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www.tramnews.net . www.Irta.org LIGHT RAIL AWARDS 2012 3

ON the day that the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) was in virtual meltdown after a multi-million heavy rail operating deal was embarrassingly abandoned because the DfT got its figures wrong, Transport Minister Norman Baker must have been gratified to get a warm round of applause at the 7th Annual Light Rail Awards.

Mr Baker, now in his third year as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, gave his enthusiastic support for the industry’s flagship event in London on 6 October.

The MP addressed a sell-out audience of almost 300 senior figures from across the world, and met with visitors from North Africa, the United States, Spain, France and Germany as well as the UK.

Mr Baker said how pleased he was that the industry had responded so positively to his ‘Tram Summit’ initiatives to get senior experts around the table, addressing major issues that will ultimately bring costs down. Two meetings have been held so far, and the next ‘one shop, one stop’ session was due to take place in Birmingham on 9 November.

While not promising further investment, he added: “All of us – Government, operators, manufacturers and constructors – have to make sure that light rail has a bright and progressive future.”

In his annual summary, Howard Johnston, TAUT Publisher and a member of the UK’s Light Rapid Transit Forum, spoke of another magnificent year for light rail around the world. Internationally, he said, despite the world recession, billions of dollars, Euros and Chinese Yuan are being invested in light rail and metros.

Over the last 12 months alone, the length of the Beijing Metro has reached almost 400km (248.5 miles), and a whole string of new projects have been approved across China over the next two decades. Significant joint venture deals have been signed in Russia, Brazil and India.

In the Middle East, the Dubai Metro is now the longest driverless metro system in the world and North Africa isn’t missing out on the light rail revolution with a new tramways in Algiers and another in Casablanca opening before the end of the year. In the US, the Obama Administration has unveiled the largest ever surface transportation bill ever, with a share of the USD105bn total helping to fast-track streetcar and light rail projects.

Dublin’s Luas cross-city connector has been approved despite major projects in Ireland being cancelled and in the UK expansion of existing systems is encouraging even if there are no new ones, while the long-awaited tram-train trials are now firmly on course.

LRA master of ceremonies Nicholas Owen added: “An event such as this can never totally reflect all the good things that are going on, and it’s a little sad that many of the best projects simply don’t reach the eyes of the judges. Don’t miss out in 2013.”

The 2012 judging panel comprised Colin Walton, former Chairman of Bombardier UK and Ireland (now an independent consultant); Andrew Braddock, Director General of UKTram and LRTA Chairman; and Howard Johnston.

AN INDUSTRY THAT’S BEATING THE WORLD RECESSION

THE LIGHT RAIL AWARDS BEST CUSTOMER INITIATIVESPONSORED BY TRAMWAYS & URBAN TRANSITHighly Commended: London Rail – New Tramlink TimetableHighly Commended: DB Regio Tyne & Wear – Real Time Passenger UpdatesWINNER: Transport for Greater Manchester – Disability Design Reference Group

ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVESPONSORED BY BOMBARDIER TRANSPORTATIONHighly commended: MPact-Thales – Recycling and Waste ManagementWINNER: Dijon Tramway – Environmental Management Plan

MOST SIGNIFICANT SAFETY INITIATIVESPONSORED BY MOTT MACDONALDHighly commended: Transport for Greater Manchester – Tram Stop UpgradesWINNER: Centro – Safer Travel Command Centre

INNOVATION OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY RATP DEVHighly commended: Transport for Greater Manchester – Utilities ProgrammeWINNER: London Rail – Emirates Air Line

UK PROJECT OF THE YEARSPONSORED BY THE LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT ASSOCIATIONHighly commended: Ultra Global – Heathrow PodHighly commended: London Rail – Tramlink Fleet ExpansionJOINT WINNER: Transport for Greater Manchester – Manchester-Oldham Mumps Extension JOINT WINNER: Nottingham Express Transit – Daring to be Different

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR – UNDER EUR10MSPONSORED BY KEOLISHighly commended: Data DisplayWINNER: North Star Consultancy

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR – ABOVE EUR10MSPONSORED BY KEOLISHighly commended: Bombardier TransportationWINNER: Tata Steel Rail

CONSULTANT OF THE YEARHighly commended: Bircham Dyson BellHighly commended: Parsons BrinckerhoffWINNER: Mott MacDonald

MANUFACTURER OF THE YEARWINNER: Bombardier Transportation

EMPLOYEE/TEAM OF THE YEARHighly commended: NexusHighly commended: Network Rail, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Sheffield SupertramWINNER: Ben Rodriguez, Metrolink RATP Dev

RISING STAR AWARDSPONSORED BY PARSONS BRICKERHOFFWINNER: Lindsay Moyles, Transport for Greater Manchester

OPERATOR OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY UKTRAMWINNER: Serco Docklands

