VolkerRail celebrates Technical Innovation win at Global Light Rail Awards
VolkerRail, alongside London Trams, Sika and AtkinsRéalis, has won the Technical Innovation of the Year award at the 2026 Global Light Rail Awards, recognising a new approach to embedded track renewal on the London Trams network in Croydon.
The award celebrates the achievements of the Sandilands Embedded Crossover Renewal, where the team challenged traditional methods of embedded rail renewal by introducing Sika’s Icosit KC 350/45 embedded rail system, using automated machine application to deliver a faster, safer and more sustainable approach.
The innovation replaced the traditional process of manually mixing and pouring polymer with a controlled machine application, reducing installation time from approximately 45 hours to 11 hours. The use of advanced, rapid-curing polyurethane technology (based on the "Curing-by-Design" concept) also reduced curing time from 24 hours to approximately 2 to 4 hours, subject to ambient temperatures.
The benefits continue beyond installation. The resilient polymer helped reduce vibration and secondary noise, while future rail renewals can be undertaken using high-pressure water jetting to remove the encapsulated rail without destructive concrete breakout. This allows the surrounding infrastructure to be retained, reducing future demolition, waste and disruption.
Material waste was also reduced from the 10-20% typically associated with conventional installation methods to less than 5%. The use of recyclable 200 litre drums replaced hundreds of smaller containers, reducing packaging waste and manual handling.
The winning solution was the result of close collaboration between VolkerRail, London Trams, Sika and AtkinsRéalis, bringing together delivery experience, product expertise, design and technical assurance to challenge an established method of track renewal.
Sam Allen, divisional director of urban transit and rail projects at VolkerRail, said: “Through collaboration, engineering excellence and a willingness to challenge traditional delivery methods, VolkerRail, London Trams, Sika and AtkinsRéalis have successfully introduced a transformative embedded rail technology capable of redefining how tramway infrastructure is maintained for decades to come.
“This award recognises not only the successful delivery of the Sandilands renewal, but the team’s ambition to find a better way of doing things, with an approach that can support future embedded rail renewals across the light rail sector.”
Craig Summers, business unit manager at Sika, said: “We are incredibly proud to have played a part in this award-winning project. By combining Sika’s specialist embedded rail technology with the expertise and commitment of the wider project team, we have delivered a solution that makes track renewal faster, safer and more sustainable. This recognition demonstrates what can be achieved through genuine collaboration and a shared determination to challenge established methods for the benefit of the light rail industry.”