Read our top 5 FAQ of the GLRA!

Mainspring's guide to the Global Light Rail Awards 

 

Hello! Welcome to our guide to the Global Light Rail Awards. You may be here because you have never entered the awards before, maybe you need a quick refresher or perhaps you want to get involved with supporting the event or even a category. Whatever brought you here....it's fantastic to see you! The entries for the Global Light Rail awards are now open so we thought we would answer some of our FAQ about the event, the categories and the submission process. So without further ado... 

 

 

Short answer? Yes. Long answer? We, at Mainspring, provide (and have done for 17 years) the only platform for light rail, tramway and associated industries to gather and celebrate their achievements. This is a dynamic, innovative and passionate industry and the organisations, teams and individuals within it deserve recognition for their achievements. Given how fast the industry changes and progresses, the awards are a chance for the entire industry to learn about, celebrate and reward the hard work of everyone across the sector. Fondly known as the industry's 'Oscars', this is your chance to get yourself out there in front of a global audience - and win a flash trophy to boot! 

 

 

Of course! There are many options available to you as a sponsor. There are any one (or more) of our award categories which you can support - although it generally not done to enter a category which you sponsor so bear that in mind before you apply! For instance, if you are a manufacturer which supplies to the light rail industry, you probably would like to win the 'Manufacturer of the Year' category - so don't support that one! There are 16 others to choose from after all! You can support as many or as few categories as you like, or, you can sponsor the event itself. Our Champagne reception deal is just fabulous and will put you and your organisation front and centre of the event! If you are interested in learning more, click here. 

 

 

Certainly! We are more than happy to provide you with some examples of winning entries across various years just to give you a taste of what your submission should look like re length, supporting documents etc. whether you are a first time entrant orjust need a refresher. We will soon be releasing another blog dealing with this topic in particular, so make sure that you follow us to get all the latest guidance and guidelines. In the meantime, do feel free to contact us.  

 

 

Of course! It is up to you how many times you want to enter although each entry will require the filling out of separate entry forms. All entries should be a maximum of ten pages long and be accompanied by at least three high-resolution images in .jpeg or .tiff format. Not sure how to do this? Just ask! You are free to submit any supporting brochures, videos or any other media. Then simply scan them and send them to awards@lrtap.com. If you want to submit your application by post, please do print off three copies and send them to us at: 2022 Global Light Rail Awards, 13 Orton Enterprise Centre, Bakewell Rd, Orton Southgate, Peterborough, PE2 6XU, UK. 

 

 

This is a big one. First, you need to decide what you are going to put forward for our expert judges to consider. There are 16 categories and each celebrates a slightly different aspect. So let's go through them - one by one... 

 

Best Customer Initiative - This is a category that celebrates the hard work that you and your organisation has put into making an impact in the experience of your customers. What have you done which has improved passenger experience and really made a difference to the travelling public? 

Best Environmental and Sustainability Initiative - This celebrates those who have demonstrated a real commitment to towards meeting local, national or international climate change targets through their innovation, decision-making or practices. Protecting the Earth is a shared responsibility of every responsible employer so how have you tried to achieve this during 2023? 

 

Employee/Team of the Year - This is one of our most popular categories as who wouldn't want to celebrate their hard-working teams or individuals who routinely go beyond the call of duty? This is a chance to reward those indispensable people who you could not do without but may, sometimes, slip under the radar. Bring them out into the light! 

 

Operator of the Year - This is one of our most prized awards as it shows that the nominated operators demonstrate innovation within operations and  maintenance and set the highest standards. Only a small company? That does not matter. The Judging panel will judge all entrants, big or small, on their own merits, context and circumstances. In short, they will be very fair. 

 

Outstanding Engineering Achievement - This award covers all of infrastructure, rolling stock and system engineering (large or small) and is awarded to the entrant who can show that they provide value for money, have delivered beyond expectations (or schedule) across all operators, systems, contractors and suppliers. 

 

Manufacturer of the Year - Keeping our tramway, light rail and metro systems running well takes a seamless and trustworthy supply chain. We have seen many manufacturers walk away with this award over the years but who would be the winner in 2023? Most Improved System - This award recognises those operators and networks that have made the biggest leaps forward in the last 12 months whether through initiatives, investment, expansion, improved safety and efficiency or higher customer satisfaction data. However you manage your KPI's, if you have exceeded them, we want to know! 

 

Project of the Year - over EUR50m - This award is for new and major investments which have the potential (or are) absolute game-changers in the industry. Whether a new line, a system expansion or structural re-organisation, all these factors count when being considered for this award. 

 

Project of the Year - under EUR50M - undertaken a smaller project this year? Made a real difference to our organisation and customers through smaller changes? Expanded your depot for instance or part of your system? Let us know! 

 

Significant Safety Initiative - Safety is everyone's responsibility and priority one concern. The winning entries in this category have ranged from a product, a service an initiative or even an exemplary safety record.Supplier of the Year - Light and Urban rail systems rely on the support and participation of a wide array of organisations across the public and private sectors. If you can show exceptional service, an innovative approach to your supply chain or maybe an exceptional dedication to your customers, then that is something that you should shout about. 

 

Technical Innovation of the Year (Infrastructure) - This award is dedicated to those who have developed projects or initiatives that have designed the way we design, plan, build, operate and design the highest possible standards of service. 

 

Technical Innovation of the Year (Rolling Stock) - Like the award above, a dedication to excellence and striving to continually improve systems and results is our focus here. 

 

Rising Star Award - this award focuses on the youth in the industry that will grow to shape its future. Is there someone in your organisation who has shown the qualities necessary to move forward in the sector, acts a role-model or ambassador to others who are maybe looking to move into the industry. 

 

Vision of the Year - This award focuses on the best ideas in the transportation sector. This is open to projects or plans that have been implemented recently but also for those which are still in motion but show great potential to transform urban mobility in the future.Take a look at our 2022 Honour Roll here to see which companies and ideas won their category last year... 

 

 

Now that very much depends on what you want to achieve. Sponsorship and Supporter deals are available and, as well as our standard packages, we can offer bespoke experiences. Just ask us here.  

As part of our delegate prices (you can buy an individual ticket or a table of up to ten), you will benefit from a free champagne reception on arrival, a four-course gourmet dinner and free wine on the tables - our gift!  

Of course, you can add your own promotional items to the table, seat coverings, wine sleeve branding and much more with our supporter packages.  

 

Have a great idea to promote yourself ? Tell us what you want and we can (most likely) help!  

 

Delegate prices and table prices are available here through our booking platform. Click here to book... 

 

Finally, we hope that this guide has helped to answer some of the main questions surrounding the Global Light Rail Awards. Of course, if you have any more, please let us know in the comments section. Hopefully see you there...