The Rail Safety Awards recognise and celebrate individual and organisational achievements that strengthen safety outcomes across rail in Australia and New Zealand.
These awards showcase leadership, innovation and practical initiatives that make a real difference – on the network, in workplaces and for the community.
Winners announced
Six winners picked from twenty-five outstanding individuals, teams and organisations who represent the very best of the rail industry’s commitment to safety, innovation, productivity and continuous improvement!
2026 Awards
2026 Awards winners
Community
Community Safety Award
This award acknowledges initiatives or campaigns that have delivered demonstrable improvements in rail safety outcomes for the community. It recognises programs that effectively engage the public, reduce risk and promote safer behaviour around the rail network.
Winner
Track Stars
Queensland Rail
Highly commended
Rail Safety Week School Poster Program
Canberra Metro
Finalists
Intelligent Rail Inspection Program – Western Sydney University
Lifting Study – GM Rail
ANPR Partnership Pilbara Level Crossings – Rio Tinto
Frontline
TrackSAFE Frontline Worker Safety Award
The Award recognises a frontline rail worker (or team) who in the past 12 months, championed a rail safety initiative that improved safety outcomes in their workplace or worksite with exemplary and demonstrable outcomes for their co-workers.
Frontline in this Award is defined as an individual (or team) who performs essential duties or functions that involves direct interaction with the public or support critical operations.
Winner
Craig Bell
Downer Group
Highly commended
Unified Safety Intervention Program
Queensland Rail
Finalists
Jack Follett – Aurizon
Advancing Safety and Productivity Award
This award recognises an initiative that demonstrably improved operational safety or productivity (reduced loss time injury, streamlined processes/efficiency, direct cost savings like procurement, and savings through interoperability, sustainability or innovation etc).
The award celebrates programs that strengthen organisational safety capability, rail operations or WHS, and deliver measurable physical and/or psychological safety improvements for the workforce.
Winner
New Boarding Ramp Project
Queensland Rail
Highly commended
Staff Protection Zones (SPZs) within the Metro Tunnel Project – Metro Trains Melbourne
View.Note immersive visualisation web application– Kellogg Brown Root
Finalists
EN4CER onboard ATP system – 4AI Systems
SAFE+ Program – Downer
Unified Safety Intervention Program (USIP) – Queensland Rail
New safety-rated height & slew limiters – PRM Engineering Services
Risk-based dual-RIM framework – Sydney Metro/ Metro Trains Sydney
People
Next Generation Award
In conjunction with Informa’s Next Generation Conference Scholarship, this will be the inaugural Next Generation Award. Meant for rail sector professionals aged 30 and under, this award will be chosen from the 10 ‘Next Generation’ scholarship recipients for the ARISO Rail Safety Conference 2026. A judging panel will evaluate the recipients to identify the standout leader driving innovation and excellence in rail safety.
Winner
Clarissa Sparnenn
Yarra Trams
Highly commended
Ali Boyrati – Monash Institute of Railway Technology
Dimitrios Haralampidis – Transport for NSW
Finalists
Sushmitha Vijay D Souza – Metro Trains Melbourne
Jayantha Elpitiya – Monash Institute of Railway Technology
Professional
Industry Safety Professional of the Year Award
This award acknowledges the overall achievements of a rail industry professional who exemplifies advocacy and demonstrable commitment to improving the health, safety and wellbeing outcomes within their organisation or the industry.
Winner
Lisa Young
Metro Trains Melbourne
Highly commended
Dave Monk
Downer Group
Finalists
Ksenija Stanic-Colic – GM Rail
Professional Development Group Member of the Year Award
We recognise the sterling contribution from industry Subject Matter Experts to the development of industry-recognised, good practice, accredited Australian Standards and other products that are shaping the future of the rail industry.
Winner
Kenelm Wong
Transport for NSW
Highly commended
Elizabeth Marsh
Queensland Rail
Tomos Luker
Cold Forge Products
Finalists
Ash Sharma – Dept of Transport & Planning, VIC
Nathan White – CSIRO
Judging panel
Thank you to the judges for the generosity of their time and expertise.
Melissa Radke – Head of Rail Standards Reform, National Transport Commission (NTC)
Colin Holmes – General Manager Technical, Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR)
Jonathan Barnes – President, Rail Track Association Australia (RTAA)
Natalie Currey – General Manager Productivity & Industry Capability, Australasia Railways Australia (ARA)
Hope Steel – Stakeholder Engagement & Communications Manager, TrackSAFE Foundation
Tina Karas – General Manager Transport, Informa
Sudha Niles – General Manager Products and Innovation, ARISO
Sharon Tang – General Manager Stakeholder Engagement, ARISO
2025 Awards
2025 Awards winners
Community
Community Safety Initiative
The community safety award acknowledges initiatives that deliver improved community rail safety outcomes (for example level crossings, trespass, or other community safety engagement initiatives).
Winner
Ollera Creek Emergency Response
Queensland Rail
Highly commended
Respect the sign. Lives are on the line
Aurizon
Finalists
Rail Active Crossing System, Rail Safety Systems
Corridor Intrusion Detection System and Obstacle Detection System (ODS), UGL
What’s it going to take? A team approach to safety, TasRail
Frontline
Frontline Worker Safety Initiative
This award recognises a frontline rail worker (or team) who has championed a safety initiative or workplace improvement with exemplary safety outcomes.
Winner
BallastMate – A safer and smarter way to lay bottom ballast
Martinus Rail
Highly commended
ALSTOM Dandenong Excellence League (DEL)
ALSTOM
Finalists
Safer Jig Movement, Downer
M18 Bluetooth Cable Cutter on the METRONET Victoria-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project, METRONET
Airborne Hazard Protection, Swietelsky Rail
Program
Safety Leadership Program
This award celebrates programs that lift safety capability and improve physical and/or psychological safety outcomes.
Professional
Industry Safety Professional of the Year
This award acknowledges the overall achievements of a safety professional in improving health, safety and wellbeing outcomes within a team or organisation.
Winner
Kylie Pearse
John Holland
Highly commended
Shoaib Ahmed
ALSTOM
Finalists
Dave Lumsden, Downer
Joe McGinlay, Rio Tinto
Corrie Summers, TasRail
Judging panel
Thank you to the judges for the generosity of their time and expertise.
Colin Holmes – Projects & Technical Program Director, Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR)
Jesse Baker – General Manager Passenger Rail and Safety, Australasia Rail Association (ARA)
Mark Harris – President, Permanent Way Institute (PWI)
Melissa Radke – Head of Standards Reform, National Transport Commission (NTC)
Mohit Sareen – Director Rail Operations, Public Transport South Australia (SA)
Sudha Niles – General Manager Products and Innovation, ARISO
Sharon Tang – General Manager Stakeholder Engagement, ARISO
2024 Awards
2024 Awards winners
Community Safety
Mental Health Co-deployment Trial – Queensland Rail
Frontline Worker Safety Initiative
Sharing ideas to ‘Make a Change’ – ARTC
Emerging Leader
Jason Zhou – Downer Rail Transit Systems
Safety Leadership Program
Safe Access for Maintenance Program – Sydney Trains
Industry Safety Professional of the Year
Ann Tomlinson – Alium Works
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