The European Railway Award was initiated in 2007 and is jointly organised by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), and the Union des Industries Ferroviaires Européennes, the Association of the European Rail Industry (UNIFE).
The European Railway Award honours outstanding political and technical achievements in the development of economically and environmentally sustainable rail transport. The award is held annually in Brussels with over 500 participants. The award includes prize money, which is donated to the charitable organizations of the laureatesâ choice. The jury consists of CEOs of rail companies and other stakeholders from the transport sector. The Award Ceremony is followed by the joint CER-UNIFE Annual Reception.
From 2007-2016, two awards (one political, one technical) were given out. In 2017, for the tenth anniversary of the award, no awards were given out, and then from 2018 to 2020, the two awards were merged. In 2021, the ceremony was held online, with delivery of two awards, one political and one general. Since 2022 (and as of 2026) there two sets of awards are once again given out, the "Rail Champion," for "outstanding political contributions to the advancement of rail transport," and "Rail Trailblazer," for "technical excellence and innovation."