WORLDWIDE PROJECT OF THE YEARSPONSORED BY ATKINSHighly commended: Brest Tramway, FranceHighly commended: Casablanca TramwayWINNER: Tranvía de Zaragoza, Spain

JUDGES’ SPECIAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTSpecial mention: Philip PurdyJOINT WINNER: Colin Robey JOINT WINNER: Roger Harrison

In his third year at the Light Rail Awards, Norman Baker MP reflected on a fantastic year for the industry. Jon Hill

2012

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HIGHLY COMMENDED: MPACT-THALES – RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE

WINNERDIJON TRAMWAY – ENVIRONMENTAL

MANAGEMENT PLAN

HIGHLY COMMENDED: TRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER – TRAM STOP UPGRADES

Centro’s Safer Travel Command Centre has cost GBP1.2m to set up, but it is considered that it will pay for itself within three years. The Light Rail Awards judges selected this pro-ject as the best in a well-contested category.

The new centre is a ground-breaking initiative, representing co-ordination between West Midlands Police, British Transport Police and National Express. By using communications technology such as tweeting and instant messaging, the public are urged to participate with the message ‘See Something Say Something… and tweet if you can.’ Recorded crime on public transport continues to fall sharply, not only on trams, but local railways and the bus network as well.

James Aspinall of Centro collected the award from Divisional Director of Mott MacDonald, David Hand.

The Highly Commended award was picked up by Trans-port for Greater Manchester for its tram stop upgrade programme. The first phase of Manchester Metrolink, now 20 years old, involved the takeover of two sections of rundown railway from Altrincham and Bury, connected up by a new street section across the city centre.

As investment was tight at the time, many of the original heavy rail stations received only minimum attention, and it is only now that the finance has become available to make them presentable. Over the last year, extensive rebuild-ing has taken place, new lighting installed, dingy subways stopped up, entrances widened, and new seating provided.

The judges said: “Transport for Greater Manchester inher-ited a very tatty rundown railway; 20 years on it has rebuilt many stations, replacing surplus and shabby buildings with smart new well-lit ones and installed new seating. The result is a modern LRT system that compares to any on the planet.”

MOST SIGNIFICANT SAFETY INITIATIVE

WINNERCENTRO – SAFER TRAVEL COMMAND

CENTRE

HIGHLY COMMENDED: TRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER – UTILITIES PROGRAMME

This category always attracts a large response, and for 2012 the judges admitted to having had problems separat-ing out some excellent entries that in a normal year could all expect to have won easily.

After long deliberation, London Rail’s Emirates Air Line was singled out as the winner. It is a new cable car that crosses the River Thames and is a ‘first’ for the UK. It took just two years to enter service from the contracts being let.

It was opened well in time for the 2012 Olympic Games, and provides a quick, direct and fully-accessible service for 2500 passengers an hour in each direction between the Greenwich Peninsula and Royal Docks. Two 600-tonne towers stand mightily on two sides of the water with a kilometre of cables and 34 cabins suspended from them.

The entry said: “With an extremely challenging timeline easily met, the Emirates Air Line deserves the accolade of the most innovative transport project of the year.” The judges unanimously agreed.

Transport for Greater Manchester featured again in this category, joining partner M-Pact Thales to collect a Highly Commended award for its sensible approach to the move-ment of pipes and cables during the construction of its new extensions. As has been shown, particularly in Edinburgh, a poorly-specified relationship between contractors and utility companies can delay a project by years and rack up millions of pounds of unnecessary extra costs.

Transport Minister Norman Baker regards understanding this issue as one of the most important challenges facing our industry, and he was heartened to hear how well TfGM has managed 500 separate contracts with utility companies.

The judges’ message was: “Go and talk to them – they’re saving millions... and turning a mountain into a molehill.”

WINNERLONDON RAIL – EMIRATES AIR LINE

SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY

It’s the proud boast of the Dijon Tramway that not a single drop of drinking water is used to wash its trams, or water the 4000 trees that have been planted alongside the track. Dijon’s commitment to environmental sustainability therefore made it a deserved winner of the Environmental Initiative award.

Dijon chose to make the tram the backbone of its public transport network and a key element in its ‘green’ commitments. It opened the first line of its planned 20km (12.5-miles) system in September 2012. The 35 tram stops are served by 33 Alstom Citadis trams, and 90 000 passengers/day are forecast.

Water is stored in retention ponds before being discharged into the environment and energy from 5000 solar panels on the depot roof are enough to power everything at the vehicle maintenance centre. Concrete from demolished buildings has gone into build-ing platforms instead of going to landfill.

The Highly Commended award was given to the Mpact-Thales Consortium in Manchester (UK), which has been red hot on recycling during the investment of GBP1.5bn to increase the size of the Metrolink network to over 100km (62 miles) by 2016.

