Ireland’s first railway technical skills training academy.

Ireland is investing more in its railways than ever before, and it needs skilled people to deliver the work. We train that workforce, with practical, industry-led courses and a clear route into a career in rail.

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Railway training courses

Professionally taught, accredited training courses for every stage of your rail career, taught by people who know the job inside and out.

Core Rail, Safety & Access Courses

New to the railway or building on what you know? Pro Rail Academy, Ireland’s first railway technical skills training academy, offers accredited track safety (RailEI), site access (CSCS), plant and project management courses.

Signalling Courses

If you’re building a career in signalling maintenance, Pro Rail Academy, Ireland’s first railway technical skills training academy, offers SMTH courses covering fault-finding, testing and the documentation that goes with it.

Electrification Courses

If you’d like to work on overhead line electrification, Pro Rail Academy offers three externally accredited OLEC courses, covering the basics, supervised construction and advanced installation and maintenance.

Telecoms Courses

If communications networks are your focus, Pro Rail Academy offers the City & Guilds 3668 Level 3 qualification, covering the design, installation, testing and maintenance of copper and fibre.

Permanent Way Courses

Pro Rail Academy offers externally accredited permanent way courses in switches and crossings, track and drainage maintenance, and level crossing operation, inspection and maintenance.

Surveying & Engineering Courses

If your work involves surveying, designing, or site engineering, Pro Rail Academy offers externally accredited courses in topographical surveying, setting out, drainage CCTV, ground investigation safety and rail design.

Light Rail & Tram Systems Courses

Pro Rail Academy, Ireland’s first railway technical skills training academy, offers an externally accredited UK light rail course for people working on tram and light rail networks.

Railway Civils Courses

If drainage work on the railway interests you, Pro Rail Academy offers courses covering inspection and maintenance of cess drains, catchpits and culverts, confined space entry and high-pressure jetting.

Railway drug & alcohol services

Drug and alcohol testing is a requirement right across the railway network, keeping rail workers and the public safe. We can facilitate this requirement for you, with D&A testing carried out to the standards the industry requires, and training that helps your teams and supervisors understand and manage it.

Railway D&A testing Railway D&A training

Who we are

Pro Rail Academy is the training arm of Pro Rail Services, a family-run business delivering rail civils, plant and haulage work across the UK and Irish networks. We train people the way we’d want our own crews trained: properly, and ready for the real thing.

Ireland needs thousands more skilled rail workers over the next decade, and not enough are coming through. We set up the Academy to change that, and with construction of our training centre in Kiltimagh, County Mayo, about to begin, we’ll soon be training people close to home and connecting them with the employers who need them.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need any experience to get started?

Not for most of our entry-level courses. UK Personal Track Safety, Safe Pass and CSCS are built for people brand new to rail, and they’re the usual first step. If you’re coming from another trade, we’ll help you carry those skills across.

Are your qualifications recognised on the railway?

Yes. Our training is aligned with the standards employers actually ask for, including SOLAS, UK PTS and NSAR, along with UK routes like IRATA where they apply. The competencies you earn stay with you and travel between employers.

Where will I train?

All of our courses run at our new training centre in Kiltimagh, County Mayo, on the Western Rail Corridor, fifteen minutes from Ireland West Airport and Claremorris station. Construction starts shortly, so register your interest now and we’ll let you know as soon as the first course dates are confirmed.

Can you help me find work once I’m qualified?

That’s a big part of why the Academy exists. We work closely with employers across the Irish network, and Pro Rail Services recruits from our courses too, so keep an eye on our vacancies page once you’ve got your tickets.

Can you train a whole team, not just individuals?

Absolutely, and much of our work is exactly that. We build programmes around the roles you’re hiring for, cover the safety tickets, plant qualifications and specialist skills you need, and help you plan the workforce behind them.

Is there any funding available?

Often, yes, depending on your route in. Some places come through ETB-funded seats and apprenticeships, and employers can sometimes access workforce development support. Tell us where you’re starting from and we’ll point you towards what fits.

Why choose a career in rail?

Ireland’s railways are growing faster than at any point in living memory, with new lines, electrification and upgrades planned well into the 2040s. That means long-term, secure work for the people who build and maintain them.

You don’t need a degree to get in. A short safety course is enough to start, and the skills you earn are recognised in Ireland, the UK and beyond.

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