WE'VE had the Oscars and the Brits, and now the limelight has been thrown on the glittering world of... trains.
Merseyrail has scooped the top honour at the rail industry’s very own awards night, beating big-name players to be crowned UK’s operator of the year.
It is the first time Merseyrail has won the prestigious gong and builds on its recent success as a high performer in the biannual National Rail Passenger Survey and the annual Which? train poll, as well as on the plaudits won at the North of England Excellence Awards in November.
Merseyrail is constantly listed as a top performer, and cited as the biggest underground rail system outside of London, with a 95% rating for reliability and punctuality. The system carried more than 110,000 passengers every weekday, running over 800 trains a day.
Shortlisted were First TransPennine Express, East Midlands Trains and First Hull Trains.
A contigent of top people from Merseyrail travelled, no doubt on Virgin, to the National Rail Business Awards bash at the Hilton in Park Lane.
Alan Chaplin, interim managing director at Merseyrail, commented: “Merseyrail has an enviable track record for winning awards, and it’s great to be recognised yet again. We remain determined to work hard, providing an excellent service for customers. This means constantly appraising and challenging the way we do things, innovating and applying best practice.”