Mpact-Thales recycles 99.5% of its waste and is proud that when the contractors have gone home, you can’t see where they have been.

SPONSORED BY

INNOVATION OF THE YEAR

HIGHLY COMMENDED:DB REGIO TYNE & WEAR – REAL TIME PASSENGER UPDATES

The first award of the night went to a UK light rail system that takes its responsibility for the welfare of all its passengers very seriously. Accessibility to its platforms, ticket machines and trams must be easy from the beginning of the journey to the end.

As Awards host Nicholas Owen remarked: “It’s a cold fact of life that public transport operators have a legal duty to ensure that every passengers can get aboard easily and travel in comfort.”

Transport for Greater Manchester’s dedicated Disability Design Reference Group has gone to immense lengths to ensure that its GBP1.5m network expansion has achieved all these objectives. It assembled a panel of people with a wide range of disabilities, and the result is that all new stops, park-and-ride facilities, crossings, seating layouts in trams, even handrails, are designed for those with walking sticks and wheelchairs.

As one visually-impaired passenger said: “You wouldn’t believe how little things can make all the difference. The staff treat every customer as a VIP instead of a problem.”

Two Highly Commended awards were given in this category. The first was handed to London Rail, whose Tramlink network in Croydon has been creaking at the seams for some time because of a 45% increase in business over the last five years. Inevitably, passengers have been left behind at tram stops at peak times despite 22 of the 24 trams in the fleet being in service.

A complete rethink of operations has taken place over last 12 months, with the tram fleet increasing by six, a new double track section laid, and the timetable turned inside out.

The second Highly Commended honour went to DB Regio Tyne & Wear, which has cut complaints by half through a comprehensive communications campaign incorporating social media.

BEST CUSTOMER INITIATIVE

WINNERTRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER –

DISABILITY DESIGN REFERENCE GROUP

SPONSORED BY

HIGHLY COMMENDED:LONDON RAIL – NEW TRAMLINK TIMETABLE

Reproduced with permission of Tramways & Urban TransitReproduced with permission of Tramways & Urban Transit

HIGHLY COMMENDED:ULTRA GLOBAL – HEATHROW POD

Faced with a high number of quality entries, the judges chose two winners, and also awarded two Highly Commended certificates for 2012.

A 20-year dream was realised on 13 June when Manchester Metrolink was extended northwards to Oldham Mumps, and the scheme’s clever execution secured a Project of the Year trophy for Transport for Greater Manchester.

The judges heard testimonials from passengers who are impressed with the 12-minute service provided over the 11km (seven-mile) route, where the low-frequency heavy rail service of life-expired diesel units is now a memory. There are new trams, track has been renewed, and stations, viaducts and bridges refurbished or replaced.

The judges said: “The Oldham extension is good for people, good for the environment, good for jobs. The new tram services, every 12 minutes, are a quantum leap from the smelly old diesel trains that used to run here, with smart new track and stations, bridges and viaducts.

“This will help transform the lives of thousands and as just part of the wider expansion of this already impressive system will form greater links with Oldham (and eventually Rochdale) and Manchester’s city centre.”

Honours were shared with Nottingham Express Transit, whose ‘Daring to be Different’ entry revealed how nail-biting it was to secure funding approval for the two new extensions to the existing system.

Against a bitter background of a tumbling Euro, and with bank lending all but dried up and sharp UK Government spend-ing cuts, the breakthrough signing of contracts was made at precisely 15.36 on 15 December 2011. That was when the city

council and tramway management agreed terms to push onwards and outwards with 17.5km (11 miles) of new track and infrastructure and 22 new trams. The regeneration benefit is thousands of new jobs.

The new Heathrow Pod system, mastermind-ed by Ultra Global, took a Highly Commended honour. The ambition of a new PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) system for London’s busiest airport has been a holy grail for over a decade. Now, when you’re going to one of the UK’s main

airports, you can cruise past the approach roads when they are jammed solid with cars, lorries coaches, minibuses and taxis.

Just six years from the conception, and entirely privately funded at a cost of just GBP30m, the scheme means Heathrow’s Terminal 5 now has a fleet of 21 pods for up to four people scooting along a dedicated 4km (2.5 miles) guideway, using one third of the energy of a car. The system is 99.5% reliable and runs 22 hours a day.

London Rail was Highly Commended for its London Tram-link service enhancement project in Croydon. It can sometimes take years to order new trams, and it’s never easy to bed them in when they do arrive – especially when they’re a different design to the main fleet.

Six new Stadler Variobahn vehicles were procured and diverted from the production line from Bergen in Norway to London and successfully integrated just ten months after the contract was signed.

This has pumped some new blood into the veins of a clogged-up system, and is a credit to the entire team involved with London Rail and operator First Tram Operations.

