Brookville Awarded Manufacturer of the Year at LRTA’s 2018 Global Light Rail Awards in London
Brookville Equipment Corporation was named Manufacturer of the Year at the 12th annual Global Light Rail Awards in London on Wednesday, October 3, 2018.
“We are honored to receive recognition on this global stage,” said Brookville Vice President of Business Development Joel McNeil. “This award is a testament to the trust and confidence our customers have in us as a transit vehicle manufacturer. Over the past few years we have taken on new and exciting challenges, and our dedicated workforce has been successful in delivering products that have exceeded expectations in the US marketplace, so it is very rewarding to have those efforts culminate with this recognition, as we continue to grow and advance as an organization.”
Following successful modern streetcar projects with Dallas Area Rapid Transit and QLINE Detroit, Brookville delivered new fleets of its modern platform, the Liberty Streetcar, to the city of Oklahoma City (7 vehicles) and the city of Milwaukee (5 vehicles) in 2018. Additionally, the company is delivering restored heritage PCC streetcar vehicle fleets to the city of El Paso, Texas (6 vehicles) and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (16 vehicles) in 2018, and is closing in on nearly two decades of experience performing PCC restorations for American cities.
Brookville’s Vice President of Business Development Joel McNeil accepted the Global Light Rail Award for Manufacturer of the Year at an Oct. 3 banquet in London.
“This company is pushing the boundaries in the highly competitive US urban streetcar sector and on completion of its current backlog will have made contributions to or built 133 vehicles, a number that seems poised to grow,” the Global Light Rail Awards judges said in their statement.
Brookville is also celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2018, having been founded in 1918 as a manufacturer of small industrial and railroad switchers, before evolving into a diversified manufacturer of transit vehicles, locomotives, and mining equipment over the past century.
Brookville’s recognition as Manufacturer of the Year is the company’s second Global Light Rail Award. In 2015, Brookville shared the award for Technical Innovation of the Year with DART for the Liberty Streetcar’s onboard energy storage system (OESS), which utilizes lithium-ion batteries to allow the vehicles to travel off-wire for portions of the route. In 2016, Brookville was also recognized as ‘Highly Commended’ for Manufacturer of the Year.
The Global Light Rail Awards are held annually in London to recognize achievements in the light rail industry around the world. UK-based publisher Mainspring hosts the ceremony on behalf of the Light Rail Transit Association.