AusRAIL, Market Sectors

Thiess, Brookfield big winners at ARA awards

<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> John Holland, Thiess and Brookfield Rail were among the big names to take out top gongs at the Australasian Railway Association’s (ARA) annual awards night last week. </span> <p>Brookfield Rail won the award for Corporate Excellence.</p><p>“I am proud our achievements have now been recognised on anational level by the ARA,” Brookfield Rail chief executive Paul Larsen said. “Brookfield Rail has experienced a period of rapid growth since 2011, both in terms of infrastructure investment and the development of our people.”</p><p>Larsen was pleased the company had been able to “harness this growth into ensuring Brookfield Rail is a thriving and profitable business that delivers direct financial benefits to our customers and the economy of WA.”</p><p>Since privatisation of WA’s 5,500km open access, multi-user freight network in 2001, operator Brookfield Rail has seen tonnages transported in the network increase approximately 113%. Tonnages went over 70 million in 2013.</p><p>Brookfield was joined in the winners’ circle by Thiess, which took out the Safety award, and had Tayne Evans awarded as Rail Contractors’ Engineer of the Year.</p><p>John Holland took out the Innovation &amp Technology Award.</p><p>Two individuals from Metro Trains Melbourne were recognised Chole Alsop was awarded with the Customer Service gong, and Norm Grady took home the Career Achievement award.</p><p>Full award winners were as follows:</p><ul><li>Career Achievement – Mr Norm Grady from Metro Trains Melbourne</li><li>Corporate – Brookfield Rail</li><li>Customer Service – Ms Chloe Alsop, Metro Trains Melbourne</li><li>Individual – Ms Amanda Edsall, V/Line</li><li>Innovation &amp Technology – John Holland Pty Ltd</li><li>Rail Contractors Engineer of the Year – Mr Tayne Evans, Thiess Pty Ltd</li><li>Safety – Thiess Pty Ltd</li><li>Systems Engineering – Mr Ian Joyner, Queensland Rail</li><li>Workforce Diversity – Aurizon Holdings Limited</li><li>Young Rail Professional – Mathieu Gonzalez, North Strathfield Rail Underpass Alliance</li><li>Young Rail Engineer – Esther Warren, John Holland Pty Ltd</li><li>TrackSAFE Foundation – Aurizon Holdings Ltd</li></ul><p>Chairman of the ARA Lindsay Tanner congratulated all of the winners.</p><p>“I was incredibly encouraged by the amount of talent in rail recognised last night, across a broad range of professions and sectors of the industry,” Tanner said.</p><p>“In Workforce Diversity for example Aurizon adopted an innovative approach by developing a Diversity Council which executed a Diversity Plan that has set clear goals to grow the number of women working within the company, particularly in management roles, and has achieved a sustainable cultural transformation.</p><p>“The winner of the Career Achievement category, Norm Grady, has been working in rail for 45 years starting off as a junior engineer and making his way steadily up the management chain to chief engineer at Metro Trains Melbourne.</p><p>“Norm has shown outstanding displays of personal integrity and leadership throughout his career and, outside of his own professional career achievements, he acts as a mentor to many younger engineering professionals to help guide and oversee their development in the industry.”</p>