UK PROJECT OF THE YEAR

WINNERTRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER –

OLDHAM MUMPS EXTENSION

WINNERNOTTINGHAM EXPRESS TRANSIT

– DARING TO BE DIFFERENT

6 LIGHT RAIL AWARDS 2012 www.tramnews.net . www.Irta.org

SPONSORED BY

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1937–2012

HIGHLY COMMENDED:LONDON RAIL – TRAMLINK FLEET EXPANSION

Reproduced with permission of Tramways & Urban Transit

HIGHLY COMMENDED:BIRCHAM DYSON BELL

The UK has good reason to take pride in being a world leader in providing advice on good practice in public transport to govern-ments, planners, and industry bodies. The judges have always been impressed by the high quality of the companies in this market, and consider it very difficult to single out individual companies for special attention.

The 2012 winner is Mott MacDonald, which has made a significant contribution to 40 light rapid transit schemes in the last 12 months alone, across Europe, North America, the Far East, and as far away as Honolulu.

A high level of repeat business proves it has expertise and commitment, as well as a close-knit staff across continents and offices. Mott MacDonald has featured in the Sunday Times Top 25 best big companies to work for the last six years, and as one mainland Europe systems operator remarked: “They have the magic touch. It’s a delight to work with such consistent professionals.”

Highly Commended awards went to two other consultancies.Parsons Brinkerhoff is also involved with major schemes

across the globe, of which some of the most significant are in Seattle, Washington, light rail lines for Perth and Sydney in Australia, a cross-town project to link Toronto and Hamilton

in Canada, and congestion-easing strategies for Odense in Den-mark.

Light Rail Award Host Nicholas Owen added: “If you want advice on a floating bridge, cut-and-cover stations or squeezing platforms into tiny places, these are the people to talk to.”

Bircham Dyson Bell was congratulated on its excellent work delivering the Emirates Air Line cable car, across the River Thames in London, in just 24 months.

As a consultant, Bircham Dyson Bell was charged with finding a clear route through the dense bureaucratic jungle of acquiring land, obtaining planning permission, and also securing air space.

The judges said: “In June 2010, London Mayor Boris Johnson had a great idea – he wanted a cable car across the Thames, and he wanted it up and running in just 24 months.

“If you’re going to fight through the dense jungle of acquiring land, getting planning permission, and also secure airspace, you need an expert behind you. Seven local authorities had to be brought on side, 61 agreements reached, and a robust set of operating and safety rules set up.

“Bircham Dyson Bell was exactly the right firm to manage this complex task – and all with its usual style and flair.”

CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR

WINNER MOTT MACDONALD

HIGHLY COMMENDED:PARSONS BRINCKERHOFFHIGHLY

COMMENDED:DATA DISPLAY

This is a new category for 2012, designed to level the playing field for the smaller supply chain firms who are catering for a very different market to the multi-nationals.

The judging panel was pleased to see some fresh faces amongst the entries, and both this year’s honours went to companies whose contribution to the success of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London should never be underestimated.

London’s Docklands Light Railway was at the heart of the Olympic action, and day seven of the Games was the busiest of all with 500 736 passengers recorded.

Category winner North Star Consultancy was faultless in its planning support in the 16-month run-up to the Games. As the judges were told: “During the busy fortnight, it almost seemed like fun.” North Star is also making its mark across the world, and the Dubai Metro has been so pleased with the service offered by this UK organisation that it has come back time and time again.

Highly Commended was Data Display UK, which also rose magnificently to tight delivery challenges by supply-ing over 100 new pin-sharp information displays to the DLR, and updated the original equipment as well.

Awards host Nicholas Owen added his own praise: “When you go into a station, you need to know exactly where you’re going, and how long you’re going to have to wait. This company is going in the right direction, and now so are we!”

Francis De Wilde of Data Display UK told TAUT: “As a Customer Information Display designer and manufacturer we constantly strive to deliver the best solutions to every client. We are therefore thrilled to be recognised in this category as an outstanding supplier.”

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR: UNDER EUR10M

WINNERNORTH STAR CONSULTANCY

HIGHLY COMMENDED: BOMBARDIER TRANSPORTATION

Trams can’t operate properly if the steel rails they run on aren’t up to the mark. The problem is, track is expensive and can wear out quickly when trams with steel wheels run over it every few minutes day-in, day-out, so the scientific process of extending rail life is an important safety issue as well as saving a fortune in the longer term.

The 2012 major Supplier of the Year award went to Tata Steel Rail, a company that has attracted world attention for its new products that can last three times longer, and are easier to repair. Tata Steel has also introduced innovative welding processes that are automated and efficient. Finally, the firm has brought to market a new wrought steel for heavy duty use on crossings.

The judges said: “Tata Steel Rail’s intensive research and development process is a credit to the work it carries out with established and new networks alike to develop cutting-edge products that not only last longer, but also reduce longer-term maintenance and renewal costs. The firm has commanded worldwide attention for its products and for good reason.”

