July 9, 2025
Congratulations Claire Burkhardt!
Claire Burkhardt Named One of RT&S's 2025 Women in Engineering
Each year, RT&S honors women who are shaping the future of rail through engineering excellence, industry leadership, and a commitment to meaningful progress. We’re thrilled to share that Claire Burkhardt, PE, Senior Project Manager at Modern Railway Systems (MRS), has been named one of Railway Track & Structures (RT&S)'s 2025 Women in Engineering.
Claire brings over a decade of experience spanning nearly every corner of the country. Her engineering journey began in Houston with hardware and software design for MetroRail, followed by similar work for MetroLink in St. Louis. She went on to lead PTC hardware and software design and implementation for UTA’s FrontRunner commuter line in Utah, and supported quiet zone upgrades for SunRail in Florida.
Claire’s deep technical background led her back to Texas, where she supported CapMetro in Austin and later helped upgrade 46 miles of alignment in St. Louis. In the Pacific Northwest, she delivered block design and hardware/software design across multiple projects for Sound Transit. Today, she continues to make an impact on MRS’s work with Metra in Chicago.
Where Claire truly excels is in leading project/operations teams. Her ability to deliver complex projects on time and on budget has set a high standard across our organization. Her versatility across project types has allowed her to build invaluable business and personal relationships that contribute directly to project success. Her commitment to engineering excellence through every phase - from design to commissioning - help MRS deliver turnkey solutions and make better connections.
Beyond her technical leadership, Claire is deeply committed to mentoring emerging engineers and fostering a collaborative project environment. She brings clarity to complex systems, by successfully adapting to a wide range of owner personalities, project requirements, alignments, and design criteria. Her approach balances precision with people-centered leadership, which are qualities that align with our company’s mission to make better connections.
Claire’s recognition as a 2025 Woman in Engineering highlights the leadership and talent shaping the future of our industry.
Congratulations, Claire.
Read the full issue of 2025 Women in Engineering in the July 2025 Issue of RT&S.