Academy

Your global partner for staff development and training in the railway system

We are the leaders in railway training, assisting you in upskilling and cross-skilling your technical personnel.
We are the leaders in railway training, assisting you in upskilling and cross-skilling your technical personnel.
Training Offerings

Need for Specialist Railway Training

The railway industry is going through a digital transformation, increasing the need to address skill gap challenge.

Need to increase productivity

The pressure to increase productivity and deliver more with existing capacity.

Need to increase productivity

The pressure to increase productivity and deliver more with existing capacity.

Shortage of proficient specialists

Absence of railway infrastructure specialists with deep knowledge.

Shortage of proficient specialists

Absence of railway infrastructure specialists with deep knowledge.

Inadequate training

Scarcity of qualified, track machine operators with in-depth track knowledge.

Inadequate training

Scarcity of qualified, track machine operators with in-depth track knowledge.

Need for innovation

The constant need for your teams to stay abreast of always-changing innovation, digitalisation and automation.

Need for innovation

The constant need for your teams to stay abreast of always-changing innovation, digitalisation and automation.

Driving team motivation

Keeping your team and personnel motivated to do more.

Driving team motivation

Keeping your team and personnel motivated to do more.

We help you bring efficiency into your operations by minimizing dependency on outsourced skilled personnel
We help you bring efficiency into your operations by minimizing dependency on outsourced skilled personnel

Why choose us?

Versatile training offerings

Choose and schedule an off-the-shelf training program or tell us your requirements & let us develop a customized training program for you.

Versatile training offerings

Choose and schedule an off-the-shelf training program or tell us your requirements & let us develop a customized training program for you.

Expert Trainers

Along with being subject specialists, our trainers are skilled & experienced lecturers at well-renowned universities. Having university level trainers helps us deliver a better learning experience for your team.

Expert Trainers

Along with being subject specialists, our trainers are skilled & experienced lecturers at well-renowned universities. Having university level trainers helps us deliver a better learning experience for your team.

Simulator

We go beyond theory and offer actual practical knowledge to the training attendees. We use state-of the-art track machine simulators as part of the relevant courses and ensure students get hands-on experience of operating the machine, not just theoretical knowledge.

Simulator

We go beyond theory and offer actual practical knowledge to the training attendees. We use state-of the-art track machine simulators as part of the relevant courses and ensure students get hands-on experience of operating the machine, not just theoretical knowledge.

Dynamic scheduling options

Have your team join a pre-planned batch or schedule a training module according to your teams’ schedule or language preferences. Our purpose is transferring knowledge, and we work with you to figure out how.

Dynamic scheduling options

Have your team join a pre-planned batch or schedule a training module according to your teams’ schedule or language preferences. Our purpose is transferring knowledge, and we work with you to figure out how.

Blended learning

A team’s training is an investment and we understand that sometimes, team members may not be available in person. Our courses are offered as blended learning modules, offering flexibility and enhancing the learning experience.

Blended learning

A team’s training is an investment and we understand that sometimes, team members may not be available in person. Our courses are offered as blended learning modules, offering flexibility and enhancing the learning experience.

Be it finding you the best suited training program or customizing a course as per your requirements, we share our knowledge for your success.
Be it finding you the best suited training program or customizing a course as per your requirements, we share our knowledge for your success.

Customizing training

Our trainings span the railway infrastructure industry across components & business fields of track infrastructure

Meet the team

Director Academy & Recruitment Services

Karsten Graf
Senior Training Manager

John Schaefer
Senior Trainer

Carsten Baumgart
Senior Content Manager

Martin Murowski
Quality & Training Programs Manager

Christian Greifelt
Hydraulics Trainer

Jürgen Poscher
Trainer

Richard Grewe
Assistant Trainer

Oliver Fabrizius
Assistant Trainer

Nicolas Suszka
Assistant to Training Area

Christina Lyons
Trainee

Nabih Agha
Trainee

Niraj Ghule
Trainee

Priyal Kadu
Trainee

Jessika Röhl
Trainee

Hannah Strippel
Director Academy & Recruitment Services

Karsten Graf

Work Experience

March 2023-current: Director Academy & Recruiting Services
2016-2022: Senior Director IT & Engineering, Global Technology Service Provider
2011-2016: Director Technology Services, Global IT Service Provider

Education

Business studies, University of Cologne

Languages

German, English, French

Senior Training Manager

John Schaefer

Work Experience

Since 2019: Senior Training Manager Global Rail Academy USA
2014-2019:  Manufacturing Engineer for IMS Gear USA
2008-2014: Field Service Rep for Plasser American, specializing in Transit Rail
1985-2007- US Army: Field Artillery, 18th Airborne, Operations and Training

Education

Master of Project Management , Keller Graduate School of Management (DeVry University)

Languages

English

Positions

Board member: Arts Alive Council,  City of Chesapeake

Memberships

AREMA Committee 27: Maintenance of Way Work Equipment

Senior Trainer

Carsten Baumgart

Carsten brings more than 20 years experience in the rail industry in various roles as  a trainer, front cabin operator, tamping operator, machinist and locomotive driver, out of which, he worked for  6 years as a tamping operator and 15 years as a trainer. He previously worked for companies such as Swietelsky Germany, Krebs Gleisbau GmbH and Leonhard Weiss.
He joined Global Rail Academy in April 2021 as a trainer for front cabin operator, tamper and switch tamper certification with UEEIV.

