Abellio Greater Anglia wins Integrated Transport Excellence Award

Abellio Greater Anglia has won the Integrated Transport Excellence award at the annual Rail Business Awards. The impressive accolade reflects the substantial progress the company has made in improving integrated transport arrangements across its network in East Anglia.

Over the last 18 months Abellio Greater Anglia has :

• Increased by over 500 spaces the number of the number of cycle parking spaces at stations, so over 7500 spaces are now available at its stations and 93% of stations have some cycle parking facilities
• Provided secure cycle parking at 20 stations
• Introduced a new cycle strategy and launched the Abellio Greater Anglia Cycle Forum.
• Improved bus-train integration with connecting services and through ticketing between Audley End and Saffron Walden and between Halesworth and Southwold.
• Further developed Station Travel Plan initiatives at Colchester, Ely, Southend, Lowestoft, North Walsham and Ipswich.
• Introduced a new “Cab and Go” App and Website taxi booking scheme, making it easy to book a taxi for your destination station (now available at 48 stations)
• Improved transport interchange arrangements at Lowestoft station as part of a joint project with Suffolk County Council
• Enhanced promotion of cycling, buses and taxis as connecting options and upgraded station interchange facilities at selected locations.

Many of these initiatives have been delivered in partnership with local authorities and community rail partnerships.

Over the remainder of its short franchise to October 2016, Abellio Greater Anglia is also committed to installing cycle parking at the stations which do not yet have such facilities and to working with partners to complete the Cycle Point at Cambridge which will be the biggest of its type in the UK. There are also ongoing plans to further improve integrated transport arrangements at stations such as Ipswich and Colchester.

The judges recognised this comprehensive and wide-ranging integrated transport strategy implemented by Abellio Grater Anglia and the real steps forward which have been delivered.

Commenting on the award, Jamie Burles, Managing Director, Abellio Greater Anglia said :

"I'm delighted that our proactive approach to improving integrated transport has been recognised with the Integrated Transport Excellence award at the annual Rail Business Awards. This independent endorsement of our progress and achievements illustrates our steps forward in making it as convenient as possible for travellers to get to and from our stations. We recognise that passengers' journeys are end-to-end, door-to-door trips and don't just begin and end at the rail station. We have therefore been working hard to make it as easy as possible for our customers to access our stations by bus, bike, foot, taxi and car, thereby making rail travel as attractive and convenient as possible. Many of the improvements we have delivered have been achieved through partnerships with local authorities, Network Rail and the Department for Transport, so I would like to thank them all for their support.

We are committed to continuing to improve and develop integrated transport facilities over the remainder of our franchise to October 2016."