RAIL’s first ever virtual National Rail Awards ceremony took place yesterday (September 17).
The event was originally due to have been staged as usual at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, but was moved to a virtual platform as a result of the uncertainty and restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, just as in a normal year, awards were to be presented across 13 categories - only this year in front of a virtual audience (see panel below).
Alongside the usual Outstanding Personal Contribution awards for frontline, management and senior management staff, this year two Lifetime Achievement accolades were presented to individuals in recognition of “their impact and long-standing roles on the railway”.
Chris Hopcroft, who retired from his role as Train Manager at GB Railfreight in December 2019 after a 60-year career on the railways, had worked his way up from starting as a telephonist recording train movements for British Rail in 1959.
And Barbados-born 80-year-old Siggy Cragwell still despatches trains at Elstree & Borehamwood for Govia Thameslink Railway, having started his railway career in 1962 at Marylebone station, just a day after landing at Southampton to start his new life in England.
This year’s blue riband trophy for Passenger Operator of the Year went to KeolisAmey Docklands for another year of record-breaking performance (see RAIL 915).
Another hotly contested category is Great Place to Work, which has been awarded to GB Railfreight, having received highly commended status in this category in 2019.
And the NRA judges could not separate the achievements of two finalists in the Outstanding Teamwork Award category, so two winners were chosen: Great Western Railway and Network Rail for their efforts to celebrate International Women’s Day earlier this year; and GWR, NR, MTR Elizabeth Line and CrossCountry for their ‘Big Plan. Big Change. Big Team’ entry focusing on the successful implementation of the biggest timetable change on the Great Western Railway since 1976.
- Full details of the winners and highly commended entries can be found in RAIL 914, on sale digitally tomorrow (September 19) and in print on September 23.
- If you missed the virtual ceremony and would like to watch it on catch-up, it is available at https://nra2020.co.uk.
National Rail Awards 2020 – Roll of Honour
Freight & Logistics Achievement of the Year
Winner: iPort Rail - Year-on-year success
Highly Commended: GB Railfreight - Growth in intermodal and 2019 performance
Highly Commended: DC Rail & VTG Rail - Collaboration to switch used ballast from road to rail
Customer Service Excellence
Winner: GWR and ADi Access - Railway's First RoomMate
Highly Commended: South Western Railway - Assisted Boarding points: Transforming Accessible Travel
Highly Commended: Great Western Railway - Platform Zoning
Sustainable Business Award
Winner: Eminox, Porterbrook & South Western Railway - Helping passengers to breathe more easily by cleaning up diesel trains
Highly Commended: Merseyrail - Sustainability as a key priority
Highly Commended: Amey - The Midland Main Line upgrade
Great Place to Work
Winner: GB Railfreight
Highly Commended: Southeastern
Infrastructure Achievement of the Year
Winner: Amey Rail - Market Harborough Line Speed and Station Improvement
Highly Commended: MPT - Manchester Metrolink Trafford Park Extension
Highly Commended: Network Rail and partners - Cardiff Intersection Bridge
Fleet Excellence Award
Winner: Hitachi Rail & ScotRail - Class 385: The UK's most reliable new train
Highly Commended: Govia Thameslink Railway - Fleet Introduction and Cascade Programme
Highly Commended: South Western Railway - Overcoming the odds on the Island Line
Innovation of the Year
Winner: Atkins - Atkins Signalling Method
Highly Commended: Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway & Siemens - Automatic Train Operation has arrived in London
Highly Commended: Greater Anglia & Stadler - New low-floor bi-mode train with retractable step
Safety Achievement of the Year
Winner: Motion Rail - Motion Reality
Highly Commended: South Western Railway & Network Rail - Trespass and Welfare Officers: Helping the vulnerable for a safer railway
Highly Commended: MPT – Delivering health, safety and wellbeing differently on the Manchester Metrolink Trafford Park Line project
Outstanding Teamwork Award
Winner: Great Western Railway & Network Rail - The Railway Family Celebrates International Women's Day
Winner: Network Rail, Great Western Railway, MTR Elizabeth Line & CrossCountry - Big Plan. Big Change. Big Team.
Highly Commended: SYSTRA Ltd, Network Rail & Colt Construction - New roof over Leeds City station concourse
Station of the Year
Small Winner: Transport for Wales - Chirk
Highly Commended: Great Northern - Downham Market
Highly Commended: Northern - Hindley
Medium Winner: Avanti West Coast - Penrith
Highly Commended: Northern - Worksop Highly Commended: Merseyrail - Ainsdale
LARGE Winner: Greater Anglia - Norwich
Highly Commended: Network Rail - Stratford International
Highly Commended: LNER - Durham
MAJOR Winner: Network Rail - Reading
Highly Commended: Network Rail - London King’s Cross
Highly Commended: Network Rail - Glasgow Central
Passenger Operator of the Year
Winner: KeolisAmey Docklands
Highly Commended: Merseyrail Highly Commended: Southern Railway
Outstanding Personal Contribution
Winner (Frontline): Najla Almutairi, Station Assistant, Southern Railway
Highly Commended: Darryl Peters, Finance Assistant, Siemens
Winner (Management): Katrina Treacy, Customer & Community Engagement Officer, MTR Elizabeth line
Highly Commended: Susan Fishwick, Training Lead for the ‘Get Into’ Programme, South Western Railway
Winner (Senior Management): Mike Brown MVO, Former Commissioner of Transport for London
Lifetime Achievement Award
WINNER: Chris Hopcroft, Former Train Manager, GB Railfreight
WINNERU: Siggy Cragwell, Platform Supervisor, Elstree & Borehamwood, Govia Thameslink Railway
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