The Highly Commended award went for another year to Bombardier Transportation. With new tramways and metros opening at the rate of 20 a year around the world, there are also scores more on the drawing board. It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Bombardier, but it offers an innova-tive range of solutions for a variety of applications, and the Blackpool Tramway has become the world showcase for 16 examples of its latest low-floor tram, the Flexity 2.

Oliver Schmidt, Vice President, Sales and Products, and Bombardier UK’s Elaine Greenwood collected the award from Keolis UK Chief Executive Alistair Gordon.

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR: ABOVE EUR10M

WINNERTATA STEEL RAIL

www.tramnews.net . www.Irta.org LIGHT RAIL AWARDS 2012 98 LIGHT RAIL AWARDS 2012 www.tramnews.net . www.Irta.org

SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY


8 DECEMBER 2010 www.tramnews.net . www.Irta.org www.tramnews.net . www.Irta.org LIGHT RAIL AWARDS 2012 11

The CAF-hosted Champagne Reception brought together the great and the good from across the industry

Liz West from Transport for Greater Manchester, the brains behind a clutch of well-recognised entries

TAUT’s Vicky Binley congratulating Mott MacDonald’s David Hand; the firm took home an award for the second year running

John Rymer (left) from Tramlink operator and LRA supporter First Tram Operations

The team from Newcastle-upon-Tyne are always the life and soul of any party. They celebrated two honours on the night

A very happy award-goer from Manchester gives his verdict on the evening!The team from

London Tramlink

Jim Harkins from the Light Rail Transit Association and Stuart Kerr from Vossloh Kiepe

Manchester United: Lindsay Moyles from TfGM and Ben Rodriguez from Metrolink RATP Dev

Worldwide Project sponsor Atkins is well-placed in that category, with many programme references across the globe

High spirits on the Serco Docklands table, worthy winners of the 2012 Operator of the Year award

Zaragoza’s Carmen Dueso receiving the Worldwide Project of the Year honour

Former Managing Director of London Rail Ian Brown (left) shares a joke with UK Transport Minister Norman Baker

The CAF table is always filled with good humour, largely led by UK Business Development Manager Richard Garner

Yapi Merkei’s Atila Arik and Tarik Kartal made the long journey from Casablanca to collect their award


Transport for Greater Manchester is proud of Lindsay Moyles, one Metrolink staff member who has been pivotal in ensuring that its extensions have been well-received by its thousands of fresh customers. She will also be proud to have returned home from the Light Rail Awards with the Rising Star Award and a warm handshake from UK Transport Minister Norman Baker.

Another new entrant on the roster for 2012, this new category recognises individuals who are relatively fresh to the business, but already making a significant impact through their natural instincts and star quality.

Nicholas Owen said: “You have to be something special to excel in a job where contractors and suppliers can be just as challenging as well as passengers. This well-deserved award goes to a young lady who isn’t afraid of long hours, and has the customer foremost in her mind.”

“If you’re opening a brand new line, it’s essential for someone who is calm and collected to be at the heart of it all to ensure that everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet right from the first tram on the opening day.

Metrolink Director Philip Purdy was also full of praise: “Since joining Metrolink, Lindsay has consistently im-pressed us with her dedication, commitment and above all her customer-focused approach.

“She has recently been promoted for the highly complex ‘Customer Smart’ programme that will include a smart ticketing system, and I know that Lindsay will thrive in this role, and continue to demonstrate her acumen as she delivers this scheme and continues in her career.”

Lindsay even takes community involvement into her spare time in her out-of-work role as a volunteer police special constable.

Parsons Brinckerhoff Infrastructure Projects Director Steve Reynolds came to the stage to join Mr Baker in making the presentation.

RISING STAR AWARD

WINNERLINDSAY MOYLES – TRANSPORT FOR

GREATER MANCHESTER


EMPLOYEE/TEAM OF THE YEAR

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This is always one of the most popular categories at the Light Rail Awards because it recognises hard-working teams and individuals who often have to complete their daily duties in extreme circumstances.

The winner of the highly-coveted 2012 award is Ben Rodriguez, a ‘Minder Driver’ training instructor with Metrolink RATP Dev, the operator of Manchester Metrolink. No-one should ever underestimate the emotional challenge of taking to the controls of a street-running tram, because this really is the sharp end of the business with thousands of passengers per day falling under your direct responsibility.

Every trainee needs a kindly guardian, and Ben was put forward because of his consistently solid support for those who have found the early stages of their training difficult.

As his nominee told the judges: “Ben shows leadership and professionalism in any task he is asked to undertake. He is our greatest ambassador.”

Following his award, Ben told TAUT: “It gives me an enormous sense of pride to have been nominated for this award and I was delighted to have my work recognised in this way.

