Light rail experts honoured with prestigious industry award

We’re proud to share that Dr Rob Carroll and Richard Briggs of Mott MacDonald have been awarded the Permanent Way Institution’s (PWI) President’s Award for their paper “What is Light Rail?” - a standout contribution to the sector that was recognised at the PWI’s annual celebration in Birmingham on the 5^th November with Rob and Richard receiving their awards from PWI President, Chrisma Jain.

The President’s Award is presented to the best paper, published in the PWI Journal in the previous calendar year, and this year’s winning entry reflects the growing importance of light rail in the UK’s transport landscape. Rob and Richard’s paper was specially prepared for the PWI Journal to introduce the light rail sector to a wider rail industry audience; a testament to Mott MacDonald’s reputation for thought leadership and technical excellence. 

Their work provides a comprehensive overview of the light rail ecosystem, from segregated metro systems and on-street tramways to tram-train operations. It explores the diversity of infrastructure, vehicles, and operations across the UK and Ireland, and offers a forward-looking perspective on the sector’s future, including planned extensions and new systems. Both Rob and Richard are deeply embedded in the light rail community.

Richard is a member of the UKTram Centre of Excellence, which last year won a Global Light Rail Award for Team of the Year, while Rob contributes to the Light Rail Engineers Group. Together, they are both Fellows of the Permanent Way Institution and they’ve also supported the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board (LRSSB) in developing industry guidance.  UKTram Managing Director, James Hammett reflected:

Both Richard Briggs & Rob Carrol have been instrumental in supporting the UKTram Centre of Excellence and it’s workstreams.  They are both shining examples of how our sector collaboration and knowledge sharing helps drive the sector forward and further aids the development of Light Rail and all the benefits it brings. 

Founded in 1884, the PWI is the only Professional Engineering Institution dedicated solely to rail infrastructure, providing technical training, events, and professional registration to more than 3,000 members and corporate partners. Its influence spans engineering, construction, consultancy and governance. UK Tram recently became a corporate member of the PWI and in return, the PWI has become the latest organisation to join UKTram’s growing community of members dedicated to supporting the future of light rail. 

The full paper is available to read on the PWI website.