value and reach of a partnership that continues to generate tangible benefits for the company, Lab-Usine and the SDG Innovation Network,” said Jonathan Gaudreault, Director of Université Laval’s Lab-Usine. Strengthening Canadian expertise in manufacturing innovation By bringing together the complementary expertise of Université Laval’s Lab-Usine, UQAM’s Internet of Things Laboratory, and ÉTS’s Advanced Manufacturing Process Optimization Laboratory, the project will foster the development of new knowledge applicable to Canada’s manufacturing sector. The program will help train 11 highly qualified personnel, including graduate students, undergraduate interns and postdoctoral researchers, who will work in an applied research environment closely connected to industrial operations. Benefits for Canada’s rail industry The project’s outcomes are expected to improve production processes and strengthen Alstom’s manufacturing capabilities in Canada. The knowledge generated through this partnership could also benefit other Canadian industries that rely on complex metal structures. With over 5,200 highly skilled Canadian employees, Alstom is the only rolling stock manufacturer in the country, and provides a full suite of rolling stock, signalling solutions, and operations and maintenance services for major rail projects in Canada. Alstom is Canada’s national champion for urban rail mobility solutions and is proud to be at the centre of mobility projects across Ontario, including Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa, as well as other Canadian projects in Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal, and soon, Quebec City. Lab-Usine carries out industrial R&D projects that bring together industry professionals, researchers, graduate students and undergraduate students. Through this approach, the initiative develops change agents capable of working within interdisciplinary teams to invent, create and develop the manufacturing systems of tomorrow. Prototypes are created and developed within a fully operational university factory. This facility serves not only as an innovation and R&D platform, but also as a place to define, document and share best practices in digital transformation and successful manufacturing innovation. About the SDG Innovation Network Created in 2019, originally as the Innovation 4.0 Network, the SDG Innovation Network brings together eight Quebec universities: Concordia University, McGill University, Université Laval, Université de Sherbrooke, Polytechnique Montréal, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR). Researchers within the network collaborate on projects involving Industry 4.0 and 5.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, the Internet of Things, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles and systems integration. ALSTOM™ is a protected trademark of the Alstom Group. (Open in a new tab) Innovation Director for Alstom Canada