“I have worked within the public transport sector for the past nine years and within Metrolink for four and a half. I have many thoughts and ideas on our system, and consider myself lucky to be able to work with a great team who encourage me to become involved with the various different aspects of the operation of our network.”

A Highly Commended award went to the members of a con-sortium who have worked so hard to devise the business case for the forthcoming tram-train trials in South Yorkshire. The UK Government has released GBP58m for the new service between the centre of Sheffield and Rotherham which is due to begin in 2015, and the future of the mode in the UK could well depend on a positive outcome.

It has been a hard-fought battle over 14 months to persuade the UK Government to come up with the investment in straitened times, and a close working relationship between the partners has been essential. Praise is due therefore to the teams from Network Rail, Northern Rail, the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and Stagecoach Supertram in pulling together to achieve the desired result.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: NEXUS

WINNER BEN RODRIGUEZ – METROLINK RATP DEV

SPONSORED BYAlso Highly Commended were the team from UK Passenger Transport Executive Nexus – everyone from senior engineers to back office staff – who got the Tyne & Wear Metro back up to 95% operation within 24 hours of the floods that devastated the North East region of England on 28 June.

A month’s rain fell in just 12 hours, which wasn’t predicted by forecasters, and the impact was immediate and devastating. All rail and road routes were severed, and rivers burst their banks. Tyne & Wear Metro tracks were waist deep in water, strewn with filthy debris, the signalling wrecked, and trains abandoned where there they stopped.

When the waters did subside, an enormous recovery opera-tion swung into action to ensure the trains were up and running for the following morning’s rush hour.

Nexus Rail Director Raymond Johnstone commented: “Our staff pulled out all the stops after June’s dreadful storms, so I am delighted their efforts have been recognised.

“We showed that Nexus will do everything humanly possible to maintain the Metro service no matter how bad the weather conditions.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED: NETWORK RAIL, SOUTH YORKSHIRE PASSENGER TRANSPORT

EXECUTIVE, SHEFFIELD SUPERTRAM



Taking the award for a third year, Bombardier Transporta-tion was congratulated in this category for its ambition and innovation in 2012, a strong year for the manufacturer as it grows its worldwide light rail business even further.

Following the recent signing of an agreement to export expertise to China, the ten-year technology transfer licence will result in European-looking low-floor vehicles running through the streets of some of China’s largest cities. Another partnership in Russia helps cement Bombardier as one of the leading players in the rolling stock industry.

Additionally, the firm has landed orders for almost 250 trams over the last year – 144 are destined for Germany, 60 for Switzerland, and 32 for Manchester to complete the replacement programme.

In the UK, Bombardier knows only too well how tough it is at the moment, but it is by far the largest LRV supplier to the UK market, supplying all the new M5000 cars for Man-chester’s extensions, with an add-on order to replace all the existing T68 trams with a resultant standard fleet of 94.

After the worldwide premiere of the Flexity 2 in Black-pool (UK), Bombardier has also been selected to supply 48 new Flexity 2s for De Lijn services in Antwerp and Gent (Belgium) under a EUR129m order announced on August 6.

It is the largest single tram procurement placed by the regional government, and the deal includes an option for a further 40 cars. They are due for delivery from early 2014, and the initial tranche of 48 vehicles has been split into three sub-fleets to meet the requirements of each city.

The judges said: “In the past year this major manufac-turer has set up exciting overseas partnerships. Beyond that it has landed orders for almost 250 new trams since we last honoured them in 2011, and the order books just keep filling up as systems join the queue for their latest low-floor prod-ucts. The future is looking very strong for Bombardier.”

Oliver Schmidt, Vice President Light Rail Vehicles for Bombardier, commented: “Winning this award for the third year running underscores our capability as a provider of light rail solutions and as a reliable partner for transport operators worldwide.”

MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR

WINNERBOMBARDIER TRANSPORTATION

The UK Light Rail Operator of the Year title is one of the most sought after, and 2012 is the second time that London’s Docklands Light Railway has won the top honour. Its operator, Serco Docklands, collected the award.

Previous winners have been DLR in 2008, London Tramlink in 2009, Nottingham Express Transit twice, in 2007 and 2010, and DB Regio, the Tyne & Wear Metro, in 2011.

Although there have been many high achievers this year, all eyes have focussed on how the DLR performed under the severe pressure of millions of new passengers using it to reach the principal Olympic Games venues positioned alongside it – the main park at Stratford, the ExCeL Centre at Custom House, Greenwich Park, and the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich Arsenal. At the same time, the regular clientele also had to be looked after.

The DLR’s equipment, train fleet and hundreds of paid and volunteer staff were at full stretch, but preparation and testing all paid off. A total of 7.2 million passengers were carried over 16 days to four Olympic venues, and on the peak day, numbers were 100% up on last year. Statistically, this is 20 times the record 26 000 people carried in a day by the light rail system in Charlotte, North Carolina!

