One of the most prestigious accolades at the RailStaff Awards, the Rail Engineer of the Year Award celebrates the exceptional expertise and vision of the individuals whose work underpins the railway and drives it confidently into the future.
The award recognises engineers who not only deliver technically outstanding projects, but whose influence helps shape best practice across the wider industry.
At this year’s ceremony, the honour was presented to Mark Walsh of Hitachi Rail, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the modernisation of the UK’s digital rail infrastructure.
As lead engineer on the National Rail Enquiries Management project, Mark has been instrumental in transforming complex legacy systems into robust, scalable, cloud-native platforms capable of handling more than 2.5 million daily customer requests.
Through a combination of innovative thinking, technical precision, and strong leadership, Mark delivered a solution that significantly improved system reliability, reduced operational costs, and enhanced the overall user experience for millions of passengers.
His work has not only ensured flawless day-to-day performance, but has also established a new benchmark for digital excellence within the rail sector, inspiring wider adoption of modern engineering approaches across the industry.
In 2025, the Rail Engineer of the Year Award was sponsored once again by GeoAccess, a bespoke asset management company specialising in inspections on difficult-to-access sites.
Founded in 2014, GeoAccess brings together highly experienced geotechnical and structural engineers with advanced technologies including UAVs, ROVs, rope access, and confined space techniques.
Operating nationwide across a wide range of industries, GeoAccess is renowned for its professional, flexible approach and its ability to tackle projects of any size or complexity. By combining proven methodologies with cutting-edge innovation, the company delivers efficient, cost-effective solutions tailored to each client’s needs.
By supporting this award, GeoAccess continues to champion the engineers whose skill, dedication, and ingenuity keep the rail network moving – today and for generations to come.
Highly commended:
Batosz Gapsa, AECOM
Robbie Mecrow, Morson Praxis
Back next year
We have exciting sponsorship opportunities available for the 2026 awards.
If you’re interested in discussing this further or would like to put forward nominations from your team for future awards, please feel free to contact us by email at sales@rail-media.com or call us on 01530 816 440.
You can also find out more and view the upcoming pictures and videos from the evening by visiting our website www.RailStaffAwards.com.