Senior Content Manager

Martin Murowski

Martin’s first contact with track construction machines was in 2009, when he was working for NEWAG in Oberhausen. After 9 years there and some experience abroad, he switched to Deutsche Plasser as project manager and estimator. Martin joined Global Rail Group in February 2022.

Quality & Training Programs Manager

Christian Greifelt

Work Experience

Since 2022: Global Rail Academy
2019-2022: Plasser Robel Services / Deutsche Plasser as a responsible welding supervisor and deputy non-destructive testing (NDT) supervisor
2016-2019: Wewira as a development engineer in the design of cranes and lifting gear and responsible welding supervisor for a plant
2007-2016: GfI: development from technical draughtsman, designer to engineer in general mechanical engineering and rail and automotive vehicle construction

Education

Bachelor of Engineering  (B.Eng)
Bochum University of Applied Sciences
International Welding Engineer (IWE)
SLV Duisburg

Languages

German
English

Hydraulics Trainer

Jürgen Poscher

Jürgen is a  state-certified mechanical engineering technician and HWK business economist with more than 30 years of experience in the field of hydraulic drive and control technology, as well as many years as a hydraulics trainer. He joined Global Rail Group in March 2020.

Trainer

Richard Grewe

Richard is a trained nuclear power plant operator. He has been working in the track construction sector as an electrical engineer/service technician since 2007 and has traveled worldwide to service machines. Richard joined Global Rail Group in January 2022.  

Assistant Trainer

Oliver Fabrizius

Work Experience

2022-Present: Assistant trainer at Global Rail Academy
2018-2022: Apprenticeship as mechatronics engineer at Deutsche Plasser
(Today Plasser Robel Services GmbH).

Education

N/A

Languages

German
English
Russian

Publications

N/A

Positions

N/A

Memberships

N/A

Awards

N/A

Assistant Trainer

Nicolas Suszka

Work Experience

2022-Present: Assistant trainer at Global Rail Academy
2018-2022: Apprenticeship as mechatronics engineer at Zweiweg

Education

N/A

Languages

German, English

Publications

N/A

Positions

N/A

Memberships

N/A

Awards

N/A

Assistant to Training Area

Christina Lyons

Christina has 7 years of experience as a management assistant in business and banking and 15 years of experience teaching in the U.S. She taught English Education at Austin Peay State University, Tennessee, and at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois. Christina received her PhD in English from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, FTSK Germersheim in 2003, her Master of Arts in Education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL, U.S. in 2007, and her Master of Arts in Translation from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, FTSK Germersheim in 1998.
She joined Global Rail Group in April 2021 as an Assistant to Training Area.

Trainee

Nabih Agha

Nabih is a working student at Global Rail Academy while doing his Master’s in Electrical Engineering at Bergische University of Wuppertal, focussing on coding and automation. He has joined Global Rail Group in March 2023.

Trainee

Niraj Ghule

Work Experience

Jan 2023- current: project work at GRC
Oct 2022-current: working student  in area of mechanics and electrical at global rail academy.
2020-current : Master student at RWTH Aachen University
2017-2020: quality assurance engineer at SW Metaform Pvt. Ltd., India

Education

1. Pursuing M.Sc. in Transportation engineering and mobilitz with specialiyation in railways systems engineering, RWTH Aachen University. 2.Bachelors in Mechanical engineering. 3.Diploma in mechanical engineering

Languages

English,
Hindi, learning German

Trainee

Priyal Kadu

Priyal is pursuing his Master’s in railway system engineering. He completed his Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and has more than 2 years of experience in product development and project management. He joined Global Rail Academy in 2023 as a working student.

Trainee

Jessika Röhl

Work Experience

Since 2022: Dual student in media design, working as a trainee in content creation at the Global Rail Academy and as a student at the internation University of applied siences.

Education

N/A

Languages

German
English

Publications

N/A

Positions

N/A

Memberships

N/A

Awards

N/A

Trainee

Hannah Strippel

Hannah brings her Media Technology studies into the field of content and design creation, while gaining practical experience within Global Rail Academy.
She joined Global Rail Group in March 2022.

Let's talk! Write to our railway experts

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    Becoming the go-to powerhouse of knowledge, information and executable expertise; that steers the future of the global railway superstructure industry towards increased efficiency, increased safety and innovation.