Since London won the right to stage the Games, a GBP850m (approx EUR1.06bn) investment programme has been completed. This includes extensions to Woolwich Arsenal in 2008, and Stratford International, in the heart of the Olympic Park, in 2011. The investment has brought new, longer trains to pull into longer platforms, adding 50% to the DLR’s capacity. The opening of the new control centre in February (moved from Poplar to Beckton) has also led to a major improvement in service reliability, and during the Games period an average of 99% of departures were on time.

Perhaps this is the ultimate accolade: International Olym-pic President Jacques Rogge chose to use the DLR instead of enjoying the comfort of a luxury chauffeur-driven car.

OPERATOR OF THE YEAR

WINNERSERCO DOCKLANDS

SPONSORED BY Mott MacDonald2012 Light Rail Awards Consultant of the Year Light rail and urban transport – Mott MacDonald has the knowledge, skills and imagination to help deliver attractive, affordable, successful and sustainable projects worldwide.

We are extremely proud to receive the 2012 Consultant of the Year award and thank our many clients from across the LRT sector for their support. This is the third successive year that we have won a major award at this prestigious event, cementing our reputation as a leader in the field.

[email protected]

WWW.MOTTMAC.COM

Light Rail advert_LJP1012.indd 1 17/10/2012 11:54:53

Congratulations to TfGM for winningUK Project of the Year. Again.

Global consultants | Designers | Engineers | Programme managersParsons Brinckerhoff is an equal opportunities employer for more information visit pbworld.com

Parsons Brinckerhoff is proud to be Transport for Greater Manchester’s Delivery Partner on the

Manchester Metrolink Extensions project, and part of the winning team at the 2011 and

2012 Light Rail Awards.

PB Advert-TAUT v2.indd 1 22/10/2012 23:49:11Reproduced with permission of Tramways & Urban TransitReproduced with permission of Tramways & Urban Transit

This prestigious category attracts a double-figure entry from around the world, and this year caused some of the most heated debate amongst the judges who eventually decided upon two Highly Commended honours as well as the winner.

The new tramway in Brest (France) was Highly Commended for opening on time and EUR15m under budget, at the same time integrating many innovative features to enhance customer service, reduce environmental impact, and contribute signifi-cantly to the revitalisation of the urban area.

Even French cities that are not in the top 20 largest now have tramways as a matter of course and 23 June was eagerly anticipated as the opening day of a system which is brightening the lives and employment prospects of almost 220 000 people, and it is still only three years since construction began.

The Brest tramway covers 14.3km (nine miles) and has 28 stops. The 20 Alstom Citadis trams are part of a ground-breaking deal that reduced costs through a joint order with Dijon.

Also Highly Commended was the Casa Tramway in Casablanca, which the judges agreed is a potential category winner if the 12 December opening goes according to plan.

Constructing 31km (19 miles) of brand new double-track tramway in less than two years is a fine achievement. There are 48 stops, and 250 000 passengers a day can be carried if there is demand established for a service frequency of four minutes during the rush hour. It also paves the way for the main downtown boulevard area to be handed over to pedestrians, transforming the face of this modernising city. If it works well, a whole network of lines have been promised.

The judges commented: “Building just over 30km of brand new tramway, 48 stops and new depot in less than two years – now that’s something to really boast about.

“Innovative techniques, pinpoint work scheduling and impeccable teamwork make the Casablanca tramway project a real focal point for the development of light rail in the growing market in North Africa.

“When it opens on 12 December, this new tramway will transform the outlook of the city and put it on the right path for a prosperous future. If it works well – and we are sure it will – we predict a hatful of awards for this system in the future.”

Atila Arik and Tarik Kartal from Yapi Merkezi, the system’s construction team, collected the award.

The 2012 Worldwide Project of the Year is Tranvía de Zaragoza, and Deputy Mayor Carmen Dueso made the journey from Spain to collect the award from UK Transport Minister Norman Baker and Atkins Managing Director Tim O’Neill.

The system is so highly revered that it has had visits from 87 other cities around the world wanting to know how it has gone about it, including the United States, China, Russia, the UK, France, Switzerland, Australia, India and even Ecuador.

The promoters claim that since the first section of the 13km (eight-mile) line 1 opened on 11 April 2011, road traffic into the busy city centre has fallen by more than a third, and carbon emissions are also well down.

The fleet of CAF Urbos 3 trams provide a service frequently of five minutes, and the Rapid Charge Accumulator System means that there are no overhead wires to be seen in sensitive historic parts of the city.

The Tranvía Zaragoza team told TAUT: “Being awarded the Worldwide Project of the Year award drives us to continue developing the mobility of the future – a sustainable line made for the citizens.”

