They won the award for maintaining essential services and keeping the public informed in the wake of bushfires that ravaged part of the Blue Mountains rail line in December.

Australasian Railway Association (ARA) Chairman and awards judge Danny Broad said Sydney Trains were faced with disruptions on a scale not seen before just as Blue Mountains residents were planning trips to Sydney and beyond to join loved ones for Christmas.

"Their work to maintain safe and accessible services in the midst of one of the nation's biggest bushfire emergencies cannot be underestimated," he said.

"Sydney Trains really delivered for their customers in a time of crisis and are most worthy winners of this year's customer service award."

PREVIOUSLY: Blue Mountains line: Trains off the tracks until late January

Mr Broad said the event highlighted the essential work of rail industry organisations in a year like no other.

"The rail industry has been just as challenged by the events of 2020 as any other, but our people have kept essential services going and continued to deliver new projects and initiatives through it all," Mr Broad says.

"Today's awards have highlighted the commitment and tenacity of the people of the rail industry at a time when we've never needed them more."

Mr Broad said these submissions and many others highlighted the essential role of rail in the community.

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"The judges were impressed by the many examples of people finding new ways of working to deliver an exceptional customer service for the passengers and businesses that use the rail network," he said

The Australasian Rail Industry Awards are supported by the Australasian Railway Association, Institution of Railway Signal Engineers, Railway Technical Society of Australia, Rail Track Association Australia, the TrackSAFE Foundation and the Permanent Way Institution.