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The winners of the Australasian Rail Industry (ARI) Awards highlight the extraordinary depth of talent and innovation in the Australian and New Zealand rail sector.
Australasian Railway Association (ARA) Chief Executive Officer and ARI Awards judging chair Caroline Wilkie said almost 800 people gathered in Melbourne on Wednesday night to congratulate the 16 winners of the highly anticipated awards.
"The ARI awards celebrate the incredible organisations and individuals who have gone above and beyond to ensure we continue to deliver a high-quality rail network that is safe, efficient, innovative and sustainable," Ms Wilkie said.
"The talent of this year's nominees reflects an industry that is working harder and smarter as we forge ahead on a once-in-a-generation $154 billion pipeline of projects to support greater use of rail across our passenger and freight networks."
The 2023 awards featured 16 categories recognising individuals, organisations and rail projects in the areas of diversity and inclusion, sustainability, passenger, infrastructure, innovation, supply, customer experience, freight, signalling and systems engineering and safety.
Arc Infrastructure Senior Stakeholder Relations Advisor Kevin Reeves won the Career Achievement Award in recognition of his significant contribution to the industry.
"Mr Reeves has enjoyed a distinguished, 50-year career that embodies the passion and dedication of a true rail enthusiast," Ms Wilkie said.
The Awards also featured a range of individual awards for emerging leaders and young rail professionals.
The Emerging Rail Specialist Award was awarded to Mott MacDonald Chartered Electrical Engineer Kirshan Pillai, the Young Achiever Award went to John Holland Site Engineer Benson Wong, the Young Rail Professional Award was awarded to ARUP Senior Track Design Engineer Ryan Spooner and the Signalling and Systems Engineering Award was awarded to Moemedi Goitsemang, Technical Executive – Rail at WSP.
"I would like to congratulate these winners who have all shone early in their career through their commitment and dedication to exemplary practices, innovative solutions and driving real change in the rail industry," Ms Wilkie said.
The Awards are supported by the Australasian Railway Association, Institution of Railway Signal Engineers, Railway Technical Society of Australia, Rail Track Association Australia, the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board and the Permanent Way Institution (NSW).
