The finalists have been announced for the Australia and New Zealand Rail Industry Awards, ahead of the official awards ceremony at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney on Wednesday September 17.
A total of 95 finalists have been selected across 16 categories, from the Young Rail Professional Award to the Passenger Operations Excellence Award.
The awards are hosted by the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), the Rail Track Association Australia (RTAA), the Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA), the Permanent Way Institution (PWI NSW), the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) and the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB).
ARA Chief Executive Officer and judging chair Caroline Wilkie said the awards recognise the “incredible achievements” of rail industry employees across several areas, including the freight and passenger sectors, infrastructure, safety, diversity, customer service, innovation and sustainability.
“Every year, these awards demonstrate the extraordinary talent within the rail industry in Australia and New Zealand,” she said.
“These finalists exemplify the incredible commitment and dedication of the rail workforce to ensure a thriving, innovative and safe network.
“I would like to congratulate every organisation and individual celebrated today for their outstanding skills, and also thank everyone in rail working hard to deliver exceptional services.”
Rail Track Association Australia President Jonathan Barnes said: “Today everyone in the industry joins together to celebrate the achievements, innovation and successes of those working in the rail industry.”
Railway Technical Society of Australasia Australasian Executive Chair Stratton Killis added that the finalists “are a wonderful example of the incredible innovation and project excellence in the rail industry.”
Permanent Way Institution (PWI NSW) President Mark Harris extended his congratulations to all finalists, stating: “The rail industry takes great pride in recognising these emerging leaders and technical experts who represent the future of our sector.”
Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board General Manager for Stakeholder Engagement, Sharon Tang said: “RISSB is proud to recognise and celebrate all the great innovative thinking in the rail industry and their commitment to the highest standards of safety to keep workers in the industry and our communities safe every day.”
See the full list of nominees below.
Individual awards
Signalling and Systems Engineering Excellence Award
- Christopher Go – Sydney Trains
- Lisa Wetuschat – Downer
Emerging Rail Specialist Award
- Andre Ruiz – ACCIONA
- Jennifer Lee – Jacobs
- Robert Shearer – Alstom
- Travis Myers – PTAWA
Young Rail Professional Award
- Amy Muspratt – Rail Control Systems Australia
- Ciara Power – Alstom
- Darcy Bourke – Metro Trains Melbourne
- Darcy Carroll – Vossloh Australia
- Matthew Felton – ACCIONA
- Naveen Chaudhary – Aurecon
- Shou Barrett – Queensland Rail
- Sophie Tan – AtkinsRéalis
Young Achiever Award
- Daniel Watchorn – WSP
- Drew Garcia – Siemens Mobility
- George Davis – Sydney Trains
- Nilesh Patel – KBR
- Thy Pham – John Holland
Project or organisation awards
Rail Freight Excellence Award
- KiwiRail – UGL Pty Ltd, PT Inka joint venture – KiwiRail Wagon Replacement Program
- Pacific National – Pacific National Portal
- Rail First – Rail First Freight Rail Excellence
Passenger Operations Excellence Award
- Lynxx – Real-Time Algorithmic Vehicle Allocation for Light Rail
- Metro Trains Sydney – Delivery of First Passenger Service for Metro City Line
- Metro Tains Melbourne – Implementation of new systems for planned rail replacement services
- Queensland Rail – Tropical Cyclone Alfred response and recovery
- Queensland Rail – North Queensland severe weather recovery
- Sydney Trains & Sydney Metro – NYE 2024: Passenger operations success on Sydney’s biggest night
- Sydney Trains – Auburn Workforce Transition to Sydney Trains
- Sydney Trains – 2004 Timetable implementation, including Sydney Metro Integration
Infrastructure Project Excellence Award
- ACCIONA, WSP, MTM, LXRP joint venture – Parkdale Level Crossing Removal Project
- Armadale Line Upgrade Alliance – METRONET Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project
- Arup – Sydney Metro Martin Place Integrated Station Development
- ARTC – Narrabri to Turrawan line upgrade
- Laing O’Rourke and PTAWA joint venture – Laing O’Rourke, METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line Project
- Metro Trains Sydney – Successful opening of Sydney Metro City Line
- North Western Program Alliance – Pakenham Level Crossing Removal Project
- Rail Network Alliance – Metro Tunnel Project
Supplier Excellence Award
- Alstom – First Nations engagement
- JMD Railtech – Training facility for rail signalling personnel
- On Rail Industries – Pioneering safety and compliance initiative
- Pilbara Rail Maintenance – Critical ballast cleaning operation
- Vossloh Cogifer Australia – Establishment of a state-of-the-art factory in Bendigo
Safety Excellence Award
- ACCIONA – SPA’s Kananook project
- Martinus Rail – BallastMate for the RISSB Frontline Worker Safety Initiative Award
- John Holland for the RISSB Industry Safety Professional of the Year Award
- Metro Trains Melbourne – Community Connectors program
- Pilbara Rail Maintenance – Safety Innovation Program
- Queensland Rail – Ollera Creek Emergency Response for the RISSB Community Safety Award
- Sydney Trains – Real-time Access and Possession Interactive Display for the RISSB Safety Leadership Program
- Vossloh Cogifer Australia – SAFE+ app
Customer Service Excellence Award
- Inland Rail – Building Bridges: Engaging Glenrowan residents in the Inland Rail Project
- Laing O’Rourke – PWCS Berm B Stacker Reclaimer Track & KCT K5 Wharf Seaside Rail Replacement
- Metro Trains Sydney – MTS New Year’s Eve
- Pilbara Rail Maintenance – Supports the success of Rio Tinto’s Pilbara Rail Network
- Queensland Rail – 50-cent fares implementation
- Sydney Trains Suburban Services – Sydney Trains’ MyStation Viewer
- Sydney Trains Suburban Services – Sydney Trains’ Auslan Assist Proof-of-Concept
- Watco Australia – BlueScope Port Kembla Operations
Employee Engagement Excellence Award
- Alstom – Excellence in Employee Engagement
- John Holland – Rail Industry Flex Initiative: Game Changer for Retention
- Metro Trains Melbourne – Metro Tunnel Transformation Communications Program
- Queensland Rail – Five Years of QR Engage
- Queensland Rail – Digital Maintainer
- Queensland Rail – QR Celebrate
- UGL – Rail & Technology Systems (Western Australia) – G.R.E.A.T initiative
Rail Innovation of the Year Award
- Downer Rail & Transit Systems – Passenger Rail Autonomous Robotic Cleaners
- Lynxx – Mathematically Optimised Timetabling to Maximise Ridership
- Metro Trains Melbourne & Major Roads Projects Victoria – North East Link Project Overhead Line Remote Isolation System
- Pilbara Rail Maintenance – Vacuum Panel Lifter System
- Queensland Rail – ETCS Interim Interoperability Solution
- Rhomberg Sersa Australia – Concrete Placement Units
- Sydney Trains – 11kV Pole Top Substation Arrangement
- UGL – Corridor Intrusion Detection System and Object Detection System
Sustainability Excellence Award
- ABB Australia – Revolutionising Urban Rail: ABB’s diesel-hybrid solution for a cleaner, quieter Adelaide Metro
- Armadale Line Upgrade Alliance – METRONET Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project and Armadale Line Upgrade Alliance
- Downer – Electronic Test & Repair Centre (ETRC)
- Browser Media on behalf of Dura Composites – Homai Station, New Zealand
- Metro Trains Melbourne – Leading the way in sustainability excellence
- SMEC and Crows Nest Design Consortium, Sydney Metro – Crows Nest Station: Leading whole-of-life sustainability through collaborative design
- Transport for NSW – Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1
- Transport for NSW – Transport Access Program Tranche 3 (TAP3)
Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Award
- ACCIONA, WSP, MTM, LXRP (joint venture) – 2024 Disability Inclusion by the Southern Program Alliance
- John Holland – Making Flexibility Work in the Rail Industry
- Transdev Australasia, (Sydney and Parramatta Light Rail) – Inclusive Employment Pathways Program
- Transport for NSW – Tuggerah Station Upgrade
- Transport for NSW – Women’s Pre-Apprenticeship Program 2024, Electrical & Network Access Team
Wellbeing in Rail Award
- Arc Infrastructure – Track Mates Peer Supporter Program
- Hitachi Rail – Be Well at Hitachi Rail
- John Holland – “Flex from the Start” initiative: Positive Impacts on Team Wellbeing
- Link Alliance – Bringing health services to site
- Pacific National – Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
- Pilbara Rail Maintenance – Beyond Physical Safety
- Swietelsky Rail Australia – Employee Wellbeing Framework
- Sydney Trains – Rail Fire & Emergency, Embedded Critical Incident Support initiative
Career Achievement Award
Finalists and winner to be announced on 17 September.