WORLDWIDE PROJECT OF THE YEAR

WINNERTRANVÍA DE ZARAGOZA, SPAIN

“Since even before the International Exhibition of 2008, Zaragoza has changed dramatically, and the tram is a fundamental part of that transformation. The city has made a strong commitment to sustainable mobility, promoting intermodality with bus, cycles and taxis, and recovering the centre of the historic city and its industry for pedestrians.”CARMEN DUESO, ZARAGOZA DEPUTY MAYOR AND MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND MOBILITY


HIGHLY COMMENDED: BREST METROPOLE OCEANE

SPONSORED BY

HIGHLY COMMENDED: CASABLANCA TRAMWAY

Moving the worldFrom the Manchester Metrolink to the Makkah Metro, we have the specialist knowledge and experience to deliver Global Mass Transit solutions.

Providing our clients with technical advice, we offer a range of services including:

• Project development

• Concept and detailed design

• Asset management

• Safety engineering

• Field support, testing and commissioning

• Communication systems design and build

For further details, get in touch with Andy Moore:

+44 (0)1752 697709,

[email protected]

Metrolink RATP Dev LtdRATP Dev UK operates the Metrolink tram system on behalf of Transport for Greater Manchester.

The UK’s most vibrant light rail system, catering for over 20 million passenger journeys a year; the Metrolink network will become the UK’s largest following the completion of Transport for Greater Manchester’s £1.4 billion investment in 2016.


The climax of the Light Rail Awards is publicly recognising individuals who have played a major role in creating today’s increasingly vibrant light rail industry.

It was a great personal surprise to Manchester Metrolink Director Philip Purdy to be singled out for a special presentation, which the judges saw as just reward his outstanding impact during just four years in the job.

During his tenure, Metrolink has gone from strength to strength; three new lines have been opened, to Media City UK in Salford, Chorlton and Oldham. Over 300 bridges and structures have been built or refurbished, Bombardier’s new M5000 trams commissioned, and patronage is rising by two million a year. Track has been replaced in the city centre, and a whole range of customer and community initiatives championed.

Philip, who is returning to his native Melbourne, Australia, in 2013, was nominated for a citation by over 70 members of his team. In his usual way, he demanded that he would not seek reward for his efforts, but for once his boss, Transport for Greater Manchester Chief Executive David Leather, overruled him.

The two principal awards went to Colin Robey, Head of Operations, Rail and Rapid Transit of Centro, and Roger Harrison, Chairman of Tramlink Nottingham. Thus, the public and private sectors are equally represented.

Colin has needed all of his 45 years’ transport experience to handle some of the assignments recently thrown at him. Working for British Rail in the 1970s was the ideal training ground for becoming a robust negotiator in a light rail industry where there is also not much money to throw around.

In 1999, Colin was asked by Centro’s then Director General Rob Donald to take on a short-term role bedding in the new Midland Metro tramway. Thirteen years later, Colin can look back with satisfaction on having played a key role in getting the system through its early teething troubles to the point where it is the most reliable part of the West Midlands transport system.

This has involved delivering over GBP5m of Centro capital investment, including provision of a wheel lathe (which the ini-tial consortium had value-engineered out) and helping maintain good contractual relationships. Colin has helped develop the current extensions package, in particular the expanded depot.

The judges said: “An incredibly down-to-earth and

approachable figure, Colin’s many achievements include successfully debugging a new tramway, and giving wise advice on new extensions and vehicles.

“Most recently, he has made countless trips to mainland Europe to ensure that the UK is very much part of the dialogue in terms of best practice for the industry as a whole.”

Likewise, Roger Harrison has landed a dream position to conclude a distinguished 40-year career in transport – Chairman of Tramlink Nottingham, which is pushing south and west-wards with two new lines, and is already talking about two or three more. He is also the chairman-elect of the Light Rapid Transit Forum, which represents the private sector on UKTram.

In his career, Roger, a chartered engineer and an accountant, has had both the excitement of managing projects in Estonia, Turkey, Denmark and the Far East, and the heartache of slashing the work forces of ailing companies.

Roger said: “I’m extremely flattered. It is very special to receive this type of accolade from my colleagues across the industry. I have to say that any achievements I’ve managed wouldn’t have been possible without support from the very dedi-cated teams of people I’ve worked with over the years, or, indeed, the vision of organisations such as Nottingham City Council.”

JUDGES’ SPECIAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

WINNERROGER HARRISON –

TRAMLINK NOTTINGHAM

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE RECOGNISED AT THE LIGHT RAIL AWARDS – ENTRIES FOR NEXT YEAR

OPEN ON 1 MARCH 2013

LIGHT RAIL AWARDS – 2 OCTOBER 2013


WINNERCOLIN ROBEY –

CENTRO

SPECIAL MENTION: PHILIP PURDY – TRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER


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