Finalists announced for 2025 Rail Industry Awards

The rail industry has revealed the 95 finalists of the 2025 Australia and New Zealand edition of the Rail Industry Awards.

Ahead of the awards gala dinner on September 17 in Sydney, the industry has revealed finalists for all 16 categories.

Australasian Railway Association (ARA) CEO and judging chair Caroline Wilkie says the awards recognised 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. These finalists exemplify the incredible commitment and dedication of the rail workforce to ensure a thriving, innovative and safe network,” she says.
“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.”

Check out the finalists for all awards below:

Signalling and Systems Engineering Excellence Award
Supported by: IRSE

Christopher Go – Sydney Trains
Lisa Wetuschat – Downer

Emerging Rail Specialist Award
Supported by: RTAA

Andre Ruiz – ACCIONA
Jennifer Lee – Jacobs
Robert Shearer – Alstom
Travis Myers – PTAWA

Young Rail Professional Award
Supported by: RTSA

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
Supported by: PWI NSW

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
Supported by: ARA

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
Supported by: ARA

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
Sponsor: Andrew Engineering
Supported by: RTSA

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
Supported by: ARA

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
Supported by: RISSB

ACCIONA – SPA’s Kananook project
John Holland for the RISSB Industry Safety Professional of the Year Award
Martinus Rail – BallastMate for the RISSB Frontline Worker Safety Initiative 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
Sponsor: John Holland
Supported by: ARA

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
Sponsor: Rio Tinto
Supported by: ARA

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
Sponsor: Project i-TRACE, powered by GS1 Australia
Supported by: ARA

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
Sponsor: ACCIONA
Supported by: ARA

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
Supported by: ARA

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
Supported by: T rackSAFE Foundation

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
The Marketing GP/Swietelsky Rail Australia – Employee Wellbeing Framework
Sydney Trains – Rail Fire & Emergency, Embedded Critical Incident Support initiative

Career Achievement Award
Sponsor: Frauscher
Supported by: ARA

Winner to be revealed on the night.