Published on: Monday, 21 September 2015
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Abellio Greater Anglia has been commended for a number of achievements at the National Rail Awards 2015.
Notable successes included:
Winners with Network Rail of Best Large station for London Liverpool Street in the Station of the Year award
Highly commended for Bures in the Small Station category of the Station of the Year award
Finalists in the Putting Passengers First category with Network Rail, for train "coasting" to minimise the impact of engineering work
On London Liverpool Street the judges said: "An outstanding example of a 1990s station reconstruction being maintained to the highest level 25 years later. Despite being one of the most difficult stations to manage, it scored highly on presentation, facilities, information, retail, cleanliness and customer service."
On Bures the judges said: "Passengers arrive through landscaped gardens to be met by further flower displays on the platform and an immaculate waiting shelter, with a history of the line. This station is a pleasure to use."
The "Coasting" project on the Great Eastern route involved trains coasting through an area adjacent to where overhead line equipment renewals work was underway. This meant that passengers could complete their journeys by train without the need for a replacement bus service. Judges said that the project "sets a great example of teamwork, creative thinking and a real desire to put passengers first."
The recognition for the train operator is the latest external endorsement of its positive approach and progress. Earlier this year it won the Small Scale Projects award for the "Coasting" project with Network Rail and the Cross Industry Partnership award with RSSB, Network Rail, the Department for Transport and Bombardier for the battery-powered train (or Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit) trial, both at the Rail Innovation Awards, and the Integrated Transport Excellence Award at the Rail Business Awards. It also won the Passengers Matter award at last autumn's Community Rail Awards, for its development of more frequent train services, upgraded station facilities, higher customer service standards, enhanced ticket purchasing arrangements and improved integrated transport links on the East Suffolk line between Ipswich and Lowestoft.
Abellio Greater Anglia Managing Director, Jamie Burles, said: "We are really pleased to see the proactive approach of our teams, our partners and, in the case of Bures station, our station adopters, receiving national recognition for their efforts in raising service standards for customers and communities across our network. The endorsement for our efforts at stations large and small and our coasting project, illustrate how we try to deliver an excellent service for our passengers on all the routes we operate.
“Following on from other awards for trialling an innovative battery-powered train, our integrated transport improvements and delivering ongoing customer-focused upgrades on the East Suffolk Line, they illustrate how we strive to consistently offer a better service for travellers across every aspect of our operation."