The annual Global Light Rail Awards took place in London on 1st October 2025 and once again a wide-range of organisations and individuals were recognised for their achievements over the past year. Although the awards remain global once again it was the UK who were celebrating in many of the categories, including KeolisAmey Metrolink who were named Operator of the Year.
This was the second year in succession that KeolisAmey Metrolink won this prestigious award, the category being sponsored by UKTram, and it was a night to celebrate for KeolisAmey as KeolisAmey Docklands were highly commended in the same category!
KeolisAmey Metrolink commented on LinkedIn: “We’re super proud to announce that KeolisAmey Metrolink has recognised once again as UK Operator of the Year at this year’s Global Light Rail Awards! Huge thanks to our brilliant teams across the network, your dedication, teamwork, and passion are what make achievements like this possible. Every day, you go above and beyond to keep our services running smoothly, support our customers, and bring our values to life. This success is a reflection of your hard work, resilience, and commitment to excellence. We couldn’t do it without you!”
The Most Improved System for 2025 was named as West Midlands Metro. This came after a year of significant investment and innovation across the network, which has resulted in improved reliability, customer satisfaction, and sustainability.
A delighted Sophie Allison, Managing Director of West Midlands Metro, said: “It’s fair to say that the network has faced numerous challenges in recent years, but thanks to the fantastic work of the team and investment across the existing network, the Metro is now more popular than ever. Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen significant improvements in customer satisfaction, patronage and reliability, alongside a reduction in our carbon footprint.”
Other winners from the UK included:
- The Richard Brown Best Customer Initiative Award
Edinburgh Trams – Tap On, Tap Off
(Highly Commended: Blackpool Transport – New team offering a helping hand to customers)
- Significant Safety Initiative
Tram Operations Limited – Correct Side Door Enabling (CSDE)
- Technical Innovation of the Year
South Yorkshire Supertram – Remote monitoring for overhead line tensioning issues
(Highly Commended: Nottingham Express Transit – Facing Point Indicator Beacons
- Employee of the Year
Shaun Kenneth – Nottingham Express Transit
(Highly Commended: Nicola Steadman – West Midlands Metro)
- Rising Star
Michael Parkes – West Midlands Metro
- Judges Special Award
Tracy Brabin – Mayor of West Yorkshire