Without the UK’s army of expert Rail Engineers, the network wouldn’t exist. It’s as simple as that.
Since the very first days of the railway, engineers have provided the insight and expertise to drive the projects and systems on which the transport of millions depends. That’s why the Rail Engineer of the Year award is one of the RailStaff Awards’ most prized accolades.
The award this year was sponsored by engineering service provider Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group UK. Rhomberg Sersa UK is a full railway engineering service provider specialising in the design and construction of slab track solutions, track renewal and maintenance, tunnels, stations, consultancy, planning, and design. Innovation is at the heart of Rhomberg UK’s business and it offers solutions to the most challenging projects – all the qualities of an excellent Rail Engineer.
At the 2022 awards, Chloe Thomas from Transport the Wales took the coveted prize. Chloe joined the railway back in 2015 as a fleet maintenance apprentice. Seven years later, she is a Fleet Support Engineer who has just completed her BSc Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Not only did she successfully juggle full time work and part time study, but she received a First-Class Honours Degree. This year she was awarded the IET Prize for most outstanding student and was also presented with an additional award by the Dean of the University – the Certificate of Excellence for University of South Wales.
Along with her many academic achievements, Chloe’s innovative work at Canton Depot has impressed colleagues. Here, she has successfully implemented new battery testing equipment that uses conductance testing to determine the health of the battery on the Class 150 Fleet. Her project will enhance the performance of the Class 150 batteries resulting in increased reliability of battery systems as this project will implement preventative maintenance into the exam regime.
“I’m really shocked and pleased to win this award,” said Chloe. “I’ve been working in rail for eight years, starting as an apprentice, and right now it’s a really exciting time for the industry. It’s been great to see so many faces from across the industry tonight, and there were some amazing people nominated.”
Highly commended
Nathan Sealy, Amey Consulting
Jason Petersen & David Moss, Quattro Plant
