- Posted on 12 Jun 2026
- 2-minute read
The UTS Transport Research Centre (TRC) team has been honoured with the 2026 Donald R. Stanley Award by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE). The award recognises the most outstanding published contribution to Civil and Environmental Engineering, selected from hundreds of competing works across a broad international research field.
For the first time, the award‑winning study demonstrates the use of recycled rubber in real‑world railway track construction, implemented in collaboration with Sydney Trains at Chullora in Western Sydney. The project showcases how recycled rubber can be successfully applied in an operational freight rail environment to reduce track maintenance demands, mitigate train‑induced dynamic stresses, alleviate noise and support circular economy principles through the reuse of waste materials.
This achievement reflects TRC’s strength in innovation‑driven, impact‑focused research, combining fundamental mechanics, advanced modelling, and field validation, underpinned by several consecutive Australian Research Council funded projects. The successful delivery of the field implementation was made possible through the dedicated contribution of Sydney Trains engineers (Steven Lawrence) and Dr. Mandeep Singh, former Senior Technical Officer at UTS, whose support was instrumental in laboratory testing, field instrumentation, and construction activities. The award also highlights the strength of TRC’s long‑standing industry partnerships, including collaboration with Sydney Trains, Bridgestone, and EcoFlex, and a shared commitment to delivering sustainable, high‑performance infrastructure solutions with tangible societal and environmental benefits.
The international recognition further reinforces TRC’s position as a global leader in collaborative, impact‑driven research, and underscores the growing influence of TRC’s research and development work in leveraging waste materials to enhance the resilience and sustainability of transport infrastructure.
Details of the paper:
Title: Effects of rubber-intermixed ballast on train loading response through field monitoring in Western Sydney.
Authors: Buddhima Indraratna, Chathuri Arachchige, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Trung Ngo, Yujie Qi, and Ameyu Tucho
Publication details: Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 62, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2024-0507
