MTA Metro-North Railroad is the first American railroad to receive the 2011 Jury Prize for Overall Design Excellence, given by The Watford Group and the Center for Industrial Design in Transportation, in the 26-year history of the honor. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood presented the award to Metro-North representatives at the Brunel Awards ceremony Oct. 14 in Washington, DC.

The Brunel Awards are open to all passenger and freight railways throughout the world and recognize and promote the best in railway design and engineering. This year, 43 railways from 15 countries on three continents entered 150 projects in this year’s international competition. In addition to the Jury Prize, the ceremony included the presentation of 20 Brunel Awards and 24 commendations to rail organizations representing 11 countries.

This competition recognizes excellence in railway architecture; engineering; landscape and environmental, locomotive and car, and product design; graphic arts; and corporate branding. The Jury Prize is open only to railroads that enter projects in all five categories: Rail Stations; Technical Infrastructure; Freight and Railroad Support Buildings; Industrial Design, Corporate Branding, Graphics, Furnishings; and Rolling Stock.

Metro-North received the Brunel Award for its Croton-Harmon Locomotive and Coach Shops in the Freight and Railway Support Buildings category.

Its other entries were for Yankees-E. 153rd Street Station (Rail Stations); Operations Control Center (Technical Infrastructure); M8 Rail Cars (Rolling Stock); and MTA Arts for Transit “The Home of the Stars” at Yankees-E. 153rd Street Station (Industrial Design, Corporate Branding, Graphics).

“Considering the caliber of the competition, it was certainly a thrilling and rewarding experience,” said Metro-North President Howard Permut, who accepted the Jury Prize from LaHood. “It was truly gratifying to be recognized for our customer focus, since excellent customer service has always been our most important goal. Everything we do, from designing employee uniforms and enhancing customer amenities to building stations, facilities, and rail cars, is geared toward the goal of providing our customers with the best transportation experience possible.”

APTA President William Millar spoke at the award ceremony event, noting the importance of public transit agencies learning from one another.

He recognized James N. Michel, senior vice president of Marsh USA’s global rail practice and a member of the Brunel Awards committee, and noted that all the winning U.S. rail organizations—including Amtrak, Philadelphia’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, D.C. DOT, Union Pacific, and Norfolk Southern—and four of the honored international agencies—East Japan Railways, Central Japan Railways, German Rail DB, and SNCF in France—are APTA members.

The list of Brunel Award winners and commendations is available online.

Founded in 1963, the Brunel Awards are sanctioned by the Watford Group of International Railway Designers, an organization comprising railway design professionals from 20 countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Honorary co-chairs of the awards committee are Joseph Szabo, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administrator, and AAR President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Hamberger.

Photo courtesy of Joseph Rago, Amtrak Representatives of MTA Metro-North Railroad accept the 2011 Jury Prize for Overall Design Excellence at the Brunel Awards ceremony in Washington. From left: Jury Prize Chairman Prof. Ronald Kemnitzer; MTA board member Susan Metzger; Center for Industrial Design in Transportation Chairman James Michel; Metro-North President Howard Permut, holding the prize; Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood; Metro-North Capital Programs Senior Director Timothy McCarthy; recently retired Harmon Shops Project Manager Michael Sickenius; General Chairman, International Association of Machinists, John Lacey; Capital Programs Director-Special Projects Mari Miceli; and Maintenance of Equipment Assistant Chief Mechanical Officer Michael Yaeger.