Rail freight operator wins safety and workforce diversity awards.
Rail freight operator Aurizon has scooped up two awards at the inaugural Australasian Rail Industry Awards.
The event, held last night in Melbourne, awarded individuals and companies across 12 categories.
Aurizon received the Workforce Diversity and TrackSAFE Foundation awards, while Brookfield Rail, John Holland and Thiess also featured on the winners list.
The TrackSAFE prize recognises firms that endeavour to reduce near collisions, injuries and fatalities on the rail network and work to improve awareness around rail level crossing and track safety.
The Workforce Diversity Award is aimed at rewarding businesses that implement initiatives to promote diversity and demonstrate if they have been effective.
“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,” Australasian Railway Association chairman Lindsay Tanner says.
Industry veteran Norm Grady won the Career Achievement Award.
“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,” Tanner says.
He says plans are already underway to make the event bigger and better next year, including the addition of new categories.
Brookfield Rail received the Corporate Award, while Chloe Alsop from Metro Trains Melbourne led the field in the Customer Service category.
John Holland won the Innovation and Technology prize, while its engineer, Esther Warren, received the Young Rail Engineer Award.
Engineer of the Year went to Tayne Evans from Thiess, with Ian Joyner from Queensland Rail winning the Systems Engineering Award.
Thiess also won the Safety Award.
Meanwhile, Mathieu Gonzalez from north Strathfield Rail Underpass Alliance was named Young Rail Professional. The Individual Award went to Amanda Edsall from V/Line.