Station Managers Global Group

The Station Managers Global Group (SMGG) serves as an incubator for station-related projects, fostering innovation through best practice exchanges, studies, and events. SMGG supports the transformation of stations into sustainable, digitalized, and high-value assets for customers and cities.

More information about the sector is available here.

Railway Stations Awards 2025

In 2025, SMGG sector of UIC decided to create a Railway Stations Award, to highlight and promote specific initiatives and projects initiated by Station Managers. The main objectives are:

Foster collaboration among railway stations operators, creating opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange.
Acknowledge and celebrate outstanding practices among UIC members, highlighting exemplary initiatives by railway stations operators.
Promote the initiatives and achievements of the Station Managers Global Group (SMGG), underlining their role in advancing sustainable and innovative station management practices worldwide through the UIC Vision 2030.

Each Permanent Working Group of SMGG sector suggested topics for the Award (4 nominations in total).

Winners of the Railway Stations Awards 2025 edition

Discover the outstanding winners of the Railway Station Awards 2025, celebrating remarkable achievements in station development and management.

Categories:

Station & Urban Design:

Climate change adaptation
Resilience
Green materials

Facility Management & Operation:

Crowd management strategy
Preparation of big events
Safety & security

Retail & Commercial Affairs:

Customer experience
Innovative retail in stations

Small Stations:

Effective management of small stations portfolio
Developing potential of small stations
Stakeholder management

Why apply for the Railway Stations Awards?

Applying for the Railway Stations Awards 2025 offers a unique opportunity for visibility and recognition within the global railway community. Organized by the Station Managers Global Group (SMGG) under UIC, the awards not only celebrate excellence in station management but also provide a platform to showcase innovative projects to a global audience.

Why Apply?

✅ International Recognition Winning or being shortlisted in the awards positions your project at the forefront of best practices in railway station management, reinforcing your expertise among peers and stakeholders.

✅ Visibility through UIC & SMGG Your project will gain exposure via UIC's extensive network, reaching railway operators, infrastructure managers, and urban mobility experts worldwide. SMGG, as a key UIC working group, plays a leading role in shaping the future of railway stations, ensuring your work is recognized at the highest levels.

✅ Spotlight at the Biggest Railway Congress The awards will be showcased at a major UIC event, Worls Congress for High-Speed Rail in Beijing, China, where winners will have the opportunity to present their initiatives to an audience of industry leaders, policymakers, and fellow professionals.

✅ Networking & Knowledge Exchange The awards foster collaboration among railway station operators, opening doors to new partnerships, funding opportunities, and innovative solutions that can be applied across different rail networks.

By applying, you not only gain recognition but also contribute to the advancement of sustainable and innovative railway station management worldwide.

Application process

Apply here: https://uic.org/event/railway-station-award-2025/

All UIC members can apply for the Railway Station Awards. Multiple submissions for different categories are accepted.

Application Deadline: All projects/initiatives must be submitted by 24 July 2025

There will be two rounds for selection:

1st round: Online submission (the applicant should fill out the form online and provide the details of the projects and the evidence of their influence on the company), 2nd round: Short-listed candidates will be invited to present online pitches (10 min) before the jury.

Selection criteria

1. All nominations will be reviewed to ensure they are complete, meet eligibility requirements, and comply with the application guidelines.

2. Judges will assess applications in each category based on the following criteria:

30% Contribution to railway station development. Focus on projects that enhance connectivity, functionality, and passenger experience, with higher scores for addressing multiple objectives.
30% Longevity, Scalability, and Replicability. Potential to drive lasting improvements, expand to other locations, or serve as a model for future initiatives.
20% Innovation and Originality. The initiative introduces a novel or creative approach to station management.
20% Staff and/or Community Engagement. Level of collaboration, communication, and involvement of key stakeholders in the station’s development or operations.
These scores will determine the shortlist for each category.

3. Shortlisted applications will be reviewed further during a short presentation to the judges, where a winner will be selected.

4. Final rankings will be compiled for each category, and shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend the awards ceremony.

5. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony, held at the UIC Headquarters, on 16 October, 2025 in Paris, France. The ceremony will be moderated by Fabrice Morenon, SMGG Chair, and Paul Van Doninck, SMGG Vice-Chair.

The Jury

The jury of the Awards is composed of international experts in the field of railway station development. Their diverse backgrounds— architecture, urban planning and transport policy —bring a rich and informed perspective to this evaluation process. Each member brings years of experience and a deep understanding of how stations shape cities and connect communities globally.

Takamasa Suzuki	Senior Researcher in Data Analytics at RTRI, specialist in flow analysis and optimisation. Focused on enhancing mobility systems through data-driven insights and innovative transport solutions.
Alice Lunardon	URBACT Lead Expert in Mobility and advocate for sustainable, transit-oriented urban development. Promotes railway stations as key drivers of inclusive and low-carbon city transformation. Currently works as Sustainability Expert at BABLE Smart Cities.
Lottie Stainer	Urban Designer and Mobility Researcher at UITP, specialising in sustainable public transport and inclusive urban spaces. Lottie bridges design and policy to support cities worldwide in creating people-focused, transit-oriented environments.
Bertrand Minary	Passenger Director at the International Union of Railways (UIC), where he also coordinates activities in the Middle East and Latin America. He leads initiatives to improve passenger experience, promote sustainable mobility, and develop high-speed rail strategies. Prior to UIC, he held leadership roles at Railenium and SNCF, driving innovation in freight and digital transformation.
Vanessa Perez	Senior Advisor in the Passenger Department at the International Union of Railways (UIC). She coordinates key initiatives including TopRail (tourism opportunities for railways), Commuter and Regional Train Services (CRTS), and the Accessibility Group of Experts (Passage). Pérez Miranda also supports UIC’s activities in the Latin America region and has contributed to the Customer Experience Platform (CEMP), promoting sustainable and inclusive rail travel.
Spyros N. Koulouris	Urban designer and researcher focusing on green urban transformation and transit-oriented development (TOD), with expertise in developing sustainable transition pathways for railway stations. Experienced in architectural and urban design, urban governance, and research methods. Currently working as a Research and Teaching Associate at the Chair of Sustainable Urbanism, Technical University of Munich, and coordinating the Master’s Program in Urbanism – Urban and Landscape Studies and Design.
Nacima Baron	Prof. Nacima Baron is Doctor in Geography and obtained a professional certification in urban planning, both at Sorbonne University. She teaches and conducts research in the academia at national and international levels, connecting public engineering with spatial planning and policy analysis in infrastructural planning, railway policies, mobility trends.
Stefanie Ruf	Stefanie Ruf holds a PhD in psychology from TU Dresden, Germany, on cyclists’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviour when sharing the road with motorists. She is currently working at the Professorship of Urban Design at TU Munich, Germany, with a focus on the intersection of road users’ perceptions and the built environment. Her research group "Transforming urban mobility" works on transitions towards sustainable mobility and a more just allocation of public urban space in times of the climate emergency.
Laura Petersen	Laura Petersen (MSc) joined the International Union of Railways (UIC) in 2019 as a Senior Advisor in the Security Department, where she has been regularly developing guidance documents to help strengthen the rail sector’s response to major threats. Her areas of expertise include crisis management, critical infrastructure resilience and railway security. She is a researcher and project manager for EU funded research and innovation